the Photoshop learning curve is not steep! I have been using it for years and still haven't found out about most of the functions. If this curve were steep, I'd be somewhere on Mars now. It just let's you learn a new trick every day, mostly by coincidence
But I agree, PShop is not the programme for everyday use, much too powerfull really, and WAY too big, but I got hooked long ago and can't afford to rid myself of all those tricks and start anew with another programme.
What are you trying to achieve is the main question. Just get rid of red eyes, crop the pics and adjust some levels, most of the programmes out there can help you with that. If you want to retouch, get rid of lost loves, or copy desired ones in, that can be a bit tricky.