Live photo capture: how to pass first time
15 of the applications on this site now take your photo inside the form, with your webcam or phone camera, instead of (or as well as) an uploaded file.
Which applications capture the photo live
| Application | Live photo | Also upload a photo? |
|---|---|---|
| BPSC | Yes | No |
| UPSC CDS | Yes | Yes |
| CUET PG | Yes | Yes |
| CUET UG | Yes | Yes |
| IBPS Clerk | Yes | Yes |
| IBPS PO | Yes | Yes |
| JEE Main | Yes | Yes |
| UPSC NDA | Yes | Yes |
| NEET UG | Yes | Yes |
| SBI Clerk | Yes | Yes |
| SBI PO | Yes | Yes |
| SSC CGL | Yes | No |
| SSC CHSL | Yes | No |
| SSC GD | Yes | No |
| UPSC CSE | Yes | Yes |
Check your exam's latest notification too: portals change this between cycles.
Before you start
- Use a recent version of Chrome, Edge, Firefox or Safari, and allow the site to use your camera when asked.
- Clean the camera lens, and prop your phone or laptop at eye level so your face is centred.
- If the form offers a QR code, you can scan it to take the photo on your phone instead of a webcam.
Light, background and pose
- Face the light: a window or a bright lamp in front of you, never behind you.
- Stand in front of a plain, light-coloured wall, with nothing and no one in the background.
- Look straight at the camera with a neutral expression and your whole face visible.
- Remove caps, dark or tinted glasses and masks, unless your notification allows them.
What each source asks for
BPSC
- Keep your face straight in front of the webcam and look into it with your eyes open.
- Use good lighting and a light-coloured background.
- Don't wear headgear such as a cap, or power glasses, sunglasses, a mask, muffler or helmet.
- Make sure no one else is in the frame and your face is fully visible.
UPSC CDS
- Captured while you fill in the Common Application Form, in addition to the uploaded photo.
- Both photos must be clear, as per UPSC's "Photos and Signature" instructions on upsconline.nic.in.
CUET PG
- Captured in the application form while you fill it in, in addition to the uploaded photo.
- Make sure both the uploaded and the live photo are clear: blurred photos lead to rejection with no chance to correct them.
CUET UG
- Captured in the application form: switch on your camera or connect a webcam to the device you're applying from.
- If your device has no webcam, scan the QR code next to the form with a phone or tablet.
- Use a light-coloured background and good lighting, with 80% of your face visible including the ears, and no mask.
IBPS Clerk
- Choose "Capture Photo" to use your webcam, or "Click here to Scan" to take it on your phone via the QR code.
- Use a light-coloured, preferably white, background and adequate light. Look straight at the camera.
- Don't wear coloured glasses, sunglasses or a cap. Avoid shadows on your face, a mask, a blurred image or a dark background.
IBPS PO
- Choose "Capture Photo" to use your webcam, or "Click here to Scan" to take it on your phone via the QR code.
- Use a light-coloured, preferably white, background and adequate light. Look straight at the camera.
- Don't wear coloured glasses, sunglasses or a cap. Avoid shadows on your face, a mask, a blurred image or a dark background.
JEE Main
- Captured in the application form: switch on your camera or connect a webcam to the device you're applying from.
- If your device has no webcam, scan the QR code next to the form with a phone or tablet.
- Use a light-coloured background and good lighting, with 80% of your face visible including the ears, and no mask.
UPSC NDA
- Captured while you fill in the Common Application Form, in addition to the uploaded photo.
- Both photos must be clear, as per UPSC's "Photos and Signature" instructions on upsconline.nic.in.
NEET UG
- Captured in the application form: switch on your camera or connect a webcam to the device you're applying from.
- If your device has no webcam, scan the QR code next to the form with a phone or tablet.
- Use a light-coloured background and good lighting, with 80% of your face visible including the ears, and no mask.
SBI Clerk
- Choose "Capture Photo" to use your webcam, or "Click here to Scan" to take it on your phone via the QR code.
- Use a light-coloured, preferably white, background and adequate light. Look straight at the camera.
- Don't wear coloured glasses, sunglasses or a cap. Avoid shadows on your face, a mask, a blurred image or a dark background.
SBI PO
- Choose "Capture Photo" to use your webcam, or "Click here to Scan" to take it on your phone via the QR code.
- Use a light-coloured, preferably white, background and adequate light. Look straight at the camera.
- Don't wear coloured glasses, sunglasses or a cap. Avoid shadows on your face, a mask, a blurred image or a dark background.
SSC CGL
- Find a place with good light and a plain background.
- Keep the camera at eye level, sit directly in front of it and look straight ahead.
- Keep your whole face inside the area marked by the camera, neither too close nor too far.
- Don't wear a cap, mask, glasses or spectacles.
- Never capture a photo of an existing photograph; such applications are rejected.
- If your webcam doesn't work, scan the QR code on the Upload Documents page to capture the photo on an Android phone.
SSC CHSL
- Find a place with good light and a plain background.
- Keep the camera at eye level, sit directly in front of it and look straight ahead.
- Don't wear a cap, mask, glasses or spectacles. The photo must show a full frontal view.
- If the captured photo isn't clear, recapture it. Photos that don't match the notice's specimens (Annexure-V) are liable to be rejected.
- If you can't use a camera, scan the QR code on the Upload Documents page to capture the photo on an Android phone.
SSC GD
- Find a place with good light and a plain background.
- Keep the camera at eye level, sit directly in front of it and look straight ahead.
- Keep your whole face inside the red rectangle shown by the camera, neither too close nor too far.
- Don't wear a cap, mask, glasses, spectacles, earphones or any other device.
- Never capture a photo of an existing photograph; such applications are rejected.
- If you can't use a camera, scan the QR code on the Upload Documents page to capture the photo on an Android phone.
UPSC CSE
- Captured while you fill in the Common Application Form, in addition to the uploaded photo.
- Both photos must be clear, as per UPSC's "Photos and Signature" instructions on upsconline.nic.in.
Questions
What is live photo capture?
Instead of uploading a photo file, you take your photo inside the application form, with your computer's webcam or your phone's camera. The portal checks it on the spot.
Do I still need to upload a photo?
It depends on the exam. Some portals use only the live photo; others ask for an uploaded photo as well. The table on this page shows which, and each exam's page lets you prepare any photo it still needs.
The capture keeps failing. What should I change?
Usually the light or the background. Face a window or a bright lamp, stand in front of a plain light wall, remove caps and dark glasses, and keep your whole face in the frame.