Where can I find a basic image editing for adding arrows, text and layers

Question

Before posting images and/or code to my blog, I often want to do add some context by drawing a little text, an arrow or rectangle here or there, highlight some part of the image.

I'm looking for Windows software where I can add all the "elements" to the image and then still be able to move them around, change size etc so MS Paint is out of the question. Most ideally it wouldn't actually be able to do much more than that. Say editing capabilities comparable with Irfanview plus the above. If your program is above 10MB it can probably already do alot more.

Right now I'm starting Photoshop for this. But the mere act of starting Photoshop is how long it would take to actually edit the image. Does such thing already exist?

Answer 1

As you pointed out, using Photoshop and Illustrator for this is like trying to hit a fly with a sledge hammer.

Maybe this list will help

The list is based on looking for inDesign replacements, which is really what you are after.

Answer 2

The GNU Image Manipulation Program features the described functionality and is a lot quicker to open than Photoshop. This program is free of charge and there are numerous tutorials on Youtube that will take you through basic functionality, although I imagine that the interface will not be an impediment for someone who is familiar with image editing software.

The GIMP team does not provide windows binaries, but you will usually find a link to a working installer on the download page.