Love your headshots or get your money back 
Guide · Updated October 27, 2026
Passport photo app that doesn't edit your photo
Short answer
- The State Department asks for the original, unedited photo. Retouched or filtered photos can be rejected.
- A good passport app only crops, straightens and resizes your photo, and checks it against the rules.
- Avoid apps that smooth skin, replace the background or “enhance” your face.
What an app may and may not do
| Crop to 2 × 2 inches | Allowed |
|---|---|
| Straighten a slightly tilted photo | Allowed |
| Resize and compress for upload (600–1200 px, under 240 kB) | Allowed |
| Skin smoothing, beauty filters, teeth whitening | Not allowed |
| Replacing or “cleaning” the background with AI | Not allowed |
| Changing brightness, colors or removing shadows | Not allowed |
| AI-generated or AI-“enhanced” faces | Never |
Official source: State Department photo requirements
Why editing gets photos rejected
Your passport photo is used to identify you, so it has to show your face exactly as the camera saw it. The State Department's photo rules ask for the original photo and say not to use filters or digital changes. Many popular photo apps edit by default: they smooth skin, brighten faces or swap the background for a perfect white. That can be enough for a rejection, which means a delay and a new photo.
How to check an app before you pay
- Look for “background removal” or “background replacement” in its features: that's an edit.
- Look for a plain statement that it never changes your face or background.
- Compare the before and after: the face, skin and background should look identical, only cropped.
- Prefer a free check before paying, and a redo or refund if the photo is rejected.
Get the background right instead of fixing it
- Stand about 2 feet in front of a plain white or off-white wall or door.
- Face a window so the light is even and no shadow falls behind you.
- Have someone take it from about 4 feet away, camera at eye height. No selfies.
Check your photo for free
Proud Look's photo tool checks your phone photo against the official rules for free and crops it to 2 × 2 inches. It never edits you or the background: no AI, no retouching. Choose “US passport”. The digital file and a 4 × 6 print sheet cost $8.99; if a government office rejects the photo, you get a free new photo (within 90 days) or a full refund (notice within 90 days).
A government officer always makes the final decision; no service can guarantee acceptance.