{"id":1994,"date":"2023-09-04T02:00:00","date_gmt":"2023-09-04T02:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.aipassportphotos.com\/blog\/?p=1994"},"modified":"2023-09-04T05:29:45","modified_gmt":"2023-09-04T05:29:45","slug":"photoshop-for-passport-photo-review-pros-and-cons","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.aipassportphotos.com\/blog\/photoshop-for-passport-photo-review-pros-and-cons\/","title":{"rendered":"Photoshop For Passport Photo & Review: Pros and Cons"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

It’s time for a new passport photo, but you don\u2019t want to deal with the hassle of making a biometric appointment, or leaving your house and wait in line? Well, getting your passport photos done at home is definitely possible! We\u2019re going to walk you through each step of how to edit your passport photos right on your computer.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What to know when editing your passport photos<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Keep in mind that if you\u2019re taking and editing your passport photos, they still need to meet government standards. Meaning you have to alter the size of the photo, adjust the resolution, and possibly change the background color of your photo to fit the guidelines provided by your country.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

With that in mind, your first go-to option will probably be Photoshop<\/a>, a largely used and popular image editing software all around. As you proceed to edit your passport photos, please note that you are not allowed to alter any facial features, edit out red eyes, or remove any blemishes. Your photos will likely be rejected if you\u2019ve made any of these adjustments mentioned above. Furthermore, any changes to the size and background color of the photo will also be rejected if the edits you\u2019ve made aren\u2019t perfectly seamless.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Get started editing on Photoshop<\/strong>\u00a0<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

To get started, we first need to take a portrait of yourself for your passport photo. Some tips to remember when taking your picture: look for a spot in your home that can be used as a clean and simple background for your photo (preferably a plain color wall), tidy up your hair, and remember to keep a neutral facial feature.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Launch Photoshop<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

If you don\u2019t already have Photoshop on your computer, head over to Adobe and download and install the program. Once it\u2019s ready to go, you can start by adding a picture to the editing software.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Open the Picture File<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Select the picture you want to use, and open a \u201cNew File\u201d, or drag the image and drop it into the \u201cdrag and drop an image\u201darea of the workspace. If you successfully opened the picture in Photoshop, you should be able to see your image in the workspace. If you don\u2019t see your photo, try again by dragging the picture to the workspace.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Crop and Resize<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

In the tool bar look for the \u201ccrop tool\u201d, it should be the 5th icon counting from the top. Once the crop tool bar is opened you should be able to see it as a new row opened on the top of the page. When you see the new crop tool bar row, you now can set the size you need for your passport photo. For example, the United States requires its citizens\u2019 passport photos to be 2 inches in size and 301 DPI in resolution. Photoshop can allow users to set the height and width of each photo by entering the size number in the crop tool bar. It also uses the same method for image resolution (you should be able to see the resolution right next to the height and width of the photo).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Changing the Background<\/strong>\u00a0<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

If you were able to take your passport photo<\/a> with the correct background color, then you\u2019re done after editing the size and resolution of the photo. However, if you were not able to take your passport photo with the required backdrop color, then Photoshop can help you change that as well. We will be using the \u201cselection tool\u201d to change the background color.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

After you have correctly re-sized and changed the resolution of your passport photo, on the top menu bar, click on \u201cselect\u201d and choose \u201cselect and mask\u201d. Now select \u201cview\u201d on the right-hand side of the workspace under a pop up menu named \u201cProperties\u201d, then select \u201coverlay (V)\u201d. Now you should be able to see a red film layer over your passport photo.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Next, we are going to crop out the subject of this photo by using the \u201csubject select\u201d tool in Photoshop. At the top of the menu bar, look for the \u201cquick selection tool\u201d to use. For all of us that are new, the \u201cquick selection tool\u201d will be very user friendly because the AI detection will automatically distinguish the selected subject from the background. In the case that the \u201cquick selection tool\u201d detects and cuts out the wrong areas, we will need to do minor adjustments by hand with the brush tools.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

If you\u2019re more familiar with using Photoshop, you can also try using the brush tools to select the subject. Despite being a bit time consuming, the upside to using the brush tools is that the cut-out points will be much more precise because you\u2019ve hand selected each point.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Double Check<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Even though the auto select tool should have selected everything, it\u2019s always best to check closely. Areas around your hair and shoulder are places that might not have been selected and cut out correctly. If the selected subject didn\u2019t get cut out properly, it will create rough edges, and rough edges increase the chance of rejection. Now, you can redo the subject selection with the methods we\u2019ve discussed in the last section, or we can try to smooth out the selected subject. To smooth out the image, select \u201clayers\u201d on the top menu, then select \u201cmatting\u201d, and lastly select \u201cdefringe\u201d, and you\u2019re all set.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

New Layer<\/strong>\u00a0<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

After you have selected the subject in the picture, you\u2019ll need to set the selected subject as a new layer. This way you can add layers to your photo without ever interfering with the subject layer. To do so, you will need to click on \u201coutput to\u201d and select \u201cnew layer with layer mask\u201d. Now that you\u2019ve successfully created a new layer, you can choose and add any background color you need for your passport photo.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Select Background<\/strong>\u00a0<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Time to add the backdrop color for your passport photo. With the new subject layer you\u2019ve created, we are going to teach you how to add a neutral color layer as a background for passport photo<\/a>. First, you need to use the \u201cfill\u201d tool to fill a new layer with the required backdrop color. Next, layer the new background color under the subject layer. Finally, your passport photo is complete with the proper size, resolution, and background color!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Save and Submit<\/strong>\u00a0<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Now, your passport photo is all edited and ready for submission. Save your passport photo in the JPEG format, and in a folder of your choice (a good tip to keep in mind is to rename the photo so it\u2019s easy to find, for example, \u201c2023 passport photo\u201d, and save it in a folder that you can easily remember and access). If you\u2019re submitting by mail, please have your picture printed in the correct size and ready to go!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Now that we\u2019ve gone through details on how you can edit your passport photo\u2019s size, resolution, and background color on Photoshop, it\u2019s time to weigh out the pros and cons of the software.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Pros:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n