What are the best photo/graphic picture/image editors?

Are they Photoshop and Paint Shop Pro?

Separately, what are the best FREE photo/graphic picture/image editors?

I sometimes need to edit pictures, or scans, or images and MS Paint is entirely insufficient.

I think most would say Photoshop over PSP.

I don't know of a good freebie, but for $75 I think PhotoshopElements can't be beat.

This gives me a chance to plug my absolute favorite FREE image editor - XnView. Get it here.

Lightweight and full of features. I actually use more than Photoshop for photo editing.

HI,
I have never used PhotoShop. Both my wife and I use Paint Shop Pro, along with Microsoft PictureIt 99, and MS Picture It Express 2000.
Paint Shop Pro can do almost anything you want to do with both digital camera photos and cartoon images or any other images. PSP does take some learning, and there are many, many sites with Tutorials; which I think you would probably need with PhotoShop also.
Another free program is IrfanView, found at http://www.cnet.com/downloads.
IrfanView is a simple program for brighter, darker, etc, photos. As far as I know, it does not have a good Text editor, whereby adding your own Text to images, etc. Best of luck.