How to Turn a Selfie Into a Professional LinkedIn Headshot

What makes a profile photo look professional

On LinkedIn your photo is mostly seen as a small circle next to your name, in search results, comments and messages. At that size only a few things register: whether your face is clearly visible, whether you look approachable, and whether the image is sharp. A head-and-shoulders framing with your face filling a good part of the frame reads far better than a full-length shot or a cropped group photo.

LinkedIn's help pages have recommended a profile photo of at least 400 × 400 pixels. Requirements like this change, so check the current guidance in LinkedIn's help centre before you upload. Any reasonably recent phone camera produces far more than that, so resolution is rarely the problem; blur and poor light are. If your best existing photo is soft, the guide on fixing a blurry photo explains what can and cannot be recovered.

Step by step: from selfie to headshot

1. Face a window

   Stand or sit facing a window in daylight so soft light falls evenly on your face. Avoid having the window behind you, overhead ceiling lights alone, or harsh midday sun.

2. Set the camera at eye level

   Prop the phone on a shelf or stack of books at eye height, or hold it at arm's length. Use the self-timer and the rear camera if you can, since it is usually sharper than the front one.

3. Frame head and shoulders

   Leave a little space above your head and include your shoulders. Choose a plain, uncluttered wall, wear a solid-coloured top and try a natural, slight smile rather than a posed grin.

4. Pick the sharpest frame

   Take a dozen shots and zoom in on your eyes to choose one that is in focus, with your whole face visible and no sunglasses.

5. Generate a headshot if you want one

   Upload the photo to the AI headshot generator and choose a background style: Professional, Corporate, Clean or Gradient. You see the exact credit price before it runs, and a result usually arrives in 20 to 60 seconds.

6. Check the likeness, then crop

   Compare the result with your original at full size and decide whether it still looks like you. Crop so your face sits in the centre and nothing important is lost when the photo is shown as a circle.

Tips that work with any tool, or none

• Clean the phone lens before you start; a smudged lens causes the hazy look many people blame on the camera.
• Turn off beauty filters and heavy portrait-mode blur, which can smear hair edges and make skin look plastic.
• Shoot slightly from above eye level rather than below, which tends to look more natural.
• Keep the same photo across LinkedIn, your email signature and other work profiles so people recognise you.
• Leave space around your head; a tight crop loses your hair or chin once the circle mask is applied.
• Update the photo when your appearance changes noticeably, such as a new hairstyle, glasses or a beard.
• If you only want a cleaner look, gentle retouching keeps your own photo, and a background changer swaps the room behind you without regenerating your face.

Choosing a result that still looks like you

A profile photo has one job: helping someone recognise you when you join a video call or meet them in person. A headshot that looks slightly better than you do on a good day is fine; one that looks like a different person works against you. Look closely at your eye shape, nose, hairline, skin texture and any glasses, and reject results that change them.

It helps to ask a colleague or friend which version looks most like you today. Choose clothing in the result that you would actually wear to work in your field, and keep the background quiet so your face stays the focus at thumbnail size.

Limitations: when an AI headshot is the wrong choice

An AI headshot is generated from your photo. It aims to keep your likeness, but it can change details of your face, hair, skin or clothing, so always check it before you use it. The result is up to 2048 pixels on the long side and comes in the standard shape closest to your photo (square, 3:4, 4:3, 9:16 or 16:9), so the edges may be slightly trimmed or extended.

In Japan, Korea, Germany, France and other places, a photo on a CV or application is common, and an employer may expect an authentic, unedited picture. For those uses, and for anything official, a real photo taken in good light is the safer choice. Never use a generated headshot on a passport, ID card or visa; use a passport photo tool and the guide to passport photos at home instead. Only upload photos of yourself, or of someone who has agreed.

Frequently asked questions