How do you make images have transparent backgrounds?

How DO you make images have transparent backgrounds? Know of a FREE program that does it? Not a shareware program, but FREEWARE.

Thanks!

paint.net is the name of a free program that will allow this

www.paint.net is the website
when you get to the page, click the link at the top right of the page

you must save the file as a .gif or .png
those will support transparent backgrounds.

also if you search for the forums on www.paint.net you can find a free program to make animated gifs
ex: emoticons, animated banners.

www.gimp.com
it's free.

here's another link for Gimp tutorial on creating paths/renders

Thanks! I'm using paint.net... I dunno, it looks easier. But thanks for your help! I may come back here in case it doesn't work out! Hey, do you want to visit my website and see how it looks? No one ever comes, and if they do, they never come back... Could you spare just a little bit of your time? (I tend to put people in the guilt trip. Some jerk on DSU said so.)

here's my site if you want to visit, you don't have to, but it's appreciated. If you come, you should at least come once a day and post at least once. You could also use the chatbox. No, it's fine, no one ever uses it anyway, so give at it! That would also be appreciated:

http://ratio-games.forumotion.net/forum.htm

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