On Windows, I would always use TrueCrypt to perform full-disk-encryption and to create encrypted containers that I can put files in.
On 12.10, ubuntu uses dm-crypt to perform full-disk-encryption. I've read online that dm-crypt can also be used to create encrypted containers. I'm interested in using dm-crypt to create encrypted containers on ubuntu. Does dm-crypt use a GUI for this (noob friendly interface)? Or is dm-crypt CLI? I've tried looking for dm-crypt in Synaptic, Dash, BASH: man dm-crypt. But nothing shows up. So I'm not even sure how to access/install it (to see if it has GUI/CLI). I'm using 12.04.
There is zuluCrypt, but I haven't tried it yet and it doesn't come with ubuntu. Unfortunately I don't know an english tutorial, but the german ubuntuusers wiki has a really good one.