Add Name and Date on Photo

Some recruitment bodies want more than a face in the photo: they want your name and the date the photograph was taken printed at the bottom, the way studio photographers used to write it on a slate or print it under the picture. The rule exists to stop candidates from reusing years-old photos. If you have ever searched "name and date on photo for PSC", you have met it — and probably discovered that most photo apps can add text, but not in a way that keeps the photo at the exact pixel size and KB the portal demands.

This page is our full editor, opened with the name & date strip switched on. You type the name and date; the editor reserves a strip at the bottom of the required frame, fits your photo in the space above it, draws the text, and then sizes the whole file to the preset's pixels and KB range.

Which exams need the name and date on the photo?

In our data set, these presets are flagged as needing a name and date. Choosing one of them in the editor turns the strip on automatically:

Presets in data/presets.json flagged as needing a name & date. Verify with the official notification.

Other bodies occasionally ask for it in a particular recruitment, and rules change between cycles, so read the photo instructions in your own notification. If it does not ask for a name and date, do not add one — an unexpected strip can be treated as an invalid photo.

Which date should I put — today or the date of the photo?

The date the photograph was taken. That is the whole point of the rule: it shows how recent the photo is. The editor fills in today's date by default because most people take the photo the same day; if you are using a photo from last week, change it. Many notifications also say how recent the photo must be (for example, taken within a certain number of months before the application) — check that the date you enter satisfies it, and never enter a later date than the real one.

Keep a copy of the original, unedited photo with its file date. If a document-verification officer ever questions the date on the strip, the original file (and the phone's record of when it was taken) backs you up. For the same reason, avoid taking a photo of an old printed photo and dating it today: apart from the rule itself, re-photographed prints look flat and grainy at exam sizes and are more likely to be rejected as unclear. If your application takes several days to complete, it is fine for the date to be a few days before the submission date — the strip records when the photo was taken, not when you applied.

What should the strip look like?

The editor draws a white strip across the bottom of the frame with your name on the first line and the date on the second, centred, in dark text sized to fit the strip. The three date formats cover what notifications usually show: DD-MM-YYYY (for example 27-09-2026), DD/MM/YYYY and DD.MM.YYYY. Follow the example in your notification if it gives one. A few practical points:

• Keep the name short enough to be readable at the final pixel size. Very long names shrink; a slightly taller strip helps.
• Use the same spelling as in your application.
• Don't add extra text (roll numbers, exam names) unless asked.

Does adding the strip change the photo size or KB?

No — that is the main difference from adding text in a general photo app. The strip is drawn inside the preset's frame. For Kerala PSC in our data that frame is 150 × 200 px; the photo is fitted into the area above the strip and the crop box's shape changes accordingly, so your face is not stretched. The finished file is then compressed (or padded) to the preset's KB range. Our automated test checked that the strip renders with each of the three date formats and that the Kerala PSC preset switches it on automatically.

Can I add name and date on photo in mobile?

Yes. Open this page in your phone's browser, tap "Take a photo" or choose one from the gallery, then fill in the name and date in the options below the photo. Everything happens on the phone; the finished JPEG goes to your downloads. The date field uses your phone's date picker.

Can I do it in Paint instead?

You can: enlarge the canvas downwards, draw a white rectangle, type your name and date with the text tool, and save. The difficulties come afterwards — resizing the result to the exact pixels squeezes the photo if the proportions changed, and Paint cannot aim for a KB range. Photoshop and Canva can do it with more steps. This editor combines the layout, the exact size and the KB target, which is what the portal actually checks.

How should I take the photo before adding the strip?

The strip takes up the bottom part of the frame — about a fifth of the height by default — so the photo itself has less room. A few habits make the result look right at the small sizes portals use:

• Frame head and shoulders only. With less vertical space, a half-body shot leaves the face tiny. Stand closer or crop tighter.
• Plain light background. The white strip sits right under your shoulders; a busy background above it looks messy. If needed, fix it first with change photo background — in this same editor, the background tools are in section 4.
• Even light on the face. Face a window; avoid overhead bulbs that cast shadows under the eyes.
• Take it on the date you'll enter. Then the date on the strip is simply true, and you have nothing to remember.

Is the name strip the same as a slate photo?

Not quite. A slate photo is taken while you hold a small board with your name and the date written on it, so the text is part of the scene. A name and date strip is added underneath the photo afterwards. Some notifications ask for one, some for the other, and a few show a sample image — follow the sample if there is one. This tool makes the strip style. If your notification asks for a slate, write your name and the date clearly on a white card and hold it at chest level when the photo is taken, then resize the photo normally in the photo & signature resizer without the strip.

What if the portal still rejects the photo?

• Check the badge first. If it is not green, the file does not match the pixels, KB range or format of the preset you picked.
• Check the preset against your notification. Rules change between recruitment cycles. Type the current numbers into sections 2–3 if they differ from our preset.
• Check the file you uploaded. The download name includes the dimensions; make sure you did not pick the original from your gallery by mistake.
• Look at the rejection message. "Invalid dimensions" and "file size" errors are fixable here; "photo not clear" usually means the face is too small or too dark — retake it.

Common mistakes

• Adding a strip when it isn't required. Only add it if your notification asks.
• Writing today's date on an old photo. Use the real date, and a recent photo.
• Text too small. Increase the strip height or shorten the name.
• Adding the strip outside the frame. Adding text below an already-sized photo makes the file taller than allowed. Let the editor fit it inside the frame.
• Face too small. The photo area is smaller once the strip is added; crop closer.

Also need a clean background or a signature? See change photo background and the signature resizer, or check your exam on all exam photo sizes.

Requirements differ between recruitment bodies and cycles. Verify with the official notification before you upload.