Passport office, counter 3: “Photo rejected — wrong size.” The applicant had a perfect photo at the wrong aspect ratio, stretched to fit by a helpful cousin. Faces 15% wider, ears cropped, application delayed a week. Cropping is not resizing: resizing scales everything, cropping cuts composition. ID photos, visas and avatars need cuts — this guide shows exact sizes, the crop-before-resize order, and the stretched-face check.
Part of the image optimization guide. Frame in the image cropper; finish pixels in the image resizer; shrink bytes in the image compressor.
Exact ID sizes (India + international)
| Document | Size | Background |
|---|---|---|
| Indian passport | 51×51mm (600×600px commonly) | White |
| US visa | 2×2 inch (600×600px) | White, strict |
| PAN / Aadhaar photo | As specified (often 35×45mm) | White/light |
| LinkedIn / profile | 400×400 minimum | Any clean |
Always verify against the current notification — sizes revise. The method below works for any spec: only the numbers change.
Crop → resize → compress (worked example)
- Crop composition in the image cropper: face centered, head 70–80% of frame height, required margins visible. For 35×45mm from a 4:3 photo, cut sides — never squeeze width.
- Resize to exact pixels in the image resizer: 600×600 for square specs. One resize only — repeated resizes soften edges cumulatively.
- Compress to the byte limit in the image compressor: 80% default; drop 5 points at a time if over. See the 100KB portal method for limit-hitting tactics.
- Stretched-face check: compare ears-to-face-width against the original. Any widening means aspect broke — redo the crop, don't ship it. Officers reject distorted photos on sight.
Avatar and profile rules
Square crops for LinkedIn/GitHub/Twitter: center the face, keep 10–15% headroom above, export 400×400 minimum (retina displays punish 100px uploads). Dark-mode check: avatars with transparency render on unpredictable backgrounds — flatten onto white or brand color first (see transparency handling). For teams, standardize one crop spec and background so directories look deliberate, not assembled.
Print prep: DPI, margins, test strip
Screen pixels ≠ print quality: a 600×600 photo prints 2 inches at 300 DPI (studio standard) but 6+ inches from a 150 DPI export. For studio prints, export at 300 DPI equivalent and keep the master. Home printing: run one 4×6 test strip before committing to a full sheet — color shifts on inkjets surprise first-timers. Matte paper forgives compression artifacts that glossy exposes; choose matte for ID work.
General guidance only. Document specs revise periodically — the current official notification outranks any guide, including this one.