What do you guys recommend that I can download via the internet, I don´t want to buy expensive software.. I´ve been using Photoshop but it´s way to complex, I want to be able to make borders like this one and make images more like, unreal looking, like this one, ...
I'm totally new to Photoshop but compared to other things I've tried it's great. It certainly lives up to being the standard. I'm using Photoshop 7 for Dummies to learn it as well as the Photoshop Bible. If you have nothing to help you its very daunting, but even with very limited time (mostly I've been out shooting or work) I'm already feeling fairly comfortable with it.
If I were you I think I'd get Photoshop Elements. That way you're learning Photoshop and someday if you want to move to the full blown version you won't have a totally new learning curve.
helgi, P/shop is well worth a little time. I'll first say that the kayaking shot in the water was probably not due to a trick on Photoshop, it was done with a long shutter speed. I'm not sure if you Canon ixus has manual settings. If it does, you can do this too.
With regards to the border, open up your photo in photoshop and just do it simple like this:
Press "M" for marquee. You can then make a box in the photo. Make a box in the photo that just excludes the border space. Then Press Ctrl+Shift+I. This will then change the selection from what is in the box, to what is outside the box (your border area). From there, I think you can just hit alt+I, then A, then C. This will allow you to play with the brightness of that border area. Try putting the brightness way up, until you make that border area different from the rest of the photo, however you want it. Hope that helps.
If any of that was a repeat, I just noticed that I was reading the thread backwards
and make images more like, unreal looking, like this one, 
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