The safest starting point is the application itself: identify the document, the country, and whether the photo is being uploaded, printed or both.
A photographer’s order of operations
- Solve the room first: light, background and camera position.
- Take several frames rather than trying to rescue one difficult expression.
- Choose the strongest original before cropping.
- Apply only the adjustments that the application allows.
- Check the finished dimensions, file size and visual quality separately.
When the simple method is better
A clean original, controlled lighting and a document-specific crop usually beat a heavily edited image. The goal is not to make the portrait dramatic; it is to make the required identity image clear and consistent.
Before the upload field
Open the exported file outside the editor, check its actual dimensions and size, and compare the portrait with the current official examples. Keep the original capture untouched in case the application needs a different version.
Exam portals are moving targets
Exam and recruitment bodies can change their upload fields, file-size caps, and application instructions between cycles. That is why a responsible guide should explain the preparation method rather than hard-code one number forever. When you open the current notification or portal, copy the stated photo dimensions and file limits into your checklist, then use the image tool to meet them.
Keep the clean master portrait. It is common to need a second version later—for example, a different pixel size, a different crop, or a smaller file for another form.
A note for this exact search
For this particular topic, save the final version with the destination and date in the filename. That makes a second application easier to prepare without guessing which export you used first.
CAT Photo Requirements
Use the Studio to handle the preparation work—crop, framing, background and export—after identifying the exact document requirement.