Paint Shop Pro is one of the best and easiest graphics program available. It will do many of the things which top-of-the-line programs can do, but for hundreds of dollars less.
In addition, many of the plug-ins/filters, such as "AlienSkin's Eye Candy" which was developed for Photoshop and extends the capabilities of the basic program, are completely compatible with Paint Shop Pro.
There are many enhanced features in PSP version 5 over the 4 version. These changes alone are worth the price of admission.
These tutorials are offered as a step-by-step construction of some of the more popular creations which people want to do. There are many screen captures of the actual program to guide you in your development. An additional benefit is that you learn alternative ways to utilize the graphics program.