The photo has to be 75x75 pixels or below, and the file has to be 19.5K or smaller.

Here's what I do:
Create the picture. Mine is many times larger than the Avatar requirements to I use an editing software.
There's alot of them on the net that are free/shareware but personally I use Photoshop Elements.

First I select what I want in the picture and crop the unwanted areas.
Then I resize to 75x75 pixels.

I check the filesize and upload to the website.

Personally I like making those animated jobs but those are more envolved.

Efficient drivers do it better.
1003 miles a tank personal record. 74MPG calculated. HCH1 CVT