I'm interested in doing Digital art, What programs should I look into?

Question:

I'm interested in doing Digital art, What programs should I look into?

I recently started looking into Digital art and would like to start but have no real Idea what programs would be best to start off with!..

I have looked up a few popular programs and would like to know which one would be easier to start with:

1. Corel Painter X
2. Photoshop cs3

Or what would you prefer to start with?
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Are the Features in Photoshop workable in the long run?

There are alot of versions out there which one would you suggust?

If I went with Photoshop what would be the advantages over Corel? or visa versa?
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Yes I am getting a Tablet pad and I do my sketches the old fashion way and My Art Style will be Freestyle and mostly Fantasy (fairys, dragons, goblins, etc) if that narrows things down a bit :)

I did search all over Yahoo, Google and a few well known Art websites but having trouble just getting a simple answer for where to start!

Best Answer - Chosen by Asker:

i personally suggest PhotoShop. It is always kept up to date and new features are added all the time. There are many more tutorials and help pages for PhotoShop than for Corel. Most digital art/photography schools and classes actually require PhotoShop rather than Corel. Photoshop may cost more at first, but also keep in mind that you can always just start with PhotoShop CS and then upgrade. If you go to its official website, it explains how it works. I personally like how the menus are arranged in Photoshop and that everything is very self explanatory. Corel just confuses me! (By the way, I am a photography minor so I've worked with both). Anyway...Photoshop works really well with fantasy type touchups, add ons etc. I have friends who have worked with both programs and much prefer masking and such over the options in Corel. Overall, Photoshop is better supported, at least IMHO, and more mainstream for Digital Art than Corel. Good luck whatever you choose! Have fun with it! :)