i need to make a few images smaller than what they are. how can i do that without losing much quality in the images?
Paste the images here and i will resize em in PS if someone hasnt helped ya out yet. lowriders option is a good one as well though, here is one here that would work for ya in a pinch > http://www.shrinkpictures.com/
Gimp.org offers gratis software you can use for image editing. It's the opensource version of Photoshop. Tutorials abound on youtube. It's an excellent program to add to your toolbox.
Remember to constrain the image's proportions when resizing also (if you intend to) to keep the best quality.
Picassa re sizes images without losing the quality and it does everything in bulk with variations of sizes. i love Picassa ..
Try iCollage, it is the leading Photo Editing software which can help you to add more details to your photos or just give a new shape to your photos.
Don't forget about compression image, for jpeg file in photoshop, save your image at high or maximum image quality.
I would suggest Photoshop as well, using the transform tool and making it a jpeg unless the images are animated then use gif.