My scan looks grey and washed out — why?

Scanner auto-exposure, not compression. Rescan with the lid closed, or increase contrast before compressing; better contrast also compresses more efficiently.

Can I compress several photos to 30 KB at once?

Add them one after another. Each file gets its own quality search, because the right quality for a plain headshot is not the right quality for a busy scan.

Resize an image to 30 KB

30 KB is a common cap for scanned photographs on admission and application portals. Drop your photo in below — the target is already set to 30 KB, and everything runs inside this browser tab, so the image never leaves your device.

Target file size

Dimensions

Output format

How to get a photo under 30 KB without it turning to mush

Crop before you compress

Empty background costs bytes. Cropping tight on the subject leaves more of the size budget for the detail that matters.

Match the required dimensions

Most forms cap both KB and pixels. Set the dimension preset here as well so a 30 KB file is not rejected for being the wrong shape.

Use JPG for photos

PNG stores photos far less efficiently. Choosing JPG output often reaches the target with visibly better quality.

Who asks for 30 KB?

30 KB is common for scanned photographs on admission portals, employee onboarding systems and visa appointment sites.

Settings that actually reach 30 KB

For a colour headshot, 300×400 px JPG is a good fit. For a document crop where small text must stay readable, keep the pixel width high and accept a lower quality — text survives compression better than skin tones do.

The mistake that gets uploads rejected

Rotating after compressing. Many viewers rotate using EXIF metadata rather than the pixels, and some portals ignore EXIF entirely, so the photo appears sideways to the reviewer. Rotate first, then compress.

Questions about 30 KB uploads

My scan looks grey and washed out — why?: Scanner auto-exposure, not compression. Rescan with the lid closed, or increase contrast before compressing; better contrast also compresses more efficiently.
Can I compress several photos to 30 KB at once?: Add them one after another. Each file gets its own quality search, because the right quality for a plain headshot is not the right quality for a busy scan.