Alison,

I'm guessing that the 3mb size you are seeing is when your jpeg file is closed? Open the jpeg up and go to Image > Size and that will tell you how big your file is. When you save & close a jpeg, the file gets compressed alot, which makes for a much smaller file. I just did an experiment with a RAW file to get some numbers. When I open the RAW file in CS2 and go to Image > Size, it tells me I have a 36mb file. When I save and close that same file without any adjustment other than going from 16bit to 8bit, my closed file size is a little over 5mb. When I ope that same jpeg back up and go to Image > Size, it tells me that my file is 18mb. (I lost half by converting from 16bit to 8bit)

Does that answer your question?