A passport size photo for an online form is three numbers: the width and height in pixels, the file size in KB, and the format, usually JPG. Studios charge for a sheet of prints you do not need. With a plain phone photo against a light wall you can make the file yourself in a couple of minutes, in your browser, and nothing leaves your phone.
1. Find the numbers on the form
Look for the photo specification in the notice or the upload screen. It is written in one of two ways: a physical size (3.5 cm × 4.5 cm is the usual Indian size; 2 inch × 2 inch for a passport or a US visa) or a pixel size (350 × 350 or 413 × 531, for example), plus a file size range such as 20 to 50 KB or 10 to 300 KB.
When the form gives centimetres, convert at 300 dots per inch for a sharp result: 3.5 × 4.5 cm is 413 × 531 pixels, and 2 × 2 inch is 600 × 600 pixels. If the form then rejects the file for being too large, 200 dpi (276 × 354 pixels for 3.5 × 4.5 cm) is still plenty for a screen.
2. Take the photo
- Plain light background, a wall or a white sheet. Face the window; avoid a shadow behind you.
- Eyes open, mouth closed, head straight, both ears showing if your hair allows. No glasses if the form says so.
- Ask someone to take it from about a metre away at chest height, or use the rear camera on a timer. Leave space around the head; you will crop next.
3. Resize and crop to the exact pixels
Open Resize image and drop the photo. It opens in your browser; it is not uploaded.
Choose Custom and type the width and height from the form, for example 413 and 531.
Keep the Cover fit so the photo fills the frame, then drag it so your head sits in the upper two thirds with the top of the head just below the edge, the way a passport photo is framed.
Export as JPG. A JPG at these dimensions is usually 30 to 80 KB at the default quality.
4. Get the file under the KB limit
If the form wants 20 to 50 KB and your JPG is 70 KB, open it in Compress image and pick Balanced or Max. The new size is shown before you save. At 413 × 531 pixels, Max usually lands between 20 and 35 KB and still looks fine on a form.
If the file is below the minimum (some forms refuse anything under 10 or 20 KB), export at a higher quality or a slightly larger pixel size instead of compressing.
5. Remove a cluttered background
When the only wall you have is busy, run the photo through Remove image background first. It lifts you out of the picture on your device and saves a PNG with a transparent background. Then in Resize image choose Contain with a white fill, or place it over a white background, before exporting as JPG. Check the form; a few insist on a plain white background, most only say "light".
Questions, answered
- How many pixels is a 3.5 × 4.5 cm passport photo?
- 413 × 531 pixels at 300 dpi, which is the size to use for printing or a strict form, or 276 × 354 pixels at 200 dpi when a form caps the file at 20 KB. Both keep the same 7:9 proportion.
- Is there a passport photo preset?
- No. Resize image has presets for social media sizes and a Custom option where you type any width and height in pixels, which is what a form needs because every form asks for something slightly different.
- Can I make a photo from an iPhone HEIC file?
- Yes. Run it through HEIC to JPG first, then open the JPG in Resize image. Both steps run in your browser.
- Is the photo uploaded to a server?
- No. Resize, compress and background removal all run inside your browser. The photo stays on your phone or computer.