UPSC Photo and Signature Tool

How to Use: Uploading Your Photo and Signature Step by Step

The tool prepares two files for a UPSC application: a face photo and a scan or photo of your signature. All work happens in your browser, on your device - the files are not sent anywhere.

1. In the photo field, choose a file with a face, such as a photo taken with your phone or a scan.
2. In the signature field, choose a file with your signature - a scan or a clear photo.
3. Check the pixel dimensions and the file size range in KB for the photo and for the signature.
4. Adjust the crop in the preview and use the zoom slider if needed.
5. Click 'Prepare Files', then download the ready files and save them on your device.

If you select only one file, you will see the message 'Choose both files: photo and signature.' Add the missing file and repeat the last step.

Dimensions and File Size Limits for Photo and Signature

For the photo and signature, you enter separate values because they usually have different requirements. You enter width and height in pixels - these determine the crop proportions. The KB range specifies how large the finished file can be: from the smallest to the largest allowed size.

The fields start out filled with default values, but they are only a starting point. Every exam and every form can have its own requirements, so enter the numbers from the current notification instead of leaving the starting values without checking them.

Remember that dimensions and file size are two different things. Changing pixels affects the crop and image detail, while changing the KB range affects how much the file is compressed. It is best to set both before clicking 'Prepare Files'.

Cropping and Zooming in the Preview

After you choose a file - separately for the photo and separately for the signature - a crop preview appears. The image is cropped to the proportions that result from the dimensions you entered: if you enter a different width and height, the crop takes their shape, not the shape of the original file.

Next to the preview you will find a zoom slider. The range is 1 to 4, and the default is 1, meaning no zoom. Zooming in is useful when there is too much background in the crop and you want the face or signature to fill the available space.

Keep in mind that when you zoom in, you are choosing only part of the image; the rest will not be in the finished file. If the signature line or part of the face falls outside the crop, it cannot be recovered later, so check the preview carefully.

Changing the width or height in the fields causes the crop preview to be created again. After each change, adjust the crop again, and only then click 'Prepare Files'.

File Formats and Compression to a Target Size

The file size range in KB you enter is the criterion the tool uses to choose compression strength. It reduces the photo and signature separately - each file meets its own range, even if the photo and signature have different ranges.

Upload files that your browser can open as an image: most commonly a phone photo in JPG format, a scan in PNG, and WebP files. Both files are processed locally, without sending them over the internet.

Compression always comes at the expense of quality. The larger the maximum file size you allow, the more detail will remain in the image, so it is worth checking first what size range is actually required, and not compressing files more than necessary.

After you click 'Prepare Files', download both files and save them in one place so you do not mix them up when filling out the application. Before submitting, open them again and make sure they look the way they should.

Tool Limitations and What It Does Not Check

It is worth knowing where this tool's capabilities end, so you do not assume that everything will happen automatically.

• It does not evaluate content: it does not check whether the face photo meets the form's requirements, whether the signature is legible, or whether the files are current.
• It does not compare your settings with the notification - you enter the numbers yourself based on the current document.
• It does not improve the image: it does not remove the background, sharpen, clean the signature scan, or retouch the face.
• The quality of the finished file depends on the input file - a blurry photo will not become sharp, and heavy compression can make the signature less legible.
• It accepts files that your browser can open as an image; very large files may not load on a weaker device.
• The smallest side of the prepared image is 20 px - the tool will not go below that value.
• It does not confirm that the downloaded file will be accepted by the form. Check that yourself before submitting the application.

The safest order: read the requirements from the current notification, enter them in the fields, prepare the files, then view them on a larger screen, and only then upload them to the form.

Frequently Asked Questions

Default settings come from the 'other' profile and are approximate. Before submitting, verify dimensions, KB limits, and file formats in the current notification.