not dumb at all....
i use photo editing software like photoshop. it's pretty easy with those powerfulll software. but now i'm using MS Paint (i formatted my PC and lost the CD for photoshop! :down: )
anyway, here are the steps for ms Paint:
1. copy the pic from the site you want and paste it in MS paint.
2. in the "Image" drop-menu, click "attributes." Here you can see the normal size's width and height info (in Pixels).
NOTE: the Size of the avatar must not be more than 64x64.
3. compare the width and the height and see which number is larger ----> call this number 'X'
4. do the operation with a calculator: (64/X) * 100
5. the integer result of that calculation ---> 'Y'
6. in the "image" drop down menu, click "Stretch/Skew"
7. Enter the value of 'Y' in the first 2 spaces.
Here's an example,
width= 292, height =182
X=292
64/292 = 0.219178
0.219178 * 100 = 21.9178
round to the lowest integer =~ (Y=21)
put the value 21 in the spaces as discribed in step 7.
it's easy, though i might have over comlicated it in the instructions.
hope this helps...give it a try