Banner Making Help: A GIMP Question

[UPD Equinox]

Okie dokie. I want to make a web banner. What i want to do is get one image, use it as the backdrop, and then put pictures of people in the corner. BUT i only want like... they're bodies/heads. Ive got pictures of the characters but i have no idea how to get round of the backrounds in the character pics so i can merge them onto the backdrop. Im using GIMP so do any of you wonderfully talented people have any suggestions? Thanks in advance.

[intrepid90]

well, my gimp is german so I hope I say the correct technical terms of the tools in GIMP.
Try the "free selection" tool, which looks like a lasso.
just go roughly along the heads and close your selection by reconecting to where your selection started (sounds strange, sry)
then copy it (strg+c) and put it in the background (strg+v).
Gimp automatically creates a new level for your copied head.
now you zoom in and erase all the pixels that dont belong to the head.
afterwards you can move it wherever you want.

I hope this helped, but I guess it sounds rather confusing

[UPD Equinox]

Well I think you meant (ctrl+c) but yeah i get the gist. Thanks!

Is there also a tool, perhaps the gradient tool that allows me to fade a picture out towards one end? Say, full opacity at the top and fading into the backround at the bottom?

[MLeo]

strg is the german version of control. ;)
Atleast, I think it is anyway.

[UPD Equinox]

I guess as much.

[intrepid90]

oh yea, sorry for that^^