Export & Download Your ID Photo

What size do I need?

Photo sizes are set by the institution asking for the photo, and they are expressed in millimetres, not pixels. Common examples include 25×35 mm for everyday forms, 35×45 mm for most Schengen and UK visas, 51×51 mm for the US visa, and 33×48 mm for Chinese passports. Check the exact wording on your form before exporting; when only a name like "1-inch" is given, it maps to 25×35 mm. This site lists each preset with its millimetre and pixel dimensions so you can verify at a glance, and every tier you export from a preset keeps that exact aspect ratio.

Background & framing

Most systems require a plain, evenly lit background — white is the safest default, light blue follows for résumés and several visa categories. Avoid shadows on the wall behind your head and keep the background one uniform colour from edge to edge. For framing, the head should fill roughly 60–70% of the photo height for most formats (50–70% for square visa formats), centred horizontally, with a neutral expression, mouth closed and eyes level with the camera. Shoulders belong in the frame; hats, sunglasses and heavy filters do not.

Quality & DPI basics

DPI (dots per inch) describes how many pixels represent one inch of paper when the file is printed. 300 dpi is the accepted standard for photographic prints, which is why the SD tier on this page is marked "Print standard": a 25×35 mm photo at 300 dpi is about 295×413 pixels. Higher tiers multiply the resolution for cropping headroom, large-format printing or archiving, while smaller tiers produce compact files for online forms that cap uploads at a few hundred kilobytes. The tier changes resolution and file size only — composition, background and colour stay exactly as you framed them.

At a photo store

1. Export the SD tier (300 dpi) or higher from this page — never print from a screenshot or a messaging preview, which compresses the image.
2. Copy the file to the shop's kiosk or hand it over unchanged; ask for "ID photo size" printing at true dimensions, not "fit to frame".
3. Request matte or semi-gloss paper if the office will scan the print — glossy stock throws scanner glare on white backgrounds.
4. Check the printed size with a ruler before leaving: a 25×35 mm print should measure 25×35 mm within about a millimetre.

On a home printer

1. Use the 6-up print sheet button on this page: it lays six identical photos out on 6-inch (152×102 mm) paper with even gaps and safe margins.
2. Pick photo paper in 6×4 inch size and set the printer driver to "actual size" — scale-to-fit options silently shrink photos by a few percent.
3. Print at the highest quality setting and let the sheet dry for a minute before cutting.
4. Cut along the gaps with a steel ruler and craft knife, or take the sheet to any convenience-store copier with a guillotine.

Paper & cutting

Paper advice in one line: for forms that get scanned, matte paper at 300 dpi wins; for photos that get glued, any decent photo paper at true size passes. Keep the exported file — reprinting later from the original never loses quality the way a scan-of-a-print does.

Formats

JPEG is the right choice for almost every online form: it is universally accepted, and its compression keeps files small. Use PNG only when the system explicitly demands lossless images or transparent backgrounds — the file will be larger for the same visible quality. Both formats from this page carry the correct DPI metadata.

File size

Many portals cap uploads between 30 KB and 5 MB. The estimate line under the tier grid shows the expected size before you download: roughly 30–100 KB for the two smallest tiers, around half a megabyte at SD, and several megabytes at the top tiers. If a form rejects a large file, step down one tier and export again — nothing else changes.

Background & framing

Read the form's fine print on colour: white versus light blue is the most common fork, and some systems run automatic contrast checks that fail dark backgrounds. Keep the head centred with eyes in the upper third, and leave a small margin above the hair — systems crop a little from the top more often than from the sides.

Naming & saving

Files are named IDPhoto_{size}_{timestamp} automatically, which keeps multiple exports from overwriting each other. Forms that validate file names usually want letters, digits, hyphens and underscores only — rename after downloading if yours contains anything else, and keep the .jpg or .png ending intact.