Guides

Short, practical guides for the part of an online application that goes wrong most often: the picture upload.

• Why an online form rejects your photo, and how to fix each cause

  The five usual reasons a Pakistani government form refuses a photo upload: file size, format, a renamed file, the wrong picture, and an unreadable CNIC. Each with its fix.

• How to take a passport size photo at home with your phone

  A plain wall, window light and a second person are enough to take a form-ready passport size photo at home. Steps, common mistakes, and how to crop it.

• KB, MB, pixels and DPI: what a form’s size limit really means

  File size and picture size are different things. A plain explanation of KB, MB, pixels and DPI for anyone uploading a photo to an online application.

• How to photograph your CNIC so it stays readable in a small file

  PPSC and ASF ask for the front of your CNIC under 25 or 30 KB. How to photograph the card with a phone so the text is still readable at that size.

• How to compress a photo to 20 KB and keep the face clear

  A 20 KB photo can still look sharp. What uses up the file size, how to take a photo that compresses well, and the mistakes that leave it blurry.

• JPG, JPEG, PNG and HEIC: which format an online form accepts

  JPG and JPEG are the same thing, PNG is for screenshots, and HEIC is what recent iPhones save. Which one a form wants and how to get it.

• Blue or white background: getting a form photo’s background right

  Which forms name a background colour, how to get a clean blue or white background at home, and why background-changing apps are a risk.

• How to check a photo’s file size in KB on a phone or computer

  Where to find the size of a photo in KB or MB on Windows, Android and iPhone, how to read the number, and how to compare it with a form’s limit.

• A file checklist before you start an online application

  Prepare your photo, CNIC image and details before you open the form. A short checklist that avoids last-minute upload problems on FPSC, PPSC and similar portals.

• How to keep your CNIC image safe when applying online

  A CNIC image can be misused. Where it is safe to upload it, what to check before you do, and how to handle copies on shared computers and with agents.