Drop your photo, get a 600×600 px JPEG under 240 KB — the E-DV entry format. Compression happens in your browser; the photo is never uploaded anywhere.
The E-DV entry form (dvprogram.state.gov) accepts one photo format: a square JPEG, 600×600 pixels, at most 240 KB, in 24-bit color. This page has PixFit preset to exactly that — drop your photo and download the result. If your photo isn't square, it's center-cropped to 600×600 (a draggable crop preview appears so you can position it — your head should end up centered). Nothing is uploaded: the resize and compression run in your browser, which is the appropriate way to handle a photo attached to your name, birth date and passport number.
Format is only half the DV photo rules. The State Department also rejects photos on composition: the head must take up 50–69% of the image height, eyes toward the center, plain white or off-white background, neutral expression, no glasses, taken within the last six months, and no AI alteration. PixFit fixes pixels and bytes — it cannot judge any of that. Check your result against the official requirements at travel.state.gov before you submit; a technically perfect file with a bad composition still disqualifies the entry.
Phone photos are rectangular, so the 600×600 crop removes the sides — leave headroom and side-room when taking the picture. Scanned prints must have been scanned at 300 dpi or better. And each entrant's photo (including spouse and children) needs its own compliant file. The 240 KB ceiling is generous for 600×600 pixels: expect PixFit to land near maximum quality with no visible loss. Applying for a regular visa rather than entering the lottery? The DS-160/DS-260 forms accept any square size from 600 to 1200 pixels — see the US visa photo page.