SELF-TAKEN PHOTOS
Can I take my own ERAS headshot?
The official route-specific checks do not name a required camera operator. Compare the saved file with AAMC or ECFMG guidance.
Read the source-based checklist →Does the ERAS application PDF include your headshot?
Separate the MyERAS PDF preview from photo upload and per-program assignment status.
Use the three-record check →MYINTEALTH PHOTO ROUTES · 2026-11-07Why does MyIntealth say 1 MB when ERAS says 150 KB?
Compare the separate account-establishment photo and ERAS Support Services upload instructions.
Identify the correct photo form →CLOTHING · OFFICIAL VS. ADVICE · 2026-11-06Does ERAS require a suit, tie, or white coat in your headshot?
Separate the public AAMC/ECFMG photo checklists from program-specific requests and attire opinions.
Check the source layer →PHOTO FRAMING · ROUTE WORDING · 2026-11-05Does an ERAS headshot have to show your shoulders?
Compare current ECFMG MyIntealth and AAMC direct MyERAS wording without assuming how a private preview crops.
Read the route-specific framing check →FILE SIZE · BYTE UNITS · 2026-11-04Does 150 KB mean 150,000 bytes for an ERAS headshot?
Compare the decimal and binary calculations without assuming how either portal handles its limit.
See the exact byte calculation →FILE HANDLING · 2026-11-01Does an ERAS headshot need a specific file name?
See what current AAMC and ECFMG photo instructions say—and leave undocumented portal behavior undecided.
Read the source check →FILE COMPARISON · 2026-10-31How to compare ERAS headshot options without guessing
A neutral worksheet separates each route’s published checks, portal status, and personal preference.
Open the comparison worksheet →FILE FORMAT · RENAME VS EXPORT · 2026-10-30ERAS headshot says JPG: is it really a JPEG?
A local file-signature check separates a renamed filename from a newly exported image.
Check the actual file format →PRACTICAL ANSWERS / ORIGINAL TESTS
ERAS headshot guides
Choose a question, see the evidence, and prepare your next file with confidence.
Can an ERAS headshot include location data?
A synthetic EXIF test separates local file metadata from undocumented portal handling.
Inspect the file without assuming portal behavior →FELLOWSHIP PHOTO · ROUTE COMPARISON · 2026-10-28ERAS headshot for fellowship vs. residency: upload and size rules
Keep the fellowship EFDO workflow and its 100 KB limit separate from residency photo instructions.
Compare the application routes →ERAS PHOTO REQUIREMENTS · PHOTO AGE · 2026-10-27How recent does an ERAS headshot need to be?
Separate the six-month MyIntealth account-establishment photo rule from the reviewed ERAS application-photo checklists.
Compare the photo-age instructions →PHOTO REQUIREMENTS · 2026-10-26Does an ERAS headshot have to be in color?
Separate the reviewed ERAS photo instructions from the distinct full-color account-establishment photo requirement.
Compare the purpose-specific rules →PASSPORT-SIZE QUESTION · 2026-10-25Is an ERAS headshot the same as a passport photo?
Separate ECFMG’s passport-size label, AAMC’s direct-MyERAS checklist, and U.S. passport requirements.
Compare the three source lists →PHOTO DETAILS · 2026-10-21Can you wear glasses in an ERAS headshot?
Compare what current AAMC and ECFMG photo instructions state, and what their public checklists leave unstated.
Read the source-by-source glasses check →ERAS PHOTO EDITING · 2026-10-24Can you edit or retouch an ERAS headshot?
Separate photo specifications from ECFMG’s broader altered-document notice, and see what remains undefined.
Read the source-scope check →ERAS PHOTO REQUIREMENTS · 2026-10-23Can you smile with teeth in an ERAS headshot?
Compare the current public AAMC and ECFMG wording without treating an unstated detail as a rule.
See what the source pages say →REPEAT APPLICANTS · 2026-10-22Can you reuse last year’s ERAS headshot?
Compare what ECFMG says about photo reuse with what AAMC’s public import summary does and does not confirm.
Check the route-specific reuse wording →PHOTO PURPOSE · 2026-10-19What is an ERAS headshot used for?
Separate AAMC interview-identification wording from the added ECFMG IMG-route memory-aid description, and see what neither establishes.
Compare the official purpose statements →PHOTO DIMENSIONS · 2026-10-18Does an ERAS headshot still need to be 2.5 × 3.5 inches?
A route-by-route reading separates current direct MyERAS photo instructions from ECFMG MyIntealth’s IMG dimension limit.
Compare the current route sources →PHOTO ASSIGNMENT · 2026-10-17When can you assign an ERAS photo to programs?
Check what AAMC says about assignment before upload, saved programs, applied-to programs, and closed programs.
Use the per-program assignment check →UPLOAD STATUS · 2026-10-16ERAS photo submitted but missing: what should you check?
Separate MyIntealth acceptance confirmation from transmission, and keep direct MyERAS instructions in their own lane.
Follow the route-specific status check →PHOTO BACKGROUND · 2026-10-15Does an ERAS headshot need a white background?
A route-by-route reading distinguishes what current AAMC and ECFMG public instructions specify from details they do not state.
Read the source comparison →COLOR PROFILE · 2026-10-14Why does an ERAS headshot look gray after upload?
A synthetic P3-to-sRGB transform separates color-profile interpretation from undocumented portal behavior.
See the measured color test →JPEG ORIENTATION · 2026-10-09Why can an ERAS headshot look rotated in a preview?
A controlled person-free JPEG test separates stored pixels, EXIF metadata, and undocumented portal behavior.
See the orientation test →PREVIEW QUESTION · 2026-10-08Does the ERAS headshot preview show what programs see?
Separate the visible preview, the uploaded source file, and what current public instructions do not specify.
Check what the evidence establishes →IPHONE PHOTO FORMAT · 2026-10-05Can you upload an iPhone HEIC photo to ERAS?
Compare the direct MyERAS and ECFMG photo formats, then verify that an exported file is really JPEG.
Check the route and export →REQUIREMENTS · 2026-10-04Is an ERAS headshot required?
Compare AAMC and ECFMG wording without treating separate routes as one universal rule.
Compare the official instructions →APPLICATION ROUTES · 2026-10-03Can you change an ERAS headshot after submitting?
A route-by-route reading separates replacement, transmission, and photo assignment.
Compare what the official pages say →JPEG METADATA · 2026-10-02What does missing DPI metadata mean for an ERAS headshot?
A metadata-only JPEG test separates a blank density field from changes to the actual pixels.
See what the test can establish →TOOL TEST · 2026-10-01Does an ERAS headshot crop preview match the saved file?
Three synthetic marker-grid tests compare the live crop preview with the tool’s downloaded JPEG.
See the measured comparison →FILE HANDOFF · 2026-09-30What to check in an ERAS headshot from your photographer
A route-specific checklist and a reproducible test of three synthetic handoff files.
Review the delivery file →TOOL TEST · 2026-09-29What can an ERAS headshot checker actually verify?
Three no-face test images reveal the difference between file measurements, visual estimates, and portal acceptance.
See what the checker can verify →FILE LAB · 2026-09-28How to compress an ERAS headshot without guessing
A reproducible five-setting JPEG test measures exact bytes and decoded-pixel differences.
See the measured exports →FILE LAB · 2026-09-27Can an ERAS headshot be PNG?
Two official format lists and an original test of renaming a PNG versus exporting a JPEG.
Compare the routes and files →FILE LAB · 2026-09-26Does changing DPI make an ERAS headshot smaller or sharper?
Three downloadable JPEGs, one controlled experiment, and a clear explanation of pixels, inches and bytes.
Read the test →