Fireworks/Photoshop Alternatives

[rainydays]

Hello all! I'm new to the site... I was just wondering if any of you know of any good alternative (free) software programs that can easily be downloaded online and would be useful for learning Flash and the animation one would learn in Macromedia Fireworks. I already have Paint Shop Pro, so I would prefer not to buy Photoshop for the Flash capabilities... I would like to know if there's free software that does that same thing.

Also, what graphic design software programs do you guys recommend every web designer should have?