[aew]

I like to add stills into the midst of my video elements but find that this increases the size of the output file enormously. Am I doing something dumb?

[myguggi]

I like to add stills into the midst of my video elements but find that this increases the size of the output file enormously. Am I doing something dumb?

Not enough information!
What are you doing exactly? What program from C2009 are you using? What output file are you referring to? The project file or the file created by using "output as "?
File size is basically meaningless if you are outputting to a video file for later use with myDVD to burn a DVD. It is the timelength of your project that is important. A standard 4.7GB DVD will only hold 60 minutes of video at best quality although there are workarounds to put longer video on a DVD.