Manage Student Photos

Purpose#

Add a photo while creating a student or replace an accessible student's current photo for easier identification in the directory and at check-in.

Permissions#

• Organization admins can replace photos for accessible students throughout the organization.
• Editors and volunteers can replace a photo for an active student in a program they can access.
• The photo field on the create form appears only when photo collection is enabled for at least one selected program.
• An active 14-day trial or paid subscription is required.

Prerequisites#

• Use a JPEG, PNG, or WebP image.
• The uploaded file must be no larger than 5 MB.
• For a camera capture, allow browser camera access and use a device with an available camera.
• Use a clear face photo. The app prepares a square image for quick identification.

Add a Photo While Creating a Student#

1. Open Students and select Create student.
2. Select the programs under Student programs. The Student photo section appears when photo collection is enabled for at least one selected program.
3. Select Take photo to open an available device camera, or select Choose photo to pick an existing image.
4. Review the square preview and wait for Photo ready.
5. Complete the required student fields and select Create student.

Replace an Existing Photo#

1. Open Students and find the student.
2. Select the student's tile or select View / Edit.
3. In the Student details header, select Take photo or Choose photo.
4. Capture or choose the replacement image.
5. Wait for Student photo updated. The detail header and directory use the new image.

The existing-student photo controls upload immediately after the image is selected. There is no separate save button for the photo.

Photo Processing and Side Effects#

• In supported browsers, the app center-crops the selected image to a 768-by-768 square before upload and uses WebP when available, with JPEG as a fallback.
• If browser-side preparation is unavailable, the original supported file is sent instead.
• The server corrects image rotation, limits the stored image to 1,200 pixels in either direction without enlarging it, and stores it as WebP.
• Replacing a photo updates the student immediately.
• After a successful replacement, the previous organization-managed student photo is deleted from storage.
• Placeholder values and external URLs, including URLs supplied through CSV import, are not deleted as managed files.

Expected Result#

For a new student, the selected photo is uploaded after the student profile is created. For an existing student, Student photo updated. appears and the new photo replaces the old one in the student detail page, directory, and other places that show the profile image.

Troubleshooting and Important Notes#

• If only Choose photo appears, the browser did not report an available camera. You can still select an image file.
• If the browser asks for camera permission, allow it before retrying Take photo.
• Choose a photo image file means the selected file was not recognized as an image by the browser.
• Only JPEG, PNG, and WebP images are allowed means the server rejected the image type. Convert formats such as HEIC before uploading.
• If the upload is rejected for size, reduce the source image below 5 MB and retry.
• There is no user-interface action to remove a photo without replacing it.
• A photoUrl in student CSV import is only saved as a URL reference. It does not upload, crop, convert, or copy the remote image.
• When creating a student, profile creation happens before photo upload. If the photo step fails, search for the newly created student and replace the photo from Student details instead of creating the student again.