If you're not adverse to online browser-based programs, you could take a look at Pixlr.
http://pixlr.com/editor/
It looks like a simplified version of Photoshop, but still... if you can use this in the end, you could also use GIMP. All image editors nowadays are basically set up the same.
Most of them look similar to
Photoshop 7. Since version 2.8, you can (finally) make gimp look similar to that,
by docking all its windows.
My recommendation would be to invest some time in learning GIMP's basics. They are the same or similar for all image editors, although the buttons may be in different places. For better or worse, if you need a
free image editor to do more than just basic stuff, you
will eventually end up using GIMP.
Granted, you could use simpler programs such as Pixlr as a stepping stone.