How Our Passport Photo Maker Works — Free, Checked, Private

Step 1: you choose a document

Every document has its own rules file: the photo size, the head height from chin to the top of the head, where the eyes must be, the background color, whether software may change the background, and the pixel and file-size limits for online applications. We copy these rules from the issuing authority’s own pages and show the source and the date we last checked them on every document page. Our size guide lists them side by side.

Step 2: your browser opens the photo

When you upload or take a photo, the page reads it on your device. It turns the photo the right way up (phones store the rotation separately), and makes a working copy at most 2048 pixels on the long side, which is plenty for a 2 x 2 in or 35 x 45 mm photo at 300 DPI. iPhone HEIC photos open in browsers that support them; in others the tool explains how to save a JPEG instead.

Step 3: the face checker loads, once

The first time you use the tool, your browser downloads the face checker: about 7 MB of code and two small models, served from this site and kept in your browser’s cache, so later visits start at once. They run on your device:

the face landmark model finds 478 points on your face, including the irises, the eyelids, the mouth and the chin, and estimates which way your head is turned;
the segmentation model marks which pixels are you (hair and shoulders included) and which are background, which also shows where the top of your head is.

Step 4: the photo is cropped to the official measurements

From those points the tool measures your head from the chin to the top of the hair, then scales and crops the photo so that the head height, the eye line and the centering fall inside the document’s ranges. A head tilted by up to 10 degrees is straightened automatically. If the crop needs space beyond the edge of your photo, the framing check asks you to step back and take it again.

Step 5: the background is replaced, or kept

Where the rules allow software to produce the plain background, the tool cuts you out with a soft edge around the hair and puts you on the color the document asks for. Where the authority rejects backgrounds changed by software (the US, Schengen, Ireland and Australia), the tool keeps your own background and only crops, sizes and straightens the photo; it then measures your real wall and tells you if it is not plain or light enough. You can also choose to keep the original background on any document.

Step 6: the photo is checked

The tool runs up to 18 checks and shows each one as passed, warning or failed, with a tip for anything to fix:

Face and head: exactly one face, the top of the head inside the photo, the head size, the eye line, centering, a straight head, and facing the camera.
Expression: eyes open, mouth closed, and no smile where the document asks for a neutral face.
Background: the right color, plain and even.
Light and quality: even light on both halves of the face, not too dark or too bright, sharp enough, and enough resolution for the printed size.
Framing: no gap where the photo ran out of picture.
Your confirmation: glasses and head coverings cannot be judged reliably by software, so the tool shows the rule and asks you to tick a box.

The verdict is Looks compliant when everything passes, Check the warnings when something is close to a limit, and Needs a new photo when something fails. We never say “approved”: the passport or visa office makes the final decision.

Step 7: you fine-tune it

Drag the photo to move it, pinch or use the slider to zoom, and rotate it by up to 10 degrees. On a keyboard, the arrow keys move it, + and − zoom, and [ and ] rotate. A brightness slider appears for documents that allow it. The measurements update as you go and the full check runs again a moment after you stop.

Step 8: you download it, free

Digital photo: a JPEG with the exact pixel size and file-size limit of the online application, saved at 300 DPI.
Print sheet: several copies on one 4 x 6 in or 10 x 15 cm photo, at true size with cut guides. Print it at 100% scale at home or at any photo counter, and cut along the guides. The print sheet maker does the same for a photo you already have.

There is no watermark, no account and no payment. “Start over” clears the photo from the page, and closing the tab removes it completely.

The guides on the preview

The thin blue drawing over the preview shows the rules you are measured against:

The crop frame with corner ticks is the exact shape of the finished photo.
The vertical dimension line runs from your chin to the top of your head, with the measured head height and the allowed range, for example “34.1 mm · 32–36 ✓”. It turns red with a ✕ when the head is too small or too large.
The horizontal band is the window your eyes must fall inside.
The faint center line helps you check that your face is centered.

“Hide guides” turns the drawing off. It is never drawn into the files you download, and the checklist under the preview says the same things in words for screen reader users.

What the tool cannot check

Whether the photo is recent enough (most documents ask for one taken in the last 6 months).
Whether glasses or a head covering are allowed for you: the tool shows the rule, you confirm.
The quality of a print: use photo paper, print at 100% scale and measure one photo.
Rules that apply to the person rather than the picture, such as wearing a uniform.

If you already have a photo from a shop or a booth, the photo checker runs the same checks without changing it. For the rules themselves, read our photo requirements guide.

Frequently asked questions

Is it safe to make a passport photo online here?

Yes. The page downloads the tool to your device and your browser does all the work, so the photo is never uploaded, stored or logged. You can check this yourself in your browser's developer tools (the Network tab) while you use the tool. The privacy page lists everything the site does keep.

Does the tool remove the background?

Where the document's rules allow it, yes. The tool separates you from the background and replaces it with the color the document asks for, for example white or light gray. For documents whose authority rejects a background changed by software, such as US passports and visas, the tool keeps your real background and tells you if it is not plain or light enough.

Does the tool use AI?

It uses two small machine-learning models from Google's open-source MediaPipe project, one to find the points of your face and one to tell you apart from the background. They only measure. Nothing in your face is generated, smoothed or beautified, because an edited face is a common reason for rejection.

Why does it say "Check the warnings" instead of "Looks compliant"?

At least one measurement is close to a limit, or a rule needs you to confirm something the tool cannot see, such as glasses. Open each item marked as a warning, read the tip, and either adjust the photo or take a new one. A warning does not always mean a rejection, but it is worth fixing.

Can the tool guarantee that my photo is accepted?

No tool can. The passport or visa office makes the final decision, and some rules cannot be seen in a photo, for example how recent it is. The tool checks everything it can measure against the published rules, so fewer photos are rejected for avoidable reasons.

Why is my document not in the photo maker?

Canadian passport, PR card and citizenship photos must be taken by a commercial photographer and must not be edited or cropped, so we offer them in the photo checker only. Japanese visa photos are left out until we can check the rules on an official Japanese page.

Last updated: October 1, 2026