How to prepare a photo for an online application form

A form that rejects your photo rarely says why. In practice it checks four things: the shape, the pixel dimensions, the file format and the file size. Do them in that order — changing one after the other undoes your work.

1. Crop to the right shape first

Read the requirement carefully: 35 × 45 mm, 2 × 2 inches and 3.5 × 4.5 cm are all different shapes. Crop with Crop Image to the ratio the form asks for, with the head centred and the framing it specifies (many identity photos require the head to occupy 70–80% of the height).

Cropping first matters: if you resize before cropping, you lose pixels you will wish you still had.

2. Convert millimetres to pixels

Most portals state pixels, but some state millimetres and a resolution. The conversion is straightforward:

pixels = millimetres ÷ 25.4 × dpi

At 300 dpi, a 35 × 45 mm photo is 413 × 531 pixels. At 600 dpi it is 827 × 1063. Use Resize Image to reach exactly the dimensions asked for — with "keep aspect ratio" ticked, since you already cropped to the right shape.

Requirement	At 300 dpi
35 × 45 mm	413 × 531 px
2 × 2 in	600 × 600 px
3.5 × 4.5 cm	413 × 531 px
25 × 35 mm	295 × 413 px

3. Get the format right

If the form says JPG, give it a real JPG — not a PNG renamed. Image Converter writes a genuine JPEG file. Note that JPG cannot store transparency: a logo or a photo with a cut-out background will get a white background.

4. Hit the size limit last

Only now bring the file under the limit, with Reduce Image Size in KB. Resizing or converting after this step changes the size again and you would have to start over.

Watch for a minimum size as well: "between 20 KB and 50 KB" is a very common requirement, and a file that is too small is rejected just as firmly as one that is too big.

Common reasons a photo is refused

The background isn't plain. Most identity photos require a uniform light background. A wall at home rarely qualifies — shadows count as texture.

The photo is rotated. Phone photos carry an orientation tag that some servers ignore, so a picture that looks upright on your laptop arrives sideways. Rotate Image writes the correct orientation into the pixels themselves.

It's a photo of a photo, or a scan of a printout. Both add glare and moiré patterns that automatic checks flag.

It has been compressed too far. Under about 60% quality, visible blocks appear around the eyes and hairline.

Every tool linked here runs in your browser, so the photo of your passport or ID never leaves your device.