Photo upload tips

What's the problem?

It is important that the file image is big enough, but not too big, so that that we have a good quality image to print on your UCard.

Here's what to do if you see one of these error messages;

Your login attempt was not successful. Your details were incorrect.

Please note that Multi-factor authentication (MFA) is required to be set up on your computer/device before attempting to upload your photo to our online photo portal. Please see more information and how to set up MFA here:  MFA | Information security | University of Bristol If you have any problems with setting up MFA on your computer/device please contact IT  for support. 

The file you have supplied is not valid. It must be in JPEG or JPG format

Load the photo into Microsoft Paint.

On the File menu there is a 'save as' option. Select the; JPG picture format, save the image and try to upload the photo again.

Upload error. Image must be portrait style, at least 390 pixels wide by 520 pixels high

If you see this error it means that you have tried to upload an image that is too small. You should check the image dimensions. One or both dimensions will be too small. If you have an image editor you can rotate an image or change the image size. Microsoft Paint can also be used to do this, the principle is similar to that described below where the image size is too big. But beware, even if it is a good quality image, you can only increase its size by about 10% before image quality deteriorates.

The image is too small (when you try to save after editing )

It is possible to upload an image, but after editing the online editor says the image is too small when you try to save it.

If you look at the bottom left corner of the edit box it displays a red or green button and the cropped image size. If the button is red the image is too small to save. If you are unable to get the result you want you will have to quit and upload a bigger image. Most image editors can do this or you can use Microsoft Paint. The principle is the same as that described below where the image size is too big.

Upload error. Image file size must be less than 1Mb

With modern digital cameras, or even phones with built-in cameras, it is easy to create a very large file. But large images files can take a long time to upload and use a lot of storage space, so we have limited the upload size to 1Mbyte. If your image is too big you can easily make it smaller with an image editor. Microsoft users can use Microsoft Paint, which is installed in the Accessories folder of the Programs list. The method is described below.


Change an image from landscape to portrait

Open the image in Microsoft Paint. (Paint which is installed in the Accessories folder of the Programs list.).In this example the camera was held vertically so the image appears 'on its side'.

Landscape photo image

To rotate the image select 'Image' from the options bar, then 'Flip/Rotate'.

(In Windows 7 Paint has a 'Rotate' option)

Print rotate image option

Next select the amount to rotate by, for example 90 degrees.

Print rotation setting

The image is displayed the correct way up – but you might need to scroll to see the whole picture.

Print image in portrait style


Make an image smaller (or larger)

Open Microsoft Paint and load your photo. Our example is over 3 Mbytes in size so Paint cannot display the whole image.

Paint example large image

Changing image size

From the top bar select the Image menu, then 'Stretch/Skew'.

(in Windows 7 Paint has a 'Resize' option)

Paint re-size menu

You can now change the image size, making it smaller or larger by a percentage value. You must change BOTH Horizontal and Vertical percentages by the same amount otherwise the image will appear squashed.

(in Windows 7 Paint has a 'Resize' option and both dimensions are linked while 'Maintain aspect ratio' is checked. If you prefer to change the dimensions by setting the number of pixels, we suggest a width of 600 pixels. Do not try to match 390 pixels wide by 520 pixels high, use the upload image editor to crop to the final size.)

Paint strech or skew option

We have applied a 50% reduction, but this does not have the effect of halving the file size. In this example – the size went down to 231 kbytes. After you make your change Paint will display the modified image.

Paint reduce image size

You will have to experiment to get the size down to less than 1 Mbyte. When you make a change save the file with a different name, in case you make a mistake. You can then check the size to see if it has been adjusted enough.

If you want to make an image bigger try making an adjustment of 105%–110%.


Display file sizes

Example display for our files showing the file size and image dimensions.

The new file, IMG_0336 small.jpg, is now small enough to upload and crop to the final size.

Display file size and dimensions