This was the program I started with and I still use PhotoImpact 8 for all kinds of things.  There's a great beginner's workshop at www.pircnet.com (http://pirc-bw.com/) that's free and a great way to learn the ins and outs of the tools of the program.  They also have a great tutorial database there.  Another good resource is www.visual-arts-academy.com which has a course specifically for scrapbooking using the PhotoImpact software.  I believe it will be available starting in May.

I hope that helps!