Transparency: Click the tool you wanna use, right click on picture, go to layer, highlight transparency and click "Add Alpha Channel". Downloading Brushes: Go to Deviantart.com, search for "Gimp Brushes", click the brush and on the right side will be download, get it, and click start, go to my computer, double click C: (Local Disk), then double click "Program Files", then GIMP 2.0, then share, Then gimp again, then 2.0, then you will see brushes. Open the downloaded brushes click and drag them into that file and it should work. Happy GIMPing its what i use :thumbsup:. If you need any tutorials (Tuts) you can visit gimptalk.com there awesome good luck \