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Professional headshot AI

Professional headshot AI: from an everyday selfie to a studio headshot

Upload one clear photo of yourself and describe the headshot: framing (head and shoulders, facing the camera), backdrop, light and clothes. End with what must stay: face, hair, age, and “do not smooth the skin”. We turned a kitchen selfie, a harsh-sun hiking photo and a dark bedroom selfie into 11 headshots; every one still looked like the person, but some details drifted (a new smile, a thinner beard), so compare before you use it. One edit costs 2 credits on Muse Image, 9 on Nano Banana 2.1 or 11 on GPT Image 2.5, and you see the cost before you generate.

Every edit needs a paid plan. Plans start at $19/month.

Make a headshot in the editor See the 11 headshots

How do I make a professional headshot with AI?

  1. 01

    Pick one clear photo

    Your face visible and in focus, no sunglasses over your eyes, nothing covering your face. Daylight works best; a dark or blurry photo makes the model guess more of your face.

  2. 02

    Describe the headshot

    Framing (“head and shoulders, facing the camera”), backdrop (“plain light grey studio backdrop”), light (“soft, even studio lighting”) and clothes (“a navy blazer over a white top”).

  3. 03

    Say what to remove and what to keep

    Name what should go: an outstretched arm, sunglasses on your head, backpack straps. Then keep your face, hair, smile and age, and add “do not smooth the skin” so it does not look retouched.

  4. 04

    Compare with your photo

    Put the headshot next to your original at full size: eyes, smile, beard, face shape. Ask someone who knows you whether it looks like you before you put it on LinkedIn.

11 headshots from three everyday photos

Every result starts from one of three synthetic everyday photos. Open “Prompt we ran” under an image for the exact prompt, or copy the prompt card and change the backdrop and clothes.

1.LinkedIn headshot from a kitchen selfie, on three models

An arm’s-length selfie with a fridge behind her, turned into a grey-backdrop headshot in a navy blazer. All three models removed the arm, squared up the framing and kept her face. GPT Image 2.5 kept her freckles and lines most faithfully; Muse Image turned her closed-lip smile into one that shows her teeth.

Synthetic source photo: an arm’s-length kitchen selfie of a fictional woman with wavy dark blonde hair in a green t-shirt
Source photo (synthetic)AI-generated with GPT Image 2.5; fictional person.
The same woman as a head-and-shoulders headshot in a navy blazer on a light grey backdrop
ResultNano Banana 2.1 · 9 creditsGrey backdrop, blazer, arm gone; face and closed-lip smile kept.
The same woman in a navy blazer on grey, smiling with her teeth showing
Same prompt, other modelMuse Image · 2 creditsHer smile changed: it now shows her teeth.
The same woman in a navy blazer on grey, freckles and lines visible
Same prompt, other modelGPT Image 2.5 · 11 creditsClosest likeness of the three, skin texture kept.

Prompt we ran

Turn this selfie into a professional LinkedIn headshot: head and shoulders, facing the camera, in front of a plain light grey studio backdrop with soft, even studio lighting. Dress her in a navy blazer over a white top. Remove the outstretched arm. Keep her face, eye colour, wavy hair, smile and age exactly the same; do not smooth her skin.

Suggested model: Nano Banana 2.1

2.An office background instead of a studio

For a company website or an About page, a softly blurred office looks less formal than a grey backdrop. Same selfie, same keep line; her face came out slightly slimmer than in the selfie, which is easy to miss.

Synthetic source photo: an arm’s-length kitchen selfie of a fictional woman with wavy dark blonde hair in a green t-shirt
Source photo (synthetic)AI-generated with GPT Image 2.5; fictional person.
The same woman in a cream sweater in front of a blurred bright office with plants
ResultNano Banana 2.1 · 9 creditsBlurred office, cream sweater; face slightly slimmer.

Prompt we ran

Turn this selfie into a professional headshot for a company website: head and shoulders, facing the camera, in front of a softly blurred modern office with plants, soft daylight from a window. Dress her in a cream knit sweater. Remove the outstretched arm. Keep her face, eye colour, wavy hair, smile and age exactly the same; do not smooth her skin.

Suggested model: Nano Banana 2.1

3.Harsh sun and sunglasses to a studio headshot

Midday sun leaves hard shadows under the eyes and nose. Both models replaced the light, removed the sunglasses and backpack straps, and kept his wrinkles and grey stubble because the prompt said not to make him look younger.

Synthetic source photo: a fictional grey-haired man on a hiking trail in hard midday sun, sunglasses on his head and backpack straps
Source photo (synthetic)AI-generated with GPT Image 2.5; fictional person.
The same grey-haired man in a charcoal jacket and white shirt on a dark grey backdrop, evenly lit
ResultNano Banana 2.1 · 9 creditsEven light, sunglasses and straps gone; wrinkles and stubble kept.
The same man in a charcoal jacket on dark grey, with more skin texture
Same prompt, other modelGPT Image 2.5 · 11 creditsSame result with more skin texture.

Prompt we ran

Turn this photo into a professional headshot: head and shoulders, facing the camera, in front of a plain dark grey studio backdrop with soft, even studio lighting that removes the hard shadows. Remove the sunglasses from his head and the backpack straps. Dress him in a charcoal suit jacket, a white shirt and no tie. Keep his face, grey hair, stubble, wrinkles, smile and age exactly the same; do not make him look younger.

Suggested model: Nano Banana 2.1

Without “do not make him look younger”, image models tend to smooth lines and grey. Name your age-related features if you want them kept.

4.A dark, grainy selfie

The hardest input: lamp light from one side and lots of grain. Both models produced a clean, bright headshot that looks like him, but they had to fill in detail the photo did not have. Nano Banana 2.1 made his beard thinner and neater; Muse Image kept it fuller but widened his face a little.

Synthetic source photo: a dark, grainy bedroom selfie of a fictional young man with curly black hair and a beard, lit by a desk lamp
Source photo (synthetic)AI-generated with GPT Image 2.5; fictional person.
The same young man with curly hair in a light blue shirt on light grey, with a thinner, neater beard
Beard thinnerNano Banana 2.1 · 9 creditsBright and clean, but the beard came out thinner.
The same young man in a light blue shirt on light grey, with a fuller beard
Beard keptMuse Image · 2 creditsFuller beard like the original; face slightly wider.

Prompt we ran

Turn this dark selfie into a professional headshot: head and shoulders, facing the camera, in front of a plain light grey studio backdrop with bright, soft, even studio lighting and no grain. Dress him in a light blue button-down shirt. Keep his face, curly hair, beard, expression and age exactly the same; do not smooth his skin.

Suggested model: Muse Image

If you can, retake the photo in daylight instead. The darker the photo, the more of your face the model has to guess.

5.Matching team headshots from different photos

Three people, three very different photos (top row), one prompt. Running the same prompt on each gave the same backdrop, light, sweater and framing, so the photos sit together on a team page.

Synthetic source photo: an arm’s-length kitchen selfie of a fictional woman with wavy dark blonde hair in a green t-shirt
Source photo (synthetic)AI-generated with GPT Image 2.5; fictional person.
Synthetic source photo: a fictional grey-haired man on a hiking trail in hard midday sun, sunglasses on his head and backpack straps
Source photo (synthetic)AI-generated with GPT Image 2.5; fictional person.
Synthetic source photo: a dark, grainy bedroom selfie of a fictional young man with curly black hair and a beard, lit by a desk lamp
Source photo (synthetic)AI-generated with GPT Image 2.5; fictional person.
The woman in a black crew-neck sweater on a warm white backdrop
Team headshot 1Nano Banana 2.1 · 9 creditsWarm white backdrop, black sweater; face slightly slimmer.
The grey-haired man in a black crew-neck sweater on the same warm white backdrop
Team headshot 2Nano Banana 2.1 · 9 creditsSunglasses gone; same backdrop and light.
The young man in a black crew-neck sweater on the same warm white backdrop
Team headshot 3Nano Banana 2.1 · 9 creditsSame backdrop and light; beard thinner.

Prompt we ran

Turn this photo into a team headshot for a company website: head and shoulders, facing the camera, in front of a plain warm white backdrop with soft, even studio lighting. Dress the person in a plain black crew-neck sweater. Remove anything held or worn on the head. Keep the face, hair, expression and age exactly the same; do not smooth the skin.

Suggested model: Nano Banana 2.1

Use exactly the same prompt and model for everyone. Changing either changes the backdrop colour and light.

Make sure it still looks like you

  • Compare at full size with your original: eyes, smile, beard, face shape. In our 11 runs the person was always recognisable, but a smile changed, a beard got thinner and two faces got slightly slimmer.
  • Name what must not change, including age: “keep his wrinkles”, “do not make him look younger”, “do not smooth the skin”. Without that, headshots tend to look retouched.
  • Start from the best photo you have. Daylight and focus matter more than the prompt; a dark selfie makes the model invent detail.
  • If something drifts, run the prompt again from the original photo rather than editing the result.
  • Use only photos of yourself, or of colleagues who agreed. An AI headshot is not an ID photo: do not use it for a passport, visa or other official document.

Which model to use

Every model runs in the same editor and draws from the same credits. Prices are for one edit in the web app.

ModelCredits per editOn StarterUse it for
Muse Imageone size, about 2.5 MP2$0.038The cheapest way to try backdrops and clothes; it changed a smile and a face width, so check the likeness.
Nano Banana 2.11K9$0.171Our default: clean light and framing in all seven of its runs, and consistent for team headshots. 14 credits at 2K for a bigger file.
GPT Image 2.5high quality11$0.209The most faithful skin texture and likeness in our tests; use it for the final version.

The editor shows the credit cost before you generate. Prices checked .

What it costs

One edit costs 2 credits on Muse Image, 9 on Nano Banana 2.1 at 1K and 11 on GPT Image 2.5. On the Starter plan ($19 for 1,000 credits a month) that is $0.038 to $0.209 per headshot; a team of three on Nano Banana 2.1 cost us 27 credits.

Every edit needs a paid plan. Plans start at $19/month. Unused subscription credits roll over, downloads carry no watermark, and paid plans include a commercial license.

All model prices

Frequently asked questions

Can AI make a professional headshot from a selfie?

Yes. Upload the selfie, describe the framing, backdrop, light and clothes, and say what must stay the same. We turned an arm’s-length kitchen selfie into a LinkedIn headshot on three models; each removed the arm and kept her face.

How many photos do I need?

One. Every headshot on this page was made from a single photo with one prompt. A clear, well-lit photo matters more than how many you have.

Will it still look like me?

In our runs the person was always recognisable, but details drifted: one model changed a closed-lip smile, another thinned a beard, and two faces came out slightly slimmer. Compare at full size and run it again from the original if something is off.

Can I use it on LinkedIn or a CV?

Yes, as long as it still looks like you: people will meet you in person or on video. Choose a realistic result over a flattering one. Paid plans include a commercial license.

Can I make matching headshots for my team?

Yes. Run exactly the same prompt and model on each person’s photo. Our three very different photos came back with the same backdrop, light, sweater and framing. Get each person’s agreement first.

Can I use an AI headshot for a passport or ID?

No. Official photos have their own rules and must show you as you are. Use AI headshots for profiles, CVs, websites and email signatures only.

How much does it cost? Is there a free option?

One edit costs 2 credits on Muse Image, 9 on Nano Banana 2.1 at 1K or 11 on GPT Image 2.5. AI Media Studio has no free tier. Every edit needs a paid plan. Plans start at $19/month.

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