Create Your Own Digital Photograph for Permanent Residency Application

[sat8979]

I thought of writing this thread for those who want to create their own PR application compatible digital photo.

The CIC requirements are as follows:

Frame size

The final frame size of the photo must be at least 35mm x 45mm (N/A for digital photos).
The photographs must show a full front view of the head and tops of shoulders, with the face in the middle of the photograph.
The size of the head, from chin to crown, must be between 31mm and 36mm.
Digital dimensions are often expressed in pixels or DPI (dots per inch). The physical dimensions in pixels must be at least 420 x 540.​

Quality/resolution

If an existing photo is being scanned, the minimum resolution must be 600 pixels per inch.​

File format

The file may be submitted in JPEG or JPEG2000 format.
The final size of the image should ideally be 240 kB (kilobytes), but not less than 60 kB.
The image must be in colour (24 bits per pixel) in RGB colour space, which is the common output for most digital cameras.
​

Things to have:

• GIMP software - and excellent piece of software for photo editing
• Good quality digital camera preferably a DSLR

Steps:

• Get someone to take your photo with a light background. Ensure it is well focused and your head/shoulders clearly visible.

• Now open the image in GIMP. Do not reduce the quality/pixels. Right click on the image and open with GIMP.
• Measure the number of pixels from chin to crown by just placing your mouse cursor at those respective position and noting the position values from bottom left panel. For example, say your crown is shown as (2700, 700) and your bottom chin as (2700, 2560), then your length is 2560-700 which is 1860 pixels.
• Now calculate the crop area height based on the following calculation:
  • • 1860/330 x 450 = approx. 2436
  • The values in bold are constant. 330 is used to comply with their requirement of size ranging from 31 mm to 36 mm. In our case this will be 310 pixels to 360 pixels. I chose 330 - the middle value.
• From your gimp "Toolbox", click the "Rectangular Select" tool. (Ensure that the "Fixed Aspect Ratio" is unticked). Draw a small rectangle surrounding your face. In the left hand-pane, choose Size, Enter width=350 px and height=450 px. (or a ratio of this) and then select "Fixed Aspect Ratio".
• You will see a rectangle area in the image to be adjusted accordingly. (Please recheck the Aspect ratio is 350 x 450 as sometimes, GIMP will reset it). Now change the 450 value to 2436 (the value you got previously). This will automatically change 350 to 1894 (this may be different for you depending on the other value). But whatever value you get, the ratio should be 0.7777.
• Using mouse select the rectangle and drag it over the region you want to crop. Ensure it includes the hair, but fill the face in the middle and try to put a part of shoulder in. Make sure you don't accidentally increase the size of the rectangular selection area.
• Right click the selection area and choose Image -> Crop to selection.
• Now From GIMP menu, Image -> Scale Image and select width=350 px (you can choose higher values - but it will increase the size of the image. Ideal value is 700 px). The height will should become 450 px. If its not becoming 450, something went wrong. Start again.
• File -> Export and export it as jpg image.

I hope this helps. Let me know if any of you have any queries.

Refer this page on how to take photo etc: http://www.diaryfolio.com/2012/09/create-your-own-passport-photo-using.html

 

[Takentaken421]

Thanks much for writing this up!

I tried the steps you mentioned. The final size in pixels is showing 350x450. Doesn't CIC guideline say 420x540 px? If I change to this, will the height between crown and chin change? BTW, this height is still much greater than 31 and 36mm (per CIC guideline). Did I do something wrong?

 

[cansha]

Thanks much for writing this up!

I tried the steps you mentioned. The final size in pixels is showing 350x450. Doesn't CIC guideline say 420x540 px? If I change to this, will the height between crown and chin change? BTW, this height is still much greater than 31 and 36mm (per CIC guideline). Did I do something wrong?

Firstly, appreciate you searching old threads for answers. But the original post is more than a year old and my guess is OP is no longer active on the forum.

Now coming to your question ... difficult to say what you may or may not be doing wrong / correct. But there are easier ways. There are quite a few apps on the play store / iOS which can do this for you. Try one of those.

 

[Takentaken421]

Thanks for your response ! I was able to resize the photo to 420x540 pixels (as per CIC guideline) but I am clueless about how to resize in mm (35x45mm) and maintain correct height between crown and chin . All the apps I could find so far resize photo in either pixels or mm but not both.

 

[cansha]

Thanks for your response ! I was able to resize the photo to 420x540 pixels (as per CIC guideline) but I am clueless about how to resize in mm (35x45mm) and maintain correct height between crown and chin . All the apps I could find so far resize photo in either pixels or mm but not both.

Resize based on dimensions. The pixels also depend on original resolution of your photo.

 

[cansha]

Thanks for your response ! I was able to resize the photo to 420x540 pixels (as per CIC guideline) but I am clueless about how to resize in mm (35x45mm) and maintain correct height between crown and chin . All the apps I could find so far resize photo in either pixels or mm but not both.

Also, I had used this website https://www.idphoto4you.com/ to resize my photo. Many people have privacy concerns and refrain from using such tools as we don't know whether they delete the photos or not. They do claim that photos are purged after sometime.

So, depends on you if you want to use it or not. Just another option.

 

[Takentaken421]

Resize based on dimensions. The pixels also depend on original resolution of your photo.

I scanned physical photo in scanner with 600 DPi resolution. I am not an expert in photo editing but looks like dimension in pixel and mm don't go hand in hand.

 

[cansha]

I scanned physical photo in scanner with 600 DPi resolution. I am not an expert in photo editing but looks like dimension in pixel and mm don't go hand in hand.

If you are using the apps you can click a new photo and it will have everything you need. The phone cameras are pretty good. You just need someone to take a good photo and the app will take care of rest. Scanned photos are tricky.

 

[Takentaken421]

Also, I had used this website https://www.idphoto4you.com/ to resize my photo. Many people have privacy concerns and refrain from using such tools as we don't know whether they delete the photos or not. They do claim that photos are purged after sometime.

So, depends on you if you want to use it or not. Just another option.

If you are using the apps you can click a new photo and it will have everything you need. The phone cameras are pretty good. You just need someone to take a good photo and the app will take care of rest. Scanned photos are tricky.

Thanks a lot! I will give it a try. I really appreciate your help!

 

[Kim_kabayan]

can we edit our digital photos? my photographer changed the background to white. can you call it alteration?

 

[tuhadapeo]

can we edit our digital photos? my photographer changed the background to white. can you call it alteration?

I had the same question until I read the guidelines on their website. Any modification be it color balance, noise reduction, contrast/brightness is considered alteration. Read bullet#8 under Your Photos must be:
https://www.canada.ca/en/immigration-refugees-citizenship/services/new-immigrants/pr-card/apply-renew-replace/photo.html

 

[Kim_kabayan]

I had the same question until I read the guidelines on their website. Any modification be it color balance, noise reduction, contrast/brightness is considered alteration. Read bullet#8 under Your Photos must be:
https://www.canada.ca/en/immigration-refugees-citizenship/services/new-immigrants/pr-card/apply-renew-replace/photo.html

Thanks for this info
I submitted the original photos, in gray bg. The photog did many Alterations in our photos; cleaning etc, despite my instructions not to do so. i asked then for the raw pics.