Light and wall
A photo taken against a plain light wall needs the least editing, and many offices do not accept digitally altered photos. The editor is best used to check the framing, the size and the print, not to change your appearance; it never smooths, slims or relights a face.
- Stand facing a window in daylight, not with the window behind you. Soft, even light on both sides of the face matters more than any camera.
- Use a plain, light wall with nothing on it, and stand about a meter in front of it so your shadow falls low and soft.
- Have someone else take the photo from about 1.5 meters away at eye level, rather than a selfie at arm's length, which distorts the face.
- Look straight at the camera with a neutral expression, both eyes open, hair away from the face and glasses off unless the rules allow them.
Check the official rules first
Photo rules differ by country, by document and sometimes by the office handling your application. Before you print, find the current rules on the official site for your passport or visa and note four things: the photo size in millimeters or inches, the background color, how much of the frame the head should fill, and whether digital adjustment is allowed at all.
The passport photo page offers common sizes, including 35 × 45 mm, 2 × 2 in and 5 × 5 cm, with head-position guides drawn as a guide rather than a rule. For some applications the photo is taken at the office during your appointment, so read the appointment instructions before you print anything.
Make the photo
Open the photo on the passport photo page. The person model finds you, the background becomes plain white, light gray or light blue, and the head guides show where the face should sit for the size you picked. The 4 × 6 in print sheet fits several copies with cut marks, and both the single photo and the sheet are saved with 300 dpi written into the file so a print dialog knows the real size.
The print-at-actual-size test
Many printers and photo kiosks scale a picture to fit the paper unless told otherwise, which is a common reason a home print comes out the wrong size. The print sheet carries a 50 mm reference bar in its margin. Print the sheet with scaling set to 100% or Actual size, then measure the bar with a ruler. If it is 50 mm, the photos are the right size. If not, change the print setting, not the file.
Questions people ask
Will a photo made this way be accepted?
No tool can promise that. The editor helps with size, background and print, but the office applying the rules decides, so check its current requirements before you submit.
Why must I print at actual size?
Printers often scale to fit the paper. The 50 mm bar on the print sheet lets you confirm with a ruler that nothing was scaled.
Can I edit my face to look better?
The editor does not change faces, and many offices reject retouched photos. Good light when you take the photo is the honest fix.
Does my photo leave my device?
No. The person model and every step run in your browser; the files are saved straight to your device.