Turning a Selfie into a Professional Headshot
A proper headshot session costs money and takes planning. AI photo editing can get you most of the way there from a decent selfie or casual photo — good enough for LinkedIn, a company profile, or a resume — for free, in a couple of minutes.
What makes a good starting photo
The result is only as good as what you start with. Best results come from a photo that's already reasonably clear and well-lit — the AI is changing the background, clothing, and lighting style, not fixing a blurry or very low-resolution source image.
- Good, even lighting on your face (natural window light works well)
- Facing mostly toward the camera
- Reasonably high resolution, not a heavily cropped or zoomed photo
How to try it on PixForge
- Go to PixForge and select the Edit Photo tab.
- Upload your selfie or casual photo.
- Enter a headshot-style prompt (see below).
- Download the result.
Example prompt to try
Variations worth trying:
- Plain backdrop: "...use a plain grey or neutral-coloured studio backdrop instead of an office."
- Industry-specific: "...style the clothing as smart business casual" or "...as formal business attire," depending on what fits your field.
Keeping it looking like you
Headshots are one case where over-editing is genuinely a problem — a result that barely looks like the original photo defeats the purpose. Always start the prompt with "keep my face and features exactly recognisable," and avoid stacking too many style changes in one go. If a result changes your face more than you'd like, re-run it with that instruction stated more firmly, or try a slightly less dramatic background/lighting request.
Frequently asked questions
Will this look obviously AI-generated?
Results vary by starting photo, but asking for "realistic, not overly retouched" in the prompt generally produces more natural, less artificial-looking results than leaving it unspecified.
Is this free?
Yes — your first generation each day is free, with more available via a short ad or a small credit pack.