Make a requirements sheet before submitting an image
When a compressed attachment is rejected, do not immediately lower the KB target again. A short requirements sheet lets you check one condition at a time and keep the original intact.
1. Write down four separate requirements
Record the receiving site’s latest instructions: maximum bytes, width and height in pixels, accepted formats and attachment count. Ask the receiver if “image size” is ambiguous. A successful result in this tool does not mean the external submission was accepted.
2. Separate examples from official rules
Suppose the instructions say JPG, at most 200KB, width 800px. All three matter. A smaller version of a 3MB, 4000×3000 original still fails the format condition if saved as PNG. General job-application examples are not institutional standards. A passport-purpose setting does not assess all person, background or composition requirements.
3. Give each change a reason
In Submission setup, review the preset or your own inputs and read the checks. Adjust the crop yourself if the relevant area is wrong. Change the byte target for a size problem and dimensions for a pixel problem. Upscaling cannot recover detail missing from a small original.
4. Select the saved result again
Open the downloaded file and inspect actual dimensions, format and readable content. Select that result on the submission page. Sharing a settings link does not share the photo. Keep the original separately and check the receiving site’s final acceptance message.
Before-and-after checks
- Original example: 3MB · 4000×3000px · PNG
- Requirement example: JPG · at most 200KB · width 800px
- Review actual format, bytes and pixels independently
Numbers are illustrative, not institutional requirements or measured results.