I recommend including images in posts by uploading them as an attachment. I've reconfigured the BBS software on the server to prevent large images from breaking the fixed-width layout used.

When an image is included in a post using the IMG tags, it is set to allow a maximum width of 550 pixels. When using this method, it would be a good idea to resize the image accordingly in a graphics program capable of resizing images, give it a different name, upload it to whatever server you're hosting it on, then link to it.

If you want the image to be viewed at the original, large size then don't use the IMG tags to link it in the post... simply use the URL tags to make a link to the image at its source location and it will be opened by the user's browser at its full size.

When an image is uploaded as an attachment to the post, it is stored on the server. If the image has a width greater than 550 pixels the board will turn it into a thumbnail with a maximum width of 550 pixels when it is displayed in the post. This is the preferred method. Using this method, the image will stay with the post regardless of what happens to the original source image. When images are linked from another server, this isn't the case.

In general, huge images are a waste of bandwidth and can be a nuisance for the user to try and view. There are plenty of free graphics programs out there for all operating systems, and most of them can crop and resize photos. It's worth spending a little time with one learning to do this. You'll be surprised how easily you can crop a picture to get rid of excess background and bring the focus in to the important part of the image. You can then resize it to fit common browser window and screen resolution sizes. For photograph type images, you'll want to use the .jpg file format. For non-photo or "flat" graphics, I'd recommend using the .png file format.

Okie dokie!