I just want to add a brief note about JPEGs and PSP.

In PSP6 there is an item on the FILE menu called EXPORT|JPEG file, which opens a dialog box that allows you easily change the % of compression.

My own trick with JPEG photos from my digital camera is to first use the IMAGE|BLUR|SOFTEN menu item which reduces the blockyness of the "lossy" jpeg format,

Then I save it as a tiff file, because that gives the best non-lossy compression, IMO. And then it is available for manipulation until you are ready to save it as a transparent gif (FILE|EXPORT|Transparent GIF) or a JPEG.

Also, just to add to Hes' excellent advice about PSP:

The bottom layer cannot be moved up, nor can anything be moved under it, to check the transparency. But you CAN select all and then choose LAYERS|DUPLICATE, after which you can "turn off" the bottom layer, and then slip Hes' coloured layer underneath it.

I've been using PSP since version 3 and I find it much more intuitive than Photoshop, though I have 6 different graphics programs on my p00ter including Corel 10. I find that PSP is the one I use the most for Graphics work, though Painter 5 and 6 are still my first choice for fine art/creative stuff.

Hope this adds something helpful to the thread.

~ Jande