[size=5][u][b]Photoshop CS3[/b][/u][/size]
Before I begin, I would like to say that I have Photoshop CS3, every Photoshop version is somewhat different, but versions CS1 and CS2 may be similar to CS3. I am not certain of this.
Not everyone will do this process the same as I do and not everyone has Photoshop. There are most likely simpler ways to edit the avatars, but this is simply the method I tend to use.
[u]First: Cropping/Cutting[/u]
When you open your picture, cut away a lot of the white space by cropping the main part of the picture. I do not use the crop tool usually, but instead