This information is based on the Canon Digital Rebel which is a 6.3 megapixel digital camera:
There is no "quick and easy" way to explain this, so feel free to read this explanation as many times as you need to
This is a topic that can get quite confusing some times. At its highest resolution, the Rebel takes photos at 3072 x 2048 pixels (if you multiply 3072 times 2048, you get roughly 6.3 million - which is why the Rebel is a 6.3Mp camera).
3072 by 2048 is a 1.5 to 1.0 ratio (3072 is 1.5 times 2048). This works great for 4x6 prints, since 6:4 is a 1.5 ratio, just like your camera. So when printing a 4x6, you won't lose a thing. The thing that hurts is the fact that different picture sizes are different ratios. For example, an 8x10 is 1.25:1 (10 is 1.25 times
. A 5x7 is a 1.4 ratio, an 11x14 print is 1.25 ratio.
What this means is, when you print just about any "typical" sized photo other than a 4x6, you are going to have to crop something out. This is where you run into trouble, because if you submit a regular 3072 x 2048 picture to Walmart or Costco, the 16 year old "lab expert" behind the counter will do the cropping for you. If you want to take it out of their hands, you'll have to crop them yourself.
This can get to be a pain in the butt, because if you want a 4x6, a 5x7 and an 8x10 of the same photo, you'll have to submit it three different times to the lab. If that's the case, you're better off putting the size in the file name, to prevent any confusion.
To crop to a specific size, open a photo in PS and select the crop tool (press the C key). At the top left of your screen you can specify the horizontal and vertical crop size. You may need to right click on the box to change from pixels to inches, but set it to 8x10 or whatever you need. Now, click and drag across your picture, and the crop tool will maintain the proper ratio.
Regarding your varying file sizes...Even though each picture you take is 3072 by 2048, the size of the file actually varies depending on the data that is saved. White is the absence of data, while black or other colors requre more data. What this means is, take a photo of someone standing in front of a white wall, and the file size will be way smaller than a picture of the same person standing in front of a scenic backdrop.