OCI Card : Not able to upload photo

[varun22486]

Hi All,

I am stuck here, I have two doubts.

1. Signature image - What is this? My son is 4 months old.. whats this that they are asking for upload in OCI application.
2. Applicant image - I have reduces the size to 30 kb but i keep getting the error that there is some problem with the format.

Please help.

[jnk]

This thread may be helpful to you,

http://www.immihelp.com/forum/showthread.php/196495-OCI-Card-Online-Application-Signature-Image-Problem

- - - Updated - - -

This thread may be helpful to you,
http://www.immihelp.com/forum/showthread.php/196495-OCI-Card-Online-Application-Signature-Image-Problem

[varun22486]

I did try that but I keep getting error message saying "Some problem with the format is detected"

size is less that 30 and pixel setting is same as well.

[Global_Indian]

you have to scan and upload the signature and photo of kids ( under 5). You have to play with size and pixels until it accepts. Its a pain but saves lot of time later as Printer in delhi has some form of A.I where it will reject photos not as per format and you have to all over again.
Good luck Bro.

[varun22486]

When you say Signature image.. is it a picture of kids thumb impression?

[Crazveer]

Its Doing My Head

Hi All,

I am stuck here, I have two doubts.

1. Signature image - What is this? My son is 4 months old.. whats this that they are asking for upload in OCI application.
2. Applicant image - I have reduces the size to 30 kb but i keep getting the error that there is some problem with the format.

Please help.

I am going through the same issue my son is 6 months old and I have tried everything in hell and even went to a photographer and paid $100 to get it sorted and still the same issue. Just wondering if you have managed anything. Thanks in advance

[abha8568]

"

I did try that but I keep getting error message saying "Some problem with the format is detected"

size is less that 30 and pixel setting is same as well.

"After spending hours trying to do this, I finally had success following instructions from what I found elsewhere on the web. Hope this works for you too. Good luck!
Unless you have specialist photo software ms Word offers one of the easiest ways to resize and compress pictures - so open a blank document and use Insert>Picture>From file
right-click the picture and select Format Picture...
In the Size tab check the width:height ratio - cancel the Format
In Word open the Drawing toolbar and use the Crop tool (looks a bit like #) to crop the picture until the width/height ratio is about right (in the Drawing toolbar you can click Draw>Grid... to display grid-lines on the page, set them to a useful spacing).
Right-click the picture and open Format Picture... in the Size tab make sure Lock Aspect ratio is checked and set the exact size you want (if the ratio is just slightly off you can uncheck the Aspect ratio - at the risk of your picture going a bit hamster or scarecrow). In the Picture tab click Compress... make sure that Compress pictures and Delete cropped areas of pictures are selected (also All pictures in document if you are doing more than one photo). For definition I found the Print (200dpi) setting worked OK, for an even smaller file use Web (96dpi). Compress your picture[s]. Switch off the grid in the Drawing toolbar.
Now comes a little trick - you've got your photo in a Word doc but you need it back as a .jpg - so:
from the main menu choose Save As... and find Word 2007 docx file - give your document name and save it - e.g.mypic.docx and close Word.
Find your document in Windows Explorer and rename it with a .zip extension (ignore warnings).
Double-click on the .zip file. Depending on what software you have to handle zip files you will either be prompted to unzip or the zipped file will open in a new Explorer window. Either way, in the zipped file find the Word folder and in that the Media folder - this contains your photo[s] as .jpeg files."

[sbrito]

The solution

Hi All,

I am stuck here, I have two doubts.

1. Signature image - What is this? My son is 4 months old.. whats this that they are asking for upload in OCI application.
2. Applicant image - I have reduces the size to 30 kb but i keep getting the error that there is some problem with the format.

Please help.

Hi, I'm sure I'm too late but hopefully it will help others.

I had the same issue where the dimensions and size were exactly as requested, but I was still getting the generic "Some problem with the format is detected" error.

Here is the Solution:
Use a decent image editing software to save the JPG file in the simplest JPG format possible.
i.e. turn off sub-sampling, progressive, optimized huffman etc. When you save the file there should be options to disable these features.
This may increase the size above 200KB, so reduce the quality to meet the requirement.

Some free software options:
FastStone Image viewer, Irfanview

Cause:
The passport.gov.in site seems to be using very basic software that does not allow all types of JPEG files to be processed.

[sunrag1]

Hi, I'm sure I'm too late but hopefully it will help others.

I had the same issue where the dimensions and size were exactly as requested, but I was still getting the generic "Some problem with the format is detected" error.

Here is the Solution:
Use a decent image editing software to save the JPG file in the simplest JPG format possible.
i.e. turn off sub-sampling, progressive, optimized huffman etc. When you save the file there should be options to disable these features.
This may increase the size above 200KB, so reduce the quality to meet the requirement.

Some free software options:
FastStone Image viewer, Irfanview

Cause:
The passport.gov.in site seems to be using very basic software that does not allow all types of JPEG files to be processed.

Why its so complicated?,. Why cant users send the photo and let consulate scan and upload whatver they want to do?. Shouldnt it be users send all docs and photo along with application?.

[Nick757]

Just get a VIsa. This OCI process sucks in its present format. Cheez , what is wrong with the Indian govt.

[proonindiandoc]

Why its so complicated?,. Why cant users send the photo and let consulate scan and upload whatver they want to do?. Shouldnt it be users send all docs and photo along with application?.

all these changes are made by Indian Embassy DC. pls send your complaint to them. ask what the heck is going on

[Abhishek Puri]

Specify all the required details and click on resize image. Save the image and upload it. Let me know if any issues comes.

[kachda]

OCI Card : Not able to upload photo

Specify all the required details and click on resize image. Save the image and upload it. Let me know if any issues comes.

It is not as innocent as it sounds. This is the most complicated portion of filling the form.

Here are the steps that worked for us towards preparing photographs and signatures digitally to satisfy the application for OCI in lieu of PIO:

Steps:

A1. Scan the photograph and Signature

A2. Use http://www.idphoto4you.com/ to get the positioned photograph in JPEG

A3. Prepare photograph and Signature in prescribed aspect ratio

1. Upload the photograph into MS Paint. Resize photo to 360x360 pixels

2. If the photo is below 30 KB then you are OK

3. If not, then use http://jpeg-optimizer.com/ to reduce file size by adjusting the compression rate. I selected 65

3.1 Right click the photo it shows and save it.
3.2 Check in properties the file size
3.3 If file size is greater than 30kb, adjust the rate down further until you get far lower than 30 kb
3.4 Open the saved file in Paint and save it again from Paint without changing the dimensions

4 If the JPEG-Optimizer does not work, then use MS-Word to upload the picture.

4.1 Resize the image using picture compression

4.1.1 Select the image in the Word document. ...
4.1.2 Click Compress Pictures (in the Adjust group). ...
4.1.3 On the Compress Pictures dialog box, click Options. ...
4.1.4 Select the options you want to apply. ...
4.1.5 Click OK, then click OK again to close the Compress Pictures dialog box.

5 Upload the signature into MS Paint. Resize to 120x360

6 If signature is less than 30 KB then you are OK

6.1 If not, use JPEG Optimizer as mentioned in Step 3 above and follow those steps.
6.2 If JPEG Optimizer is not useful, i.e., you are not getting small file size even after decreasing the compression rate to 10, use Step 4 above to compress using MS-Word

[sunrag1]

It is not as innocent as it sounds. This is the most complicated portion of filling the form.

Here are the steps that worked for us towards preparing photographs and signatures digitally to satisfy the application for OCI in lieu of PIO:

Steps:

A1. Scan the photograph and Signature

A2. Use http://www.idphoto4you.com/ to get the positioned photograph in JPEG

A3. Prepare photograph and Signature in prescribed aspect ratio

1. Upload the photograph into MS Paint. Resize photo to 360x360 pixels

2. If the photo is below 30 KB then you are OK

3. If not, then use http://jpeg-optimizer.com/ to reduce file size by adjusting the compression rate. I selected 65

3.1 Right click the photo it shows and save it.
3.2 Check in properties the file size
3.3 If file size is greater than 30kb, adjust the rate down further until you get far lower than 30 kb
3.4 Open the saved file in Paint and save it again from Paint without changing the dimensions

4 If the JPEG-Optimizer does not work, then use MS-Word to upload the picture.

4.1 Resize the image using picture compression

4.1.1 Select the image in the Word document. ...
4.1.2 Click Compress Pictures (in the Adjust group). ...
4.1.3 On the Compress Pictures dialog box, click Options. ...
4.1.4 Select the options you want to apply. ...
4.1.5 Click OK, then click OK again to close the Compress Pictures dialog box.

5 Upload the signature into MS Paint. Resize to 120x360

6 If signature is less than 30 KB then you are OK

6.1 If not, use JPEG Optimizer as mentioned in Step 3 above and follow those steps.
6.2 If JPEG Optimizer is not useful, i.e., you are not getting small file size even after decreasing the compression rate to 10, use Step 4 above to compress using MS-Word

Take digital photo.,. scan it.. and again crop it (resize it ) and upload?... Convert from digital to analog to digital?. What kind of process is this?. Who invented this process?

[kachda]

Take digital photo.,. scan it.. and again crop it (resize it ) and upload?... Convert from digital to analog to digital?. What kind of process is this?. Who invented this process?

Absolutely right... doesn't make sense but got to do it if you want it within the specifications of dimensions and file size. Sometimes, you are lucky to get the photo within the file size right after you resize. But it does not happen for all the photographs. Also aspect ratio comes into picture for both photographs and signatures. It is one of those where technology is used to complicate things.

Interestingly, the site was quite robust and never failed.