Student Leap Card photo maker

The Student TFI Leap Card application accepts a selfie up to 5 MB (JPEG, PNG, TIFF or BMP), uploaded from your device or taken live, and that selfie is printed on your card. Use good lighting and a plain background, remove hats, masks and glasses, and keep your face centred and neutral.

Free, no watermark
Photo stays on your device
No retouching
Rules checked 11 November 2026

Young Adult or Child (16–18) card? Those applications need a live selfie taken with your device's camera during the application, so you cannot upload a prepared photo. The rules below still tell you how to get it right first time.

Student TFI Leap Card photo requirements

Type of photo	A selfie of your face: upload a pre-taken selfie or take one live
File format	JPEG, PNG, TIFF or BMP
Maximum file size	5 MB
Background and light	Plain background, good lighting
Remove	Hats, masks and glasses
Pose	Face centred, neutral expression
What it is used for	Matched against your ID document, then printed on your Student TFI Leap Card
Young Adult (19–25) and Child (16–18)	A live selfie during the application, used as the card photo

Checked against the issuing organisation's own page on 11 November 2026. Source: TFI Leap Card: Student, Young Adult and Child card application · TFI Leap Card: Young Adult and Student Card · TFI Leap Card: Child TFI Leap Cards · TFI Leap Card: Terms and Conditions. Rules change without notice, so read the official page before you submit.

What the selfie must show

Your face, centred in the frame, with a neutral expression.
No hat, mask or glasses. Take glasses off for the photo, even if you normally wear them.
A plain background and good, even lighting.
A clear likeness of you. The selfie is compared with the photo on your ID, and the card can only be used by the person whose name and photo are printed on it.

Framing for this document: the head, from chin to the top of the hair, should fill about 45 to 62% of the photo height. The tool measures this for you.

Why there is no background remover. Official photo rules refuse photos whose background has been changed by software, so this tool never alters your photo. If the check says the background is not plain, retake the photo against a plain, light wall: how to get a plain background at home.

Which card needs which photo

Student TFI Leap Card: for full-time students (15 or more hours a week, on a course of at least 6 months or 25 weeks) aged 16 to 18 or 26 and over. You can upload a pre-taken selfie, which is what this tool prepares.
Young Adult TFI Leap Card: for anyone aged 19 to 25. A live selfie is taken during the application to check your likeness against your ID, and it becomes the card photo.
Child (16–18) TFI Leap Card: also a live selfie, with the applicant present and camera permissions enabled.

What happens after you apply

For a Student card you also upload your ID and proof of student status. When you receive a confirmation email, usually within 5 working days, you collect the card from a Student Leap Card agent and show your Student ID and proof of age. Young Adult and Child (16–18) cards are posted after verification.

Which file to save

The application form accepts JPEG, PNG, TIFF and BMP, while the TFI Leap Card terms and conditions mention a JPEG facial image. Saving a JPEG under 5 MB, as this tool does, meets both.

Common problems with Leap Card selfies

Wearing glasses. The instructions say to remove them, not just to avoid glare.
A cap, hat or face mask left on.
A dark or backlit photo, or a busy background such as shelves or a window.
A file over 5 MB, or an iPhone HEIC photo, which is not one of the listed formats.
A face off to one side or a big smile instead of a centred, neutral face.
Using someone else's photo. The selfie is matched against your ID.

A fictional woman photographed correctly for an ID photo: facing the camera, neutral expression, plain off-white wall, even light. — Example photos show a fictional person and were generated for this site as illustrations.

The same woman lit from one side, with a dark shadow on the wall behind her and one side of her face darker. — Example photos show a fictional person and were generated for this site as illustrations.

More on this in why ID photos get rejected. The examples use an off-white wall. The background row in the table above gives the exact colour this document asks for.

How to use this tool

Ask someone to take the photo from about 1.5 m, at eye level, in even daylight in front of a plain wall.
Add the photo above. The tool finds your face and frames it to the size on this page.
Check the green lines: one on the top of your head, one on your chin. Drag or zoom to adjust.
Read the automatic checks, then download. Nothing in the photo is retouched, only cropped and resized.

Questions about the Student Leap Card photo

Can I upload my own photo for a Student Leap Card?

Yes. The Student TFI Leap Card application lets you upload a pre-taken selfie from your device, or take one live with your camera. The file can be JPEG, PNG, TIFF or BMP, up to 5 MB.

Can I wear glasses in my Leap Card photo?

No. The Student TFI Leap Card selfie instructions say to remove hats, masks and glasses.

Can I upload a photo for a Young Adult Leap Card?

No. The Young Adult (19–25) and Child (16–18) TFI Leap Cards need a live selfie taken during the online application, with camera permissions enabled. It is checked against your ID and used as the card photo.

What size can the Student Leap Card photo be?

The application accepts files up to 5 MB in JPEG, PNG, TIFF or BMP format. No minimum pixel size is published.

Where do I collect my Student Leap Card?

From a Student Leap Card agent, after you receive a confirmation email that the card is ready, usually within 5 working days. Bring your Student ID and a valid proof of age ID.

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