How do you get cool personalized buttons and Titles?

Heya I was wondering how all your guys bet those neat personalized buttons and titles. I have access to paint but if i use those buttons i often get icky white borders around the button.. avoidible but paint isnt all that good. I also have access to Corel Draw but i dont think i can use the .cdr in html.
THX 4 YOUR TIME
ME

Yeah I would recommend getting Adobe Photoshop. That is what I do the majority of my graphics work in. I would say the majority use Adobe Photoshop, but there are many other alternatives out there. Another good alternative I think is Paint Shop Pro.