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When images are too big, it's usually one of the following:
1. The files are saved in a "lossless" file format like GIF or (shudder) BMP. These retain information about all the bits in the images and that makes them larger. BMP files in particular aren't compressed at all.
2. Even when stored in JPG format -- a "lossy" but more efficient compression scheme -- the quality is cranked up too high. As you approach 100% quality in a JPG, you get close to the size of a GIF file, for example. Usually for a good picture you can reduce the quality to about 70-75% and reduce the size of the file by a factor of anywhere from 3 to 10 times. (That is, a 100K file at 100% quality may be about 10-30K with 70% quality.) That's almost always good enough for online imaging.
As far as imaging programs, I have a Mac so I love Graphic Converter (which is a Mac-based program). It does 95% of the common things Photoshop can do, and it's shareware for about 40 bucks. The developer is constantly improving it and the upgrade policies for registered users have always been very generous.
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Tim (ANA R-167586)
"Free speech is not to be regulated like diseased cattle and impure butter. The audience that hissed yesterday may applaud today, even for the same performance." -- William O. Douglas (1898-1980), U.S. Supreme Court Justice | 
