Passport Photos with a Digital Camera
Using a digital camera to produce high-quality
passport photos
depends on the condition and proper use of the digital camera,
computer, display monitor, and digital printer. Each of these
components can influence either positively or negatively the
final printed photo that will be submitted for the passport or visa.
The following recommendations for each of these digital components will
ensure high-quality photos. For picture-taking tips, visit our page on
digitalized passport photos. If you have any questions, visit our
passport photo FAQ.

Digital Camera
The camera's resolution is the most important feature in producing
high-quality photographs. Since 1 megapixel is sufficient for taking
photos for passports and visas, pratically all the cameras that have
been sold over the last few years are more than capable of taking
high-resolution pictures.
Digital cameras
usually have automatic features. You should take care not to rely
totally on these controls since each subject's facial characteristics,
clothing, facial movement, etc. can vary and may not be
accommodated by the automatic settings.
Computer
The computer is the central component in digital photography. It
stores and displays the digital images from the digital camera and
enables those images to be printed on a variety of digital printers.
Because of the huge amount of data contained in high-resolution digital
images, the computer should have adequate memory and storage
capacities.
In addition to these two key elements, the computer should have
high-speed interfaces to the camera and printer, as well as a fast CPU
to control the image processing functions. As with the digital camera,
practically any computer that has been sold over the last few years,
whether a desktop or laptop, has had adequate configuration for
processing digital images needed to make passport photos.
Display Monitor
Most display monitors today are capable of displaying images in
various screen resolutions, all of which are suitable for viewing
passport and visa photos. These monitors also display images in a wide
variety of colors. However, an image can look quite different when
viewed on various display monitors, in terms of both screen resolution
and image quality.
For this reason, it is important to set the monitor's settings
to the manufacturer's default values to view the image in the most
appropriate manner. For more accurate color-matching, check that the
calibration of your monitor is correct. If necessary, use the monitor's
control panel to fine-tune its color adjustments; for instance, to set
the monitor's color temperature to 6500ºK to approximate daylight.
For even greater color accuracy, the stored image can be
converted to and displayed in a device-independent color space by using
standard image display software. This removes the color bias of the
specific display monitor and will more accurately represent the way the
image should actually appear.
Printer
Maintaining the digital printer in good working order however,
can be the single most important aspect of producing quality photos.
Regardless of how much attention is paid to capturing, storing, and
displaying an image, image quality will be poor if printers, including
inks and ribbons, are not properly maintained. To ensure that a quality
print is obtained, the image can be transferred to a disk and taken to
a photo lab to be printed. The equipment found in a photo lab will
normally be capable of producing higher-quality photos and undergoes
the frequent calibration and maintenance necessary for consistent
results.
If digital printers are used to produce passport and visa
photographs in lieu of conventional photographic processes, the
photographs produced must be high quality and photo-like in appearance.
Certain types of digital printers such as inkjet and dye
sublimation can be used to produce high-quality passport and visa
photos. Inkjet printers deposit multi-colored ink onto photographic
print paper. Dye sublimation printers use heat, applied to a
multi-colored ribbon or film, to release a dye that is transferred onto
photographic print paper. These two types of printers, when used with
compatible print paper that produces high resolution, photo-like
images, are suitable for printing passport and visa photos. They have
multiple printer settings to control the format, print resolution, and
print quality of the printed photo. In addition, they come with
printer-specific device driver software that converts the stored image
pixel data in the computer into the actual printer output to be printed
onto the photographic paper.
Just as with display monitors, printers have their own unique
color profile that should be taken into account before the image is
printed. The combination of proper printer settings and photo-quality
paper determines whether high-quality photos can be obtained.
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