SSC and RRB Live Photo Capture 2026: Rules, Fixes and Signature Size
How the live photo works on SSC and RRB application forms, how to pass it first time, what to do when the camera fails, and the signature size each one asks for.
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SSC and RRB live photo capture: what changed
Both the Staff Selection Commission and the Railway Recruitment Boards have stopped accepting a photo file. Instead, the application takes your photo live, through a laptop webcam or your phone camera, while you fill the form. SSC moved to this when it launched its new website in February 2024, and recent RRB notifications for NTPC, Group D, ALP, Technician and JE do the same.
That means there is no photo to resize or compress for these exams. What you still upload is a scanned signature:
- SSC (CGL, CHSL, MTS, GD, CPO and others): JPG, 10 to 20 KB, about 4 cm wide and 2 cm high
- RRB: JPG, 30 to 49 KB, at least 140 x 60 pixels and 100 DPI, in a 3.5 x 2 cm box
Many older guides still describe uploading a 20 to 50 KB studio photo for RRB, or a pre-taken photo for SSC. Those rules come from earlier cycles. Follow the notification for your own exam.
How the live photo works
At the photo step, the form asks for camera access and shows a live preview with a frame for your face. You position yourself inside it, capture the image, check it and confirm. If your computer has no webcam, the form also offers a QR code: scan it with your phone, take the photo there, and it appears in the form.
The captured photo becomes your photo for the whole recruitment. It is printed on your admit card and compared with your face at the exam centre, the document check and later stages, so treat it like a passport photo rather than a quick selfie.
Passing the live photo first time
Set up before you open the photo step:
- Sit facing a window or a bright lamp, so light falls evenly on your face and not from behind you
- Use a plain, light wall behind you, with nothing hanging on it
- Remove caps, masks, earphones and spectacles; both SSC and RRB instructions ask for no glasses
- Keep the camera at eye level, about an arm's length away, and look straight into it
- Fit your whole face inside the on-screen frame, neither too close nor too far, with a neutral expression
- Stay still for a second after pressing capture so the image is sharp
Wear clothes darker than the wall so your shoulders stand out. Check the preview before confirming: if your face is dark, blurred or cut off, retake it.
When the camera will not start
Most live photo problems are browser permissions, not the portal:
- Allow camera access when the browser asks. If you clicked Block, open the lock icon beside the address and switch Camera to Allow, then reload
- Close other apps that may be using the camera, such as video calls
- Use an up-to-date Chrome or Firefox; older browsers and some in-app browsers block the camera
- On a phone, open the QR link in the phone's main browser rather than inside a messaging app
- If the laptop camera is poor or missing, switch to the QR option and use your phone's front camera
The portal is slowest in the last days before the deadline, when captures time out more often. Apply early.
SSC's Aadhaar authentication option
During SSC's One Time Registration you can choose to verify your identity with Aadhaar, using an OTP sent to your Aadhaar-linked mobile number. Recent SSC notices say that applications verified this way will not be rejected for a photograph or signature that is not as per the standards, and that such candidates need not bring photos or a photo ID to the exam centre.
If you skip Aadhaar authentication, your photo and signature are checked the usual way, and you must carry an original photo ID and recent passport-size photos on exam day. Choose carefully, because the option is not meant to be changed after registration.
The signature upload
Sign on plain white paper with a black ink pen, in your usual running hand. Capital or block letters, blue ink, a signature by anyone else, or a thumb impression in place of a signature are all grounds for rejection. Benchmark-disability candidates who cannot sign may upload a thumb impression instead, as the notice allows.
Photograph the signature in daylight with the phone flat above the paper, then use the resizer:
- SSC signature: frames to 4 x 2 cm at 200 DPI and saves between 10 and 20 KB
- RRB signature: frames to 3.5 x 2 cm at 200 DPI, above the 140 x 60 pixel and 100 DPI minimums, and saves between 30 and 49 KB
A small signature that would save below the minimum is raised above it without changing the picture. The resizer runs in your browser, so nothing is uploaded until you upload it to the portal yourself.
Common reasons for rejection
- Face partly outside the frame, or too far from the camera
- Dark, backlit or shadowed face, or a busy background
- Cap, mask, spectacles or earphones in the live photo
- Blurred capture from moving while the photo was taken
- Signature outside the KB range, in blue ink, or in capital letters
- Signature photographed on grey or lined paper, which looks smudged once shrunk
If the portal refuses the signature file without a reason, our guide to why upload forms say a file is too large covers the less obvious causes.
Common questions
Can I upload a photo instead of the live capture? No. SSC and recent RRB notifications accept only the photo taken in the form.
Can I wear spectacles? No. The live photo instructions for both ask you to remove glasses.
What if I do not have a webcam? Use the QR code option and take the photo with your phone.
Can I retake the live photo? Yes, before you confirm it. After final submission the photo is fixed for that recruitment.
Do I still need printed photos? For SSC, yes unless you chose Aadhaar authentication; carry recent passport-size photos and an original photo ID. For RRB, follow the admit card instructions, which list what to bring. The Passport Size Photo Maker prints a sheet of copies.
Before you submit
- Check the live photo preview once more: face fully visible, sharp and evenly lit
- Open the signature file and confirm it is upright, readable and inside the KB range
- Make sure your name and date of birth match your Class 10 certificate
- Note your registration number and password, and save the confirmation page
- Keep the same look until the last stage, since your face is checked against the live photo throughout
Both presets in the resizer use the signature figures above. When a new notification changes them, pick Other / custom size and enter the new width, height and KB range.
Try Exam photo & signature
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