How to Take Perfect Passport Photos at Home [2024 Updated]
Apply for a passport or need to renew your passport? Are you googling the nearest photo studio and ready to rush in? Wait, you don’t have to go out and line up to take your passport photo. In just minutes, you can have your passport photo taken at home with a compliance guarantee.
In this article, we’ll walk you through a simple process of taking a passport photo at home. We’ll show you how to do this in seven simple steps:
Step 1: Dress decently and get prepared
Step 2: Choose a camera or a smartphone
Step 3: Find a well-lit space
Step 4: Set up your digital camera or smartphone
Step 5: Poise yourself and snap
Step 6: Process passport photo
Step 7: Download and print out
Before cutting to the chase, let’s know the requirements of the passport photo.
Passport photos differ from regular photographs such as size and background color. To avoid having your application rejected and being disappointed, it’s essential to be aware of all the official requirements for your passport photo. Below are the most important requirements.
Photo specs
An example of a complaint passport photo:
Don’t know the requirements of the photo? Fret not, click travel.state.gov to view the detailed requirements for your passport photo or go to AipassportPhotos which provides popular templates in the US for you to choose at your needs, such as Walgreens passport photo, CVS pharmacy passport photo, baby passport photos.
Now that you’ve decided on the type of photo you’ll take, it’s time to take a pleasant and compliant passport photo in steps.
Step 1: Dress decently and get prepared
Attire
Choose dark clothes that clearly contrast with the background and be aware that your chest must be invisible but not your neck and chin. Do not wear white tops. The best option would be a black T-shirt. A uniform is not allowed.
Remember to take off your glasses and jewels. Hats and scarves covering your head are not permitted too except for religious reasons. For example, women are allowed to wear hijab, and a written statement is required. Beards are permissible provided they resemble your everyday look.
Makeup
The U.S. Department of State wants your passport photo to reflect the exact appearance of yourself, and you definitely want to look nice in your photo. You may wonder whether light makeup is allowed. The answer is yes if your makeup looks natural. Here are makeup tips to achieve the best result while ensuring your photo is approved.
Dos
1. use a translucent foundation rather than a foundation that masks your natural skin tone
2. use products with no or low sun protection factor
3. apply a setting powder to absorb excess oil and give your skin a matte finish
4. go easy on the contouring and avoid a drastic change to your facial silhouette
Donts
1. don’t draw on your eyebrows
2. don’t apply fake lashes
3. don’t use self-tanner or skin-lightening products
If you’d like to wear makeup in a passport photo, go ahead, but keep it as natural as possible.
Hair
Tie up your hair is recommended. Wear your hair loose is also approvable, but don’t let your hair cover your ears or your face.
Step 2: Choose a camera or a smartphone
The other thing you need to do is to get a high-resolution camera. Here are some recommended options for you.
Entry-level DSLRs with kit lenses:
Nikon D3500
Nikon D5500
Canon EOS Rebel T6i
If you don’t have a digital camera, fret not. It doesn’t have to be a super professional equipment. Most of smartphones on the market is enough also.
Step 3: Find a well-lit space
As required by the authorities, your face, eyes, and ears should be clearly visible on your biometric photo. A good lighting condition is essential for such a quality passport photo. So find a well-lit area with natural light, preferably near a window, to ensure your face is lit by daylight. You may apply an additional lamp to enhance the lighting condition if the light is inadequate. If a flash is used, bounce it to the ceiling and not directly at your face.
Make sure to stand against a plain and clean background, like a white or off-white wall without lines or texture. Remove stuff and clean up the space. If you can’t find a plain wall, use white or light sheets as your background instead. If there are still no such ideal items at your disposal, don’t worry. AiPassportPhotos will help you remove the busy background and ensure 100% acceptance of your photos.
Lastly, don’t forget to take a step or two away from the background to avoid casting a shadow on it.
Step 4: Set up your digital camera or smartphone
To get a steady shot, place your smartphone or camera on a firm surface or use a tripod. Adjust the camera to the maximum resolution and turn off any filters or effects. Blurred, grainy, oversaturated and undersaturated pictures will be denied by the authorities. If you use a smartphone, change to the rear camera, which normally provides higher image quality than the front-facing camera.
You may either ask someone to assist you in taking a shot or set a self-timer on your smartphone or camera to capture the photo.
Step 5: Pose yourself and snap
When taking photos, maintain your head straight and gaze at the camera without smiling or frowning. Keep your eyes open. Stand three to seven feet away from the camera as a short distance will cause proportions to distort, no matter who the subject is.
Practice makes perfect. We recommend taking numerous photos from various distances and positions to obtain the optimal distance and pose for your passport photo. Now, shoot to your heart’s content!
Step 6: Process passport photo
Finally, your passport photo is almost done! After picking your perfect passport photo, editing your passport photo is the pivot step to get your passport photo in line with the official requirements.
Common editing adjustments you may take
📌Cropping: resize your photo to the 2×2 inch official size
📌Color correction: if the overall quality of the photo is not good enough. However, the colors must appear natural, or the photo will be rejected
📌Brightness and contrast: if the details in the photo is nor sufficient. But the image must have normal exposure and can’t be too bright or too dark
📌Background removal: if your background isn’t completely white or off-white
*Pro-advice: Avoid over-refinement of your photo for danger of it failing to portray your appearance and hence causing your application to be rejected. That must be the last thing you want.
Popular software options for editing: Adobe Photoshop, Canva, Skylum Luminar.
Too much to handle? Leave the formatting issues to AiPassportPhotos, which provides several popular documents for you to choose from based on your needs and processes the photo to fit the standards in seconds, making it easier and faster!
The sophisticated all-in-one AiPassportPhotos can automatically convert your photo to the correct passport size, remove unwanted backgrounds and perform AI-driven compliance tests.
Here’s what the AI editing process looks like:
1. Select the country and the type of document you want to edit the photo for.
2. Click “upload a photo” and navigate to the desired photo on your smartphone or computer.
The processing will kick off once you choose a photo, and a compliant photo will be exhibited in seconds. A compliance test can also be carried out online if you want to check the format of your photo.
That’s it! Three clicks in minutes, you get a 100% accepted passport photo!
Step 7: Download and print out
If you apply for an adult passport in the U.S., you have to go to the passport acceptance facility in person, and no online channel is accessible. In this case, you need to download the electronic photo and print it out at a commercial service such as Walmart, CVS, or Walgreens. CVS is highly recommended for its credible and convenient service. You can absolutely choose to print it yourself if you have a printer.
For renewing your passport, you can either send it by mail or go to the authority, and online renewals are currently paused. Before you renew your passport, it’s better to check the state website to see whether online renewal is acceptable and learn more about the application procedures.
Quick Summary
Is it feasible to create a passport photograph at home? The answer is plainly yes, and it only takes seven simple steps to craft a perfect photograph. Remember to complete a test to confirm that your passport photo meets the criteria. Alternatively, use AiPassportPhoto to create a passport photo for you, freeing up your hands!
