Photoshop Passport Photo Template v1.1
In order to speed up the process of taking and processing passport photos, i created a Photoshop passport template which I’m releasing for free for nonprofit use. The template has been tested and I used it to process photos for my passport. Basic instructions for use are included in the readme.txt file in the archive, or a tutorial with screenshots is available after the jump. This template is not currently working with Adobe Photoshop Elements for most people.
Commercial License
If you are a professional photographer and wish to use this template for commercial uses, please purchase a license for only $20.
This secure transaction is protected via Paypal. Click here to learn more about how Paypal protects you.
Personal License (Free)
Click Here to download the Photoshop Passport Template v1.1
Overview
The purpose of this template is to simplify the creation of two 2×2 inch photos required for the U.S. passport application. When used correctly, photos processed with the template meet sizing requirements as denoted by the U.S Department of State. This template was designed to speed up the sizing process, and produces a document that can be printed on your home computer or at a local photo lab. Photos processed with this template have been accepted for use in U.S. passport applications.
How to Use
(Click on screenshots for larger versions)
Tutorial Version 1.1
1. Open PassportTemplate_v1.psd in Photoshop.
2. Open photo to be used as passport photo in Photoshop. To take a photo that meets background and composition requirements read over the U.S Department of State guide located at http://travel.state.gov/passport/guide/guide_2081.html.
3. Drag passport photo into the template and position layer directly above GreyBG in the layer group entitled “Place Photo in Here Above GreyBG.â€
4. The first step is to size the head in the photo using the “Head Size Ruler.†Using Free Transform (CTRL-T), resize the photo so that the head falls within the confines of the ruler. The ruler is dragable using Photoshop’s move tool, so if its not positioned in a useful place move it to an area that helps you. When you’re done with the tool, feel free to move it off the image.
5. Horizontally center the photo using the vertical “Face Center Line†as a guide. If necessary, rotate your image. The “Face Center Line†guide should be equally dividing your face.
6. Using the “Eye Line†as a guide, vertically center the photo making sure that the eyes fall within the middle of the two outside lines, and if possible close to the center eye line.
7. Duplicate the layer group titled “Place Photo in Here Above GreyBG,†and drag it to a new position that is not covering the original photo.
8. Hide the “Template†layer group.
9. Save the resulting document. The options are up to you, but .JPG with a compression of 10 will work fine for most purposes. If you wish, you could also save the .PSD so you can make corrections at a later date if required.
10. Print the photo on 4×6 paper via your inkjet with photo paper (if your printer produces good quality photos), or print it using a photo lab. Any lab that prints 4×6’s will work, which is pretty much all of them. These photos are incredibly useful when traveling, you will use them on every thing from visa applications to identification cards. I highly recommend bringing at least 10 extra photos with you for any overseas trip.
11. Cut the photos out.
I hope you find this template and tutorial useful. The template has been downloaded and used by thousands of people. If you compare the amount charged by a typical location such as Kinko’s or USPS, I estimate that the collective savings from everyone using this template is well over $20,000. If you found this template useful, please tell your friends about it. If anyone has questions about how to use the template, please use the comment system below. As I don’t have a lot of time to offer personal support for the non-commercial license, I hope the community of people using this can help each other out. I thank everyone for making this template a success.
-Nic
Commercial License
If you are a professional photographer and wish to use this template for commercial uses, please purchase a license for only $20.
This secure transaction is protected via Paypal. Click here to learn more about how Paypal protects you.
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Comments
Thanks a lot. Saved me $45.
Thanks! This was a huge help, really appreciate it.
I have been working with your program and am successful up until I try to drag the duplicated layers. Any suggestions on what I may be doing wrong?
W. Anastopolous
Very nice template, thanks. At the bottom, the word “creators” needs an apostrophe; thus, creator’s permission. It’s a small thing, but professionalism is made up of many small things.
Best,
Eric
Super template! Thanks so much for sharing. Worked like a charm. Kudos for great documentation and easy to follow instructions.
I was about to pay money for passport photos today and thought: “Why should I have to go to some sketchy copy shop for this?”
Thanks for putting this together.
Hey Nic,
Thanks alot – this is really handy is much better than using Walgreens.
Is it possible to modify the template to make photos of dimension 3.5cm x 3.5 cm instead of 2×2 in.
This is awesome!!
Thank you for making this wonderful template.
You should add that the original photo needs to be resized.
Thanks for creating this useful tutorial and template. Much appreciated!
great! I was hoping there was something like this on the web! Walgreens took the worst photo of me ever I knew I was going to have to do it myself!!!!! THANKS SO MUCH FOR THE TEMPLATE!!!
Thanks for this template. It was a life-saver when I needed a passport for my infant.
sweet. now to make myself look even more handsome on photoshop! ja
Excellent Template and very hand and easy to follow instructions. Kudos for the great Job.
Thanks
Andy
gracias muchas gracias por el template excelente
thank you very much its work great i had ready modify to 1.00 for 1.20 and works perfect than kou very ch muchas gracias jose
thanks so much. this made it easy as pie!
Do you have a template for a uk passport size
Great template, saved me a tone headache and a lot of money. Thank you!
Thanks
Thanks very much for your work, it will save me a few bob for myself and my missus. Thanks again.
Dave.
When I try to stretch my photo to encompass the 2 x 2 gray background, my image stays within the ruler, but my head distorts and looks thinner in order to cover up the gray background. How am I supposed to fill the gray area with the photo while not distorting my image?
Excellent, easy to follow and works just great!!! nice job, thanks for sharing it!!1
Thanks for taking the time to do this. Much appreciated!
outstanding… You saved me a few bucks… $6.36 to be exact!
You can create valid passport photos with http://idphoto4you.com website.
It knows numerous passport standards and print sizes.
It uses face detection so very easy to use.
Thanks for sharing…..
John, thanks for the tip. It looks like the site would be useful for those who don’t wish to use Photoshop to handle their photos.
The amount charged is ridiculous by walgreens and other foto shops, even walmart. Thanks much.
I value your comments. Please note that if your comment has two or more links, it will be held for moderation. Thanks.
What was the lighting set up for your passport photo?
Thanks for the resource – helped me create my wifes passport photo and saved me a few pounds!
I’m having problems with getting the photo in front of the grey, but behind the white. In other words, the 2×2 area is not hiding the outside of my photo. Any suggestions? I’m helping out our church for a overseas mission trip by printing everyone’s pp photo. This will save us a lot of money and is truly a Godsend.
Thanks!
Thank you so much. You have no idea how difficult it is to get US passport photos in the UK. You’re a life saver!
[...] Ever need your own passport photo? Photographer Nic Myers has created a very nice and simple template for Photoshop (Elements or full-blown PS) for the easy creation of passport pics. This might be a template worth keeping around (free for personal use) if you feel the need – [...]
This is great. Could you show me how I can change the dimensions for say 3×4. My home country passport uses 3 by 4. Thanks in advance.
Love it.
Thanks, everything worked like a charm, yet to pick up the pictures but the template is perfect.
The only thing it says on the template that it is version 1 and you position it as 1.1,
Thanks and best of luck!
I used it just to see if it works! It is great!
Three and a half years later and your template was put to good use. My children and I thank you for not having to wait in the estimate 2 hour line for “official” passport photos.
Thanks so much. Great and simple… but best of all it saved me some money.
This was a great find. Needed to print photos for my son to go on an overseas trip as a graduation gift from a really good family friend and this came in handy and saved us time and money. Template was easy to use and it’s awesome that you shared it.
Thanks bunches.
Thank you for this awesome Photoshop template. I have three kids whose passports expire this year and this is a huge time and money saver for me. THANK YOU!!!
This was extraordinarily helpful – thank you for sharing.
Thanks, it was really helpful. Saved me a lot of time
I sized the head to the max on the template. When I went to pick them up at Wallmart the head was 1/8 of an inch bigger then passport requirement. I guess Walmart slightly magnifies the pictures.
I had to make a second batch with smaller head and that worked out ok.
Just for your information, maybe it will save someone some time.
Thanks for a great template!
Hi – great work !
Do you happen to have a Canadian version ?
Stuck on the copy layer part. Apparently the same problem #3 Will Anastopolous had. I am either just too stupid to figure it out or I don’t know. So far it has been a waste of my time. Thanks any way.
@David and all who are stuck at duplicate layer “Place Photo in Here Above GreyBG”
1. Once you duplicate the layer, rename it as “duplicate GreyBG”
2. Make sure this layer is highlighted in the ‘Layers’ window, and then click and drag your pic downwards until a grey box is positioned directly below your pic. You can press ‘shift’ on your keyboard when dragging, which will help you position the grey box better.
3. Now duplicate the layer containing your pic and rename it “duplicate image”
4. Make sure the layer ‘duplicate image’ is highlighted, and click and drag your pic downwards once again. Move this image into the grey box that you had dragged down in step 2.
Hope this helps! Hide the unwanted layers before saving the file for printing.
Your template is wonderful! thanks!!
[...] You can save a lot of money by making passport pictures yourselves. Most places charge $10 a piece. We spent $1.26 by making our own. [...]
Very nice. Thank you for providing this. Step 3 threw me off until I realized I had the layer group collapsed. When I expanded it, then I knew exactly where to put the picture.
Hey thanks for the template…..works very nicely.
Template worked for me with Elements 9. Thanks so much!
No wonder that this template is so popular; it’s perfect. Instructions are clear, and the photos come out great. Thanks for taking the time to put this together, and for sharing it.
My final picture is printed slightly less than 2×2 inches. Its more like 1 3/4 square. Does this matter?
Thanks Nic. This is a great help when staff ask for a passport/driving licence/visa photo.
- Giles (University of Oxford)
Thank you very much for the template. Made perfect passport photos for my baby.
I travel a lot due to my job ( http://www.cafepress.com/SaveTheGharqad )
and just wanted to thank you for the incredibly helpful template.
Sending many blessings and well-wishes! Take care!
Hi — Great tool — but I don’t find the ruler to be dragable (no matter how many times I hit the move tool), and when I drag the photo into the template it goes underneath, not on top of the template. What am I not doing right? Thanks!
[...] Photoshop Passport Photo Template v1.1 | Travel Photograhy & Web … Dec 12, 2006 … In order to speed up the process of taking and processing passport photos, i created a Photoshop … [...]
When i put my picture on greyBG, everything of pictures appears on the screen other than those area where grey BG has occupied. means grey deosn’t disappear when i put my picture on it.
any help will be appreciated.
Hi Nic
How your passport photo template can be modified to suit 35mm x 45mm passport photo?
Many thanks
Soroush
Just wanted to say thanks for this template. You saved my wife and I $120 because we need six passport photos each for visas for our upcoming travels!
I value your comments. Please note that if your comment has two or more links, it will be held for moderation. Thanks.
Thank you very much! It worked great! Many Blessings to you!
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THANK YOU!
Dude, put a donate button for this!
Cheers,
Kevin
Thank you so much! We were able to save over $100 using your template!
Phew! Thanks so much for this! I was stressin out trying to figure the stupid head size and all that. You saved this new mom a headache! Thanks!!!!
Thanks a lot. This made life so easy. Saved me some $$. I was looking for a donate option for personal use but could not find one.
So all i could say is you are super generous and awesome. Thanks !
It works. I wasn’t able to follow the specific directions, maybe I have a different version, but it worked and for my husband and myself we just saved $30!!!
Thank you for making my life easier! Cheers from Los Angeles.
Thanks so much for your generosity in providing this template. I would have wasted too much time trying to meet these exact specifications. I hope the state dept accepts mine. I had to mask myself and replace the background with white. (it was a shot I already had)
Thanks for having this available. Saved me a few bucks and was easy to use.
Thank you so much for this template. It was a great help, when I needed a passport photo fast.
The state dept DID accept it and I got my visa for China. I’m so happy to have saved the dough for such an Italy bitsy photo. The fellow at Walgreens who printed my 4 x 6′s (15 cents each) told me how particular the gov’t is about these photos and how many times he’s seen ” home made” ones rejected. He did say mine was pretty good compared to all he’s seen. He even cropped them for me with the square punch and put them in an official looking folder for me. My husband still doesn’t know I did the cheap route. He feels most comfortable with a for sure thing, but pays for it.
I value your comments. Please note that if your comment has two or more links, it will be held for moderation. Thanks.
thanks so much. this made it easy as pie!
Way cool! Some extremely valid points! I appreciate you
writing this post plus the rest of the site is also really good.
[...] specifications to submit with my visa application. It was then that I found this very helpful Photoshop template that allowed me to take my own picture and compose the final image according to the requirements [...]
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