Shrinking picture file sizes

That depends on the picture resolution and image compression settings. As an example, I just took some pictures on my 8megapixel camera with different settings. At the lowest resolution the file was about 120KB in size, which means about 25000 pictures will fit into 3GB. At its highest resolution and best quality (least compression) the file is about 4MB, which will allow about 750 pictures in 3GB. At the same resolution and lowest quality (most compression) the file is about half that size, allowing for twice as many pictures.

Your mileage will vary, of course. The best way to find out is to take some pictures and see how big they are.

Hope this helps. If you need more information, please feel free to reply to this post and specify the make and model of your camera.

Your solutions are varied, but the results will be (mostly) the same. Option 1: Lower the resolution and quality settings on your camera. If you are seeing 3-4 MB per photo, then they are probably at least 4000 pixels wide, and your file size will be larger to reflect that. If you set the camera to a lower quality and or resolution, you will for sure save disk space. Consequently, you will also lose image quality. If you are mainly archiving the photos for the purpose of viewing them online, on your PC, or through a digital picture frame, this is no big deal. If you intend to print, especially a large print, you will see pixelation occur in the print. This will take smooth parts of your picture and chunk colors together in a "boxy" appearance. Your second option, is to import your photos in a program like Google Picasa or many other free options, and then convert your image to a compressed format, such as a compressed JPEG or PNG file. PNG files are usually the better choice for file size, but not every devices (frames, TVs, etc.) recognize PNG files. So you may want to stick with JPEG depending on your use for your photos. Additionally, you can lower the resolution of hi-res photos within Picasa (or its alternatives) after importing the photos. This is the preferred route as you can take every photo like you want to print it as a poster, and then choose which photos to drop the resolution. This gives you the safety of shooting each picture as if you want to keep the quality and then later decide which are worth archiving at what resolution. Remember, the detail in a photo also reflects upon its size, not just resolution, if you take one 12 MP picture of the sky and another of a bunch of different color balloons, the balloon will have more color data and thus a higher file size.

I'll assume your picture is already oriented properly (horizontally), i.e. you do not need to rotate it.
There are 2 modes for displaying the photo ... (1) the ORIGINAL mode - displays the photo in actual photo size, which may result in part of the photo not being visible on the screen, or, (2) the OPTIMAL mode - which reduces the size and resolution to best fit the screen.
To set image size mode, select the SETUP on the HOME screen display, then highlight and select the DISPLAY IMAGE SIZE button, and go from there.
The first (ORIGINAL) mode is usually the default mode. When you select the OPTIMAL mode, the picture will be scaled to fit the size of the screen ... but you may see "dark" bars (e.g. on top and bottom of the screen) if your picture does not fit the exact screen size.

I've never used a card in mine, but I've seen others mention that if they go beyond about 50 % of capacity on the card, the frame will freeze up.

so.... try reducing the size / number of pictures ?

Also, did you run them through the OptixPix optimizer ? It reduces size by over 90 %, probably makes it easier for the tiny processor in the frame to handle it.

Some models allow you to set photo copy or import method to "optimized". This will compress the photos as they are copied to the frame and allow you to fit more on it. But in order to use this feature, you must copy from a memory card or USB drive, not a PC. A PC will override the copy mode.

You have your camera set to RAW format. It is not a compressed file, it is a full size file. Opening this in editing programs will either crash your computer or will refuse to open because of the size of the file. They are not damaged but your computer cannot handle the files. You should take them to a photo shop and have them put the files on a cd and consult your manual to change your camera to JPEG format.

Re-edit the movies and pictures following the formats below: Video:
File Format: MOV
Video Compression: MPEG-4 ASP, MJPEG
Audio Compression: MP3, G.711, PCM, ADPCM, 8-bit linear

File Format: AVI
Video Compression: MPEG-4 ASP, MJPEG
Audio Compression: MP3, G.711, PCM, ADPCM, 8-bit linear

File Format: MPG / MPEG
Video Compression: MPEG-1
Audio Compression: MPEG audio Picture:
File Format: JPG / JPEG
Video Compression: Baseline JPEG

Music:
File Format: MP3
Video Compression: PCM, ADPCM, MPEG 1 layer 1,2,3

Go into photo mode and press the right hand button on the top of the frame. That should put you in full screen mode.

do you mean your files are around 2 mb (megabytes) in size? megabytes and megapixels are not the same thing..megapixelspixels=resolution and megabytes=file size..5MP pictures are around 2MB in size..

The Shooting modes are as follows: Program Auto (Factory default setting) Used for regular photography. The camera automatically makes the settings for natural color balance. Other functions, such as the flash mode and metering can be adjusted manually. Portrait Suitable for taking a portrait-style shot of a person. The camera automatically sets the optimal shooting conditions. Landscape Suitable for taking photos of landscapes and other outdoor scenes. The camera automatically sets the optimal shooting conditions. Night scene Suitable for shooting pictures in the evening or at night. The camera sets a slower shutter speed than is used in normal shooting. If you take a picture of a street at night in any other mode, the lack of brightness will result in a dark picture with only dots of light showing. In this mode, the true appearance of the street is captured. The camera automatically sets the optimal shooting conditions. If you use the flash, you can take pictures of both the subject and the background. Self Portrait Enables you to take a picture of yourself while holding the camera. Point the lens towards yourself and the focus will be locked on you. The camera automatically sets the optimal shooting conditions. The zoom is fixed in the Wide position and cannot be changed. Portrait + Landscape Portrait + Landscape mode is suitable for taking photos which include both your subject and the landscape. The camera automatically sets the optimal shooting conditions.