How to Take a Passport Photo at Home With Your Phone
Stand in front of a plain white or light grey wall, facing a window, about 1.5 metres from the camera, with a neutral expression. Do not edit the background afterwards: many offices reject altered photos. Then fit your head to the official size (32 to 36 mm for 35 x 45 mm photos, 1 to 1 3/8 inches for US 2 x 2 inch photos) and print on a 4 x 6 sheet.
What passport photos need
Every country has its own rules, but most share the same basics: a recent colour photo, a plain light background, even lighting with no shadows, a neutral expression with the mouth closed, eyes open and visible, and the head straight and centred.
The size and the head size are where most home photos fail. Most countries use 35 x 45 mm with the head 32 to 36 mm from chin to the top of the hair. The United States uses 2 x 2 inches with the head between 1 and 1 3/8 inches. Check the passport photo sizes table for your document.
Set up the shot
Face a window during the day so soft light falls evenly on your face. Avoid overhead lights that cast shadows under the eyes, and turn off the flash.
Ask someone to take the photo from about 1.5 metres away with the phone at the height of your eyes. Use the normal 1x lens, not the wide angle selfie camera, which distorts faces up close.
Stand about half a metre in front of a plain white or light grey wall so your body does not cast a shadow on it. The wall is your background, so get it right in the photo: US, UK, Canadian and Australian passport guidance, among others, rejects digitally altered photos, and a replaced background counts.
No plain wall? Hang a white bed sheet, pull it tight so it has no creases, and light it from the front.
Pose and expression
Look straight into the lens with your head level, not tilted or turned. Keep a neutral expression with your mouth closed. Push hair away from your eyes and remove glasses if your document does not allow them; the US does not allow glasses at all.
Wear normal clothes in a colour that contrasts with the background. White tops can blend into a white background.
Make the photo with SleekCut
1. Open the Passport Photo Maker and choose your document, for example US passport, UK passport or Schengen visa.
2. Drop your photo. Your real background is kept, and the tool tells you whether your document accepts edited photos. Background replacement is there only for forms that allow it, such as some ID cards or school applications.
3. Check the guides. The top of your hair should touch the top line and your chin should sit in the shaded band. The size check shows the estimated head height in millimetres and turns green when it fits. It measures size only, not lighting or expression.
4. Drag or zoom to fine tune, then download the digital photo or a 4 x 6 inch print sheet.
Printing the photo
Choose 4 x 6 print sheet to get several copies on one standard photo print, with thin cut lines. Print it at a pharmacy kiosk, a photo shop or at home on glossy or matte photo paper, at 100% scale with no borders added.
Cut along the lines with a ruler and a sharp blade for clean edges. Some countries, like Canada, ask for extra details on the back of printed photos, so read the instructions for your application.
Digital uploads
Online forms often have their own pixel and file size limits. The US visa form, for example, asks for a square JPEG between 600 x 600 and 1200 x 1200 pixels and no more than 240 KB. SleekCut sizes the digital photo for each document, and you can run it through Compress Image if a form asks for a smaller file.