Free ERAS Photo Checker
Upload a photo and instantly check it against the official ERAS rules
ERAS-compliant
Generated with InstaHeadshots
Safe & Secure | Photo Never Stored
ERAS-compliantGenerated with InstaHeadshots
Don't have an ERAS photo to upload?
36M
Headshots created
421K+
Happy professionals
5 min
Average turnaround
Trusted by professionals from
ERAS headshot is ERAS compliant
Get perfectly sized, formatted, and ready to upload headshots.
Exact dimensions
2.5 × 3.5 inches - the ERAS maximum, never over.
Print resolution
150 DPI or lower, exactly as AAMC requires.
Under the size limit
Optimised below the 150 KB file-size ceiling.
Right file format
Delivered as a clean JPG, ready for the portal.
One clear, centered face
Front-facing, eyes open, on a plain background.
ERAS-compliant
Your photo meets all 5 ERAS rules
Specs follow the AAMC ERAS® applicant photograph requirements. InstaHeadshots is an independent tool, not affiliated with the AAMC.
ERAS has five photo rules
Your photo must pass all five. Everything else (background, attire, lighting) is a recommendation, not a rule.
The official AAMC rules
Your photo must meet all five to be accepted.
File type
JPG / PNGMaximum dimensions
2.5 × 3.5 inMaximum resolution
150 dpiMaximum file size
150 KBOne clear, centered face
required
What improves your photo
Recommended for standing out.
Plain background
Good, even lighting
Sharp and in focus
Professional attire
Head-and-shoulders framing
AAMC advises applicants to check individual programs - some prefer more than the ERAS baseline.
ERAS-ready headshots, generated in minutes
Real results from everyday photos - sized, refined, and formatted to pass.
ERAS-compliant
ERAS-compliant
ERAS-compliant
ERAS-compliant
ERAS-compliant
ERAS-compliantFrom a phone selfie to an application-ready headshot
Upload what you have. We handle background, lighting, attire, and formatting.
Preview your ERAS headshots for free
Generate professional, ERAS-compliant headshots and preview them instantly. Pay only after you love your headshots.
Try before you buy
1
Upload & verify
Drop in any photo. We instantly check it against the official ERAS rules - free.
2
Generate headshots
Get professional, ERAS-compliant headshots in minutes, previewed right away.
3
Pay & download
Pay & Download upto 50 ERAS compliant watermark-free headshots.
Why this is the best ERAS photo checker
Straight from the AAMC rules - myths removed
We check against the official AAMC requirements and cut through the myths
It checks the look, not just the file
A resizer only fixes the file. We also check how your photo reads - background, lighting, attire, framing.
Every result is explained
You see what passed, what didn't, and how to fix it - in plain English.
Private by design
No sign-up, and nothing is stored - your photo is used only to run the checks.
And if it's not right, we fix it in minutes
Built by the team behind 36M+ professional headshots - get ERAS compliant headshots in minutes.
Trusted by 421,000+ professionals worldwide
From residency applications to LinkedIn - used everywhere.
"I was considering getting new headshots done as I prepare for grad school, but I felt disappointed at the high cost of a photographer. And what if I didn't even like the result? With InstaHeadshots, you can see your headshots, and there's no commitment to buy. I found one picture that was absolutely perfect for me - and now I have a brand new headshot for less than half what I would have paid a photographer."
Becky Anderson
"My headshots did not look fake. They looked real and natural. I will use them for my job at a children's hospital!"
Jenna L Gibbs
"I admit I was skeptical. The headshots look just like me! Other AI tools fell way short. The price was below any professional photographer starting at $75 and going up to $150 (I paid $59 for 9 different poses). I’ve already updated my LinkedIn profile pic and my adjunct faculty work pic and have emailed myself 3 others to my primary work email to update there. I am extremely pleased and highly recommend. It was fast, easy and I didn’t have to leave the house. Thanks!"
Kimberly Sutherland
"I look amazing. Perfect hair, makeup and a variety of styles. From lawyer to doctor and more. And very affordable"
Tina Lopez
"Super easy, affordable and fabulous photos that I can use immediately for internship/job applications - I don't have any professional headshots and these are perfect!"
JG
"Oh my goodness, these headshots are studio quality - they look exactly like me with good hair & makeup. Not uncanny valley / instagram face. I updated my Linkedin & other social media with them and 'likes' are off the charts!"
Colleen
Your photos and data stay 100% private
Built with the best in the class privacy standards.
Delete anytime
Remove all generated photos whenever you want
You own everything
Full commercial rights to every headshot you download - they're yours.
Encrypted transfer
Your uploads are encrypted in transit and handled securely end to end.
Never used to train AI
Your photos are never sold, shared, or used to train any model.
Common questions
What are the official ERAS photo requirements?
ERAS accepts a JPG or PNG photo, no bigger than 2.5 × 3.5 inches, at most 150 dpi, 150 KB or smaller, showing one clear, centered photo of you. Those five rules are the complete official list from AAMC - anything beyond that (background, attire, lighting) is a recommendation, not a requirement.
Is this the official AAMC ERAS photo checker?
No - this is a free tool by InstaHeadshots. It checks your photo against the published AAMC ERAS photo rules, but it isn't affiliated with or endorsed by AAMC. Always defer to AAMC's official guidance.
Is my photo uploaded or stored anywhere?
Your photo is never stored. The file checks (type, size, resolution) run entirely in your browser. For the face and quality checks, a small compressed copy is analysed securely on our servers, used only for that analysis, and discarded right after.
Why did my phone photo fail the file-size check?
Modern phone cameras produce photos of several megabytes - far over the 150 KB ERAS limit. You'll need to export a compressed, correctly sized version, or generate an ERAS-ready headshot that already meets every limit.
Is there a minimum photo size or resolution for ERAS?
No. AAMC states only maximums, so a photo is never rejected for being small or low-resolution. That said, a sharp, well-lit photo makes a much better impression on program directors.
Do I need a white coat or specific attire in my ERAS photo?
No - AAMC has no dress code for the ERAS photo. Professional business attire is the norm, and individual programs may have their own preferences, so it's worth checking the programs you're applying to.
How does “try before you buy” work?
You can generate a full set of ERAS-compliant headshots and preview them for free - they come watermarked. You only pay when you find one you love, and then you download it in high resolution without the watermark.
Will the generated headshot actually be accepted by ERAS?
Yes. Every headshot we generate is sized to 2.5 × 3.5 inches, kept under 150 DPI and 150 KB, delivered as a clean JPG, and shows one clear, centered face on a plain background - exactly what the AAMC ERAS requirements ask for.
Built by the team behind 36 million headshots
This free checker is made by InstaHeadshots - the headshot studio trusted by 421,000+ professionals, with 36M+ headshots created and a 5/5 rating across 15,000+ Trustpilot reviews. We make headshots for a living, so we built the tool we wished existed for residency applicants - and an ERAS style in the product to match.
