School photos and media are the visual part of a profile, and also the part readers see before they read the text. A properly formatted set of photos helps the profile load fast, display well on every device, and, most importantly, accurately reflects the school’s real facilities.
This guide covers technical requirements, provenance rules, and common mistakes.
Principles before technical details
Two principles determine the value of the entire image section.
Photos must be genuine photos of the school. Do not use generic stock photos, photos of other institutions, or rendered images. People researching a school want to see that actual school.
The school must hold the right to use them. Photos taken by the school itself or commissioned under a clear contract. Photos sourced elsewhere require a usage license. This is not a formality, since a copyright complaint can affect the entire profile.
For photos showing identifiable individuals, their consent is required. For photos of minor learners, consent from a guardian is required, in writing.
Basic technical requirements
Format. Photos should be submitted in a common, high-quality format, not compressed multiple times. The system will automatically convert to a web-optimized format, so the closer the uploaded file is to the original, the better.
Size. A minimum long edge of about 1,600 pixels. Below this, the photo will look degraded on large screens. Much larger is also of no benefit, since the system will downscale it anyway.
Aspect ratio. Horizontal photos close to a 16:9 ratio work best for the main display section. Vertical photos are only used in a few secondary spots.
File size. The uploaded file may be large, but the final displayed version will be compressed below a set threshold so the page loads quickly. This is why you should not upload photos already compressed: compressing twice noticeably reduces quality.
Do not embed text in the photo. Text baked into an image cannot be translated, cannot be read by assistive tools, and will blur when the image is scaled down. Any text-based information should live in the content itself.
What school photos and media should include
A complete set typically has six groups.
Overall campus photo. Taken from outside, showing the scale and surrounding context.
Photos of learning areas. Classrooms, laboratories, workshops, depending on the training field.
Photos of the library and self-study spaces. This is an area international learners care about more than schools usually think.
Photos of living areas. Dormitories, cafeteria, sports facilities.
Activity photos. Choose photos reflecting everyday activities, not just major events.
Campus map. Useful for learners who have never visited, but it should be a clear image, not a blurry scan.
Quantity does not need to be large. Six to ten high-quality photos are worth more than thirty hastily taken ones.
How to take usable photos
No professional equipment is needed, but a few points significantly affect the outcome.
Shoot in good natural light, usually morning or late afternoon. Photos taken at midday in harsh sunlight produce harsh shadows and blown-out highlights.
Keep the camera level. A tilted photo is noticeable immediately and reduces the sense of professionalism.
Shoot at the highest resolution the device allows, and keep the original file.
Clean up the frame. Randomly parked vehicles, trash bins, and temporary signage all reduce photo quality unnecessarily.
Take multiple angles of each area, then choose afterward. The cost of extra shots is zero.
If the school hires a photographer, the contract should clearly state that the school has the right to use the photos for promotional purposes, without time or channel limits.
Text-based materials
Besides photos, a profile often includes text documents such as program syllabi or a capability statement.
Submit in a selectable-text document format, not a scanned image. Scanned files cannot be searched, translated, or read by assistive tools.
Give files clear names, including the document type and the applicable year.
State the issue date within the document itself, not only in the file name. File names can be changed when files are transferred.
Check before submitting whether the document contains internal information. Drafts, marginal notes, or learners’ personal data should never appear in published materials.
How often to update photos
Outdated photos cause more harm than people realize. A learner who arrives and finds the facility looks completely different from the photos will lose trust in everything else they were told.
Review the photo set every two years, and update immediately whenever there is a significant change to the facilities.
Record the year taken for each photo in the accompanying information. This helps readers know which point in time they are looking at, similar to the principle of noting the reference date for data figures.
Old photos should not be deleted but moved to an archive, in case they are needed for comparison later.
Photo descriptions and accessibility
Each photo should come with a short written description. This part is often left blank as if unimportant, but it serves three practical purposes.
Helps users of assistive tools. A visually impaired person using a screen reader will hear this description instead of seeing the photo. Leaving it blank excludes them from that information.
Helps search tools understand the photo’s content, making it easier for the school’s profile to be found.
Helps readers when the photo fails to load, such as on a slow connection.
The description should be short and accurately state what is in the photo: which area, which facility. It should not be stuffed with keywords or written as promotional copy.
For text documents, the same principle applies to structure: use proper heading levels instead of just bolding text, and for tables, keep them as real tables rather than screenshots.
These details take little extra effort if done from the start, but are costly to add retroactively across all materials later.
Four common mistakes
Submitting photos already compressed for social media. This type of photo has already lost detail, and compressing it again will noticeably degrade it further.
Submitting photos with frames, logos, or text overlaid. These elements make photos harder to reuse and make them look dated quickly.
Submitting screenshots taken from other documents. Low quality and often a copyright issue.
Submitting only event photos. Readers want to see the everyday learning environment, not just opening ceremonies and conferences.
For content related to how educational information is presented to international learners, the framework of The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) has general principles worth referencing.
When comparing how other education systems disclose facility information, reports from the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) provide comparative context.
Summary
School photos and media must meet three requirements: be genuine photos of the school itself, have clearly established usage rights, and be of sufficient technical quality to display well.
Six to ten well-taken photos are worth far more than a large but hastily shot set. And recording the year taken for each photo is a small habit that builds significant trust.
Next Steps
Open the photo set your school is currently using for presentation and check three things: what year each photo was taken, who holds the original file, and whether the school has written confirmation of usage rights.
If any photo cannot answer all three questions, that is a photo to reshoot in the next round.
