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How to add your name and date to a photo for exam forms

By the Fusion Office team · Updated

Quick answer

Crop the photo so there's a little space below your chin, then open the Image editor, add a text layer with your name and the date the photo was taken, give it a white background and place it across the bottom. Save it and fit it to the form's size with Resize image.

Which forms ask for it

UPSC's online applications ask for a recent photograph with the candidate's name and the date of taking the photograph printed on it, and some state commissions and recruitment boards have followed. It shows the photo is recent and belongs to you. If your notification doesn't ask for it, don't add it.

Add the name and date step by step

  1. 1Open Crop image and crop to the passport shape, leaving extra room below your chin for the text strip.
  2. 2Open the cropped photo in the Image editor and go to the Text tab.
  3. 3Type your name on the first line and the date the photo was taken on the second (for example 07/11/2026).
  4. 4Choose a plain font in black, give the text a white background, and centre it at the bottom of the photo without covering your face.
  5. 5Open Save, keep JPG, and download.
  6. 6Fit it to the form with Resize image, turning on Limit the file size if there's a KB range.

Getting it right

  • Use the name exactly as in your application, in capitals if the notice says so.
  • The date must be when the photo was taken, not today's date if you're reusing an older photo, and the photo must be within the recency the notice allows.
  • Make the text large enough to read when the photo is shown small: about a tenth of the photo's height per line works well.
  • Keep your face fully visible, with the strip below the chin.

For the rest of UPSC's photo and signature rules, see UPSC photo and signature size.

Frequently asked questions

Should the name and date be inside the photo or below it?

On the photo itself, along the bottom, below the face. Forms want a single image file, so the strip must be part of the picture.

Can I write the name by hand on a printed photo and scan it?

That works too if it's neat and readable, but typed text is clearer at small sizes.