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The best program IMO for graphic designing is Photoshop, the only problem is that it costs.

Best free ones? GIMP and Paint.NET. They are both really good.

Here at Pokemon Creed, we encourage graphics designing and the sharing of tips & resources.

Those who submit a lot of quality tutorials and show dedication to the art of graphics will be rewarded with a Graphics userbar or the Artist userbar.
If you show off some of your graphics works in the "Graphics Showcase" and I think they are extremely good, I might reward you with an artist userbar.

Just remember, do not post anything illegal here.

To generate 3D text you could use Cinema 4D or Adobe Illustrator. I recommend using Cinema 4D for 3D text. You could also use Element (it's an Adobe After Effects Plugin) which I find easier to use than Cinema 4D.

You can use Adobe Photoshop to animated signatures.

Featured Resources
All 649 Pokemon sprites unlocked & canvas 120x120: [you must login to view links]

Featured Software/Downloads:
Below is a selection of the best image editing software (in my opinion and many others).

Adobe Photoshop CS6 ($699, very expensive but STRONGLY recommended): [you must login to view links]
GIMP (Free Alternative): [you must login to view links]
Paint.NET (Free Alternative): [you must login to view links]
Adobe After Effects CS6 (mostly used for video editing, but it is also a great tool for image editing and creating animations): [you must login to view links]

Featured Plugins:
Paint.NET PSD Plugin (opens PSD files): [you must login to view links]