How to resize a photo for an exam form

The numbers a form asks for

• Size in pixels is how many dots wide and tall the picture is.
• Size in cm is how big it should print. Pixels become cm through the DPI saved in the file: at 300 DPI, every 300 pixels make 2.54 cm.
• File size in KB is how much storage the file takes. Two photos with the same pixels can have very different KB, because of how strongly the JPG is compressed.
• File type is usually JPG. Renaming a PNG file to .jpg does not change what it is, so convert it properly.

Step by step

• Read your form's own instructions and write down the exact size, the KB limit and the file type. Rules differ between forms, so don't copy them from someone else's.
• Take the photo in good daylight against a plain background, or use a recent studio photo if the form asks for one.
• Open Resize photo for forms, then enter the size in cm or pixels and the smallest and largest KB allowed.
• Exact sizes crop the picture, so move and zoom it in the preview until your face sits properly.
• Download the result and open it once to check it before you upload.

Why a form still rejects it

• The file is under the minimum KB. Forms can have a lower limit as well as an upper one, so set both.
• The picture has been squashed into the right shape. Crop it instead of stretching it.
• You sent a screenshot of a photo. Start from the original picture, because a screenshot loses quality and changes the size.
• The signature is faint. Sign in black or blue ink on plain white paper with good light, then crop close to it.

How the tool handles your photo

Resize photo for forms runs inside your browser, using its own drawing tools. Your photo is not uploaded anywhere. The tool looks for the best JPG quality that lands between your KB limits, and saves the DPI in the file so a form that checks the size in cm sees the right one.