Ultimate Paint and Ultimate FX

    I use Ultimate Paint Freeware and Ultimate FX, rather than Ultimate Paint Shareware, because this provides about the same functionality for much less. Though I would strongly suggest paying the small registration fee to not have a banner ad while running Ultimate FX. (See the OptOut site for possible problems with Banner Ads.)

    Using two programs instead of one, being at most a three step process. First, create a background or save the image to the appropriate (file) format with Ultimate FX. Second, work on the image with Ultimate Paint Freeware. Then third, finish up with some special effects, and/or alter the file format for the image (e.g. set the GIF transparency), back in Ultimate FX. Which also leaves it open to using a different paint program, while keeping the features of Ultimate FX.

    The background and drawing colors in both these programs are very significant. (These programs often use the "left" mouse button for the drawing color, and the "right" mouse button for the background color.) For example, in Ultimate Paint Freeware, the copy function will not pick up the color set as the background-- if that color is even used in the image. And in Ultimate FX, the color chosen as the background color, is what can be saved as instead being transparent.