diff --git modules/user/user.admin.inc modules/user/user.admin.inc
index de595d4..78109e0 100644
--- modules/user/user.admin.inc
+++ modules/user/user.admin.inc
@@ -395,7 +395,7 @@ function user_admin_settings() {
     '#size' => 10,
     '#maxlength' => 10,
     '#field_suffix' => ' ' . t('pixels'),
-    '#description' => t('Maximum allowed dimensions for uploaded pictures.'),
+    '#description' => t('Pictures larger than this setting will be scaled down to these dimensions.'),
   );
   $form['personalization']['pictures']['user_picture_file_size'] = array(
     '#type' => 'textfield',
@@ -404,7 +404,7 @@ function user_admin_settings() {
     '#size' => 10,
     '#maxlength' => 10,
     '#field_suffix' => ' ' . t('KB'),
-    '#description' => t('Maximum allowed file size for uploaded pictures.'),
+    '#description' => t('Maximum allowed file size for uploaded pictures. On a normal working system this only needs to be large enough for a file of size implied by "Picture upload dimensions" above because larger files will be rescaled to the dimensions above.'),
   );
   $form['personalization']['pictures']['user_picture_guidelines'] = array(
     '#type' => 'textarea',
diff --git modules/user/user.module modules/user/user.module
index 9561345..53f583d 100644
--- modules/user/user.module
+++ modules/user/user.module
@@ -1115,7 +1115,7 @@ function user_account_form(&$form, &$form_state) {
     '#type' => 'file',
     '#title' => t('Upload picture'),
     '#size' => 48,
-    '#description' => t('Your virtual face or picture. Maximum dimensions are %dimensions pixels and the maximum size is %size kB.', array('%dimensions' => variable_get('user_picture_dimensions', '85x85'), '%size' => variable_get('user_picture_file_size', '30'))) . ' ' . filter_xss_admin(variable_get('user_picture_guidelines', '')),
+    '#description' => t('Your virtual face or picture. Pictures larger than @dimensions pixels will be scaled down to @dimensions.', array('@dimensions' => variable_get('user_picture_dimensions', '85x85'))) . ' ' . filter_xss_admin(variable_get('user_picture_guidelines', '')),
   );
   $form['#validate'][] = 'user_validate_picture';
 }