Obtaining passport photographs can become a last-minute and frequently disappointing task. Passport pictures are increasingly required for visas, i/d cards, season tickets... and we should always have some in stock.
Now it is easy to make your own passport pictures with a digital camera and an imaging programme like Adobe Photoshop. (probably most of the other imaging programmes offer a similar 'picture package' too).

This is what you do...

Take the picture
  1) Unpack the digital camera, dust off the cobwebs and hand it to an assistant...
  2) Open the back door of your house and stand just outside it... you want to be framed by the black background that the darker interior will provide.
  3) Perhaps you prefer white ? Hang up a sheet...
  4) Take your picture. Use the zoom lens and set it about 3/4 telephoto. No assistant ? Use a tripod...
  5) You don't want direct light, you want soft light, and a hazy sky or a north-facing doorway will provide this.
  6) View your results. Are you close enough? - good, you've got the picture...
  7) Now download it onto the computer

Edit the picture
  8) Open 'Adobe Photoshop' or 'Adobe Elements'
  9) Open the picture and give it a name
  10) Crop it fairly tight in 'upright' (portrait) format.
  11) Make any any other alterations... like adding teeth, colour hair, removing blemishes, warts and wrinkles. (Ask Kit for a lesson, you'll never believe a photo again...!)

Picture Package
  12) Save the file again and go to...
      File > Automate > Picture Package >
      Layout (20) 2x2 >Resolution: 150 Pixels per       inch >Mode: Colour > Choose: 'source file'...
  13) The picture package will reformat the picture 20 times in succession. Wait for this process to finish...
  14) save as... 'passport sheet'

Printing
  15) Now click >File > print-with-preview and the print dialogue box opens. To fine-adjust the sizes, use the percentage control. I usually print at around 85% which gives me an exact 45mm picture height. Width is not so important as you can trim it later.
  16) Do a test print on scrap paper and then the real thing on photo paper. Be sure to tell the printer's dialogue box you are using photo quality paper.
  17) Trim the picture with a cutting knife and ruler...
and the job is done.                            Bon voyage...