i use my camera to get a picture to start with. Then often i will edit my pics abit to bring out desired colors, crop, and such. There is other people who use other programs to make crazy computer generated stuff, but im not one of them, so im no help there.
"A piece of toast with butter always lands butter side down, and a cat always lands on its feet. What happens if a piece of toast is tied butter side down to the back of a cat? Does it perpetually hover above the ground in indecision when dropped?"
lots of patience.....and sometimes not. Depends on how 'good' you want the image to be. I have been random from time to time. I use Paint Shop Pro 7 from Jasc Software.