a] it takes time away from my being able to actually skin something
b] everything i know about texturing i learned from trial and error or on the web anyway.
c] if you can't be bothered to read and devote time to it, it's not for you, and you're wasting your time.
d] if it isn't here, i have no feckin' clue
Q: hedge! i need to spk w/ you in private pls what texture programs do you use?
A:before you hit up the forward slash and jut forth the little green text on that one, it's a matter of preference. i use a combination of several software packages for different purposes. other texture artists might favor a strict devotion to one application.
that said, here's a few of the most popular - what i personally use shouldn't really be that important. they're all just tools and texturing at its core is fairly basic compared to other forms of image manipulation (simple concepts to learn, lifetime of mastering the right look for the right model). that said, every single one of the packages below has everything you'll probably need.
http://www.gimp.org
a freeware raster arts package similar to photoshop, with a powerful scripting engine that's begun to give it a distinction of its own. originally for unix/linux, now available for windows too. a bit of a hassle to install but this is the one you'll want if you can't afford photoshop.
http://plasticbugs.com/index.php?p=241
gimpshop: a redistribution of gimp that's closer to photoshop in functionality (hotkeys, layout, etc) -- this is also probably the easiest way to get a decent freeware paint program if you're using a mac.
http://www.corel.com
i got their painter package with my wacom tablet (a must-have tool for any serious texture artist), and love it for things like blood splotches, rust, and other lil' nasty bits. the digital watercolour brushes are terribly handy. some texture artists have been said to use this package exclusively.
http://www.jasc.com/
home of the shareware package paint shop pro. i've never personally tried it although lots of indie games have used it in the past due to the affordable price tag and bevy of photoshopish features.
http://www.adobe.com
the big kahuna, both in features and cost. this is the industry standard raster image editing application for print, web, texture art and more. a fully functioning 30day demo is available on their website.
a new one i'm still evaluating is called canvas, which is by acdsystems. it's been coming freely packaged on a lot of design magazine CDs lately - i'll post a full review when i've made up my mind on it.
lastly - a must-have tool for any skin and texture artist:
http://www.wacom.com
they start as low as $99, and often come prebundled with image editing software along with it (all of which was mentioned above in the corel painter section). you're going to need this sort of thing --and then get accustomed to using it-- in order to pull off some of the more organic or high-detail work required to make your textures really stand out.
either that or you're going to by and large find yourself getting fairly stuck doing rather pixilated stylized stuff with a mouse, depending on how accurate that even is.
that's my personal opinion, i'm sure other texture folks might think otherwise.
