How to Take a Professional Headshot by Yourself

Ryan Barnett · March 7, 2025

 

A professional headshot is required for multiple purposes, like personal branding or simply to get a job. That's because these headshots help create a strong first impression on resumes and business profiles. However, you need a professional setting and a good photographer for this purpose, which may not be an affordable solution. Similarly, many people try to take their headshots but struggle with lighting and composition.

So, this guide will explain how to take a professional headshot at home without any professional equipment. We will introduce an advanced AI tool that will make it easier for you to create professional headshots through its templates and dedicated features. Apart from that, you will also learn the necessary tips to make your headshots even cleaner.

Part 1. How to Take a Professional Headshot with AI

Without wasting much time, let's start discussing the best AI tool to learn how to shoot headshots. For this, we're introducing insMind as a comprehensive AI toolkit with hundreds of features that eliminate the need for professional equipment. Its AI Headshot Generator feature simplifies the process by allowing users to upload a casual selfie and transform it into a professional headshot.

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With its top features, you don't need to worry about lighting or background, as the AI does all the work for you. In addition to that, you can choose from over 65 different filters to create your images for specific purposes. After creating a headshot, you can use hundreds of other editing features of this tool to further enhance its appeal.

Detailed Guide to Creating a Professional Headshot with insMind

With the above introduction, you should be convinced about using this advanced tool for editing. So, follow these steps and learn how to take professional headshots in insMind:

Step 1. Take a Clear Picture and Upload It in the AI Headshot Generator

First, take a clear picture in which your face is visible and the lighting is good. Then, take this picture into the tool by accessing the dedicated feature from its "Free Tools" tab and pressing the "Upload a Photo" button. Now, browse your straight-looking portrait using the File Explorer menu or Finder to select it and bring the image to the headshot creation interface.

Step 2. Select Your Style and Generate the Headshot

Once your picture is uploaded, choose your favorite style from over 60 options in the right menu. These options include indoor and outdoor scenes, as well as office and coffee shop scenes. If you are looking for a casual but professional image, you can opt for the "Coffee Shop," "Street," or "Park" styles. 

However, if you require a strict professional headshot for your business page, use the "Grey" style and press the "Generate" button to continue.

Step 3. Download the Headshot or Edit It Further

You can press the "Download Standard" button to save the output to your device for casual use, such as posting on LinkedIn as a student. Otherwise, one can hit the "Download Ultra HD" buttons if they require print-level high resolution or use the output for enterprise reasons. Besides saving, users can tap the "Edit More" button to make minor tweaks and further refine output.

Step 4. Choose the Desired Editing Option

When you proceed with the "Edit More" button, an extended menu will appear to pick AI-powered tools for customizations. You can opt for "AI Expand Image" to extend the image without impacting quality if it's generated smaller than your expected aspect ratios.

Also, one can choose "Image Resizer" to let the tool automatically resize the image and align it with your targeted platform, like Shopify, LinkedIn, or Amazon. Despite AI adjustments, if you wish to make manual edits, click the "Edit More" option at the bottom of the menu and enter the editing interface. 

Step 5. Confirm the Requirements and Download the Headshot

When the image loads in the extensive editing menu, wait for the chosen effect to be applied. Afterward, click the "Download" button, select your preferred quality, and press the "Download" button again to save it on your device.

You can see from these steps how easy it is to use insMind to create professional headshots. With its extensive style options, you can use it for personal branding on LinkedIn or to create a resume for high-paying jobs. So, use insMind today to create attractive and engaging visuals to achieve your professional goals.

Part 2. How to Create a Great Headshot with a Template?

Other than using the dedicated feature, you can choose from various templates in insMind to create amazing professional pictures. To learn how to take the best headshot using insMind's templates, follow these steps:

Step 1. Login and Access the Workspace

Start by logging into the tool using your credentials and pressing the "Start Creating" button beside your profile icon. You can press the "Try for Free" button to move ahead with the process without signing in.

Step 2. Select Your Desired Headshot Style

Once you are in the tool's workspace, you will find hundreds of different styles and templates to edit your photos. There, you can tap "Magazine Covers" styles that contain portraits of various colored circles. Besides, there are "Fashion" styles displaying portraits with various floral, landscape, star, and natural circular backgrounds. 

Besides, one can opt for profile pictures containing neon lights as outlines around portraits within a circle but with various colored backgrounds. Whatever profile picture you like as per your needs and likings, click that headshot style under the "Profile Pics" section to proceed.

Step 3. Replace the Reference Image with Yours

Upon loading the chosen style in a new tab, press the "Replace" button from the right menu to add your image to this template. 

Step 4. Upload Your Picture in insMind

On the following screen, get a preview of your uploaded portrait and click the "Upload Files" button or choose your picture from the library if it is already there.

Step 5. Adjust the Image and Download It

Finally, adjust the headshot according to your needs and press the "Download" button. From the drop-down, choose your preferred quality and format and press the "Download" button to save it on your device.

As you can see, it was simple to create professional headshots with this amazing tool. The templates ensure a consistent professional look, which makes them ideal for your business profiles. Considering its usefulness, we highly recommend using insMind to create professional profile pictures.

Part 3. 3 Most Important Tips to Take a Good Headshot by Yourself

Apart from using this useful tool to create your stunning headshots, you can follow these tips to learn how to shoot headshots:

Tip 1. How to Prepare for Your Headshot

Before taking a picture in your home environment, you must create a professional setup. Since you don't have the equipment, the following tips will help you learn how to take a professional headshot by yourself:

1. Wear Formal: Begin by choosing solid colors that are considered good for professional settings. Also, avoid wearing very bright or informal colors since they can draw too much attention.
2. Groom Yourself: As you're trying to achieve a formal look, style your hair neatly and go for light makeup. When you use light powder, it tones down shine and keeps your face looking balanced.
3. Choose the Background: Using a simple wall ensures that attention stays on your face. Besides, avoid backgrounds that are too bright, as they can draw attention away.
4. Use Soft Lighting: Natural light from a window works best for headshots as it prevents shadows. However, you can use ring lights or soft lamps to create even lighting if there is no window.
5. Facial Expressions: For a professional headshot, a relaxed and confident expression looks best. So, you should avoid forced smiles and think of something good to bring out a natural smile.

Tip 2. How to Set Up Your Home Studio

Now that you are prepared for the headshot, let's first arrange things for your home studio. So, follow these tips and learn how to take the best headshot without any professional setup:

1. Natural Light: First, you need to position yourself near a window with indirect natural light for soft illumination. Additionally, make sure to avoid direct sunlight, as it can create shadows on your face.
2. Clean Backdrop: To create a distraction-free background, use plain white wall works. If you don't have a neutral wall, hang a solid sheet or curtain behind you.
3. Stabilize Your Camera: Get a tripod or opt for a stable surface to hold your camera at the right height. Your results will always be blurry or full of awkward angles with a shaky or uneven setup.
4. Portrait Mode: Utilize this mode to create a blurred background on your phone while taking a shot. When enabled, it helps draw your face to make the headshot look polished.
5. Test Your Setup: You can also take a few test shots to check lighting and angles before starting. Doing so will help you get an image that won't need much editing or polishing afterward.

Tip 3. How to Capture the Perfect Shot

Finally, as your set up is also ready, proceed with the process by taking your headshots. You can follow these tips to learn how to take a professional headshot after getting everything ready:

1. Eye Level: Before clicking the shot, position the camera just in front of your face for a balanced perspective. Similarly, you should avoid tilting it too high or too low, as it can create an imbalance in your pictures.
2. Proper framing: Fill more than half the frame with your face, ensuring space above your head. Afterward, avoid cropping the picture too tightly, as it can feel unnatural and even disturb the symmetry.
3. Rule of Thirds: Engage your viewers by aligning your eyes with the upper third of the picture. Opting for this approach naturally draws attention to your face to make the headshot even more engaging.
4. Multiple Shots: To find the ideal picture, you need to shoot multiple pictures with slight variations in expressions and angles. This gives you more options to choose from rather than settling for the first image.
5. Refine the Image: In the end, use a photo editing tool, like insMind, to enhance brightness and sharpness. Doing so can improve skin tone and remove unwanted shadows without making it look fake.

Conclusion

To conclude, while it is very important to have a professional headshot for your personal branding or to get a job, it usually costs a lot to get one. However, you don't need to spend money on professional equipment and photographers to get a good headshot. In fact, you can make your own setup at home by following the tips outlined in this article. 

All you need to do is groom yourself and position your camera at a good angle to take good photos. For the fastest and easiest way to get a good headshot, insMind's AI Headshot Generator is the ideal solution. It eliminates the need for any type of equipment and allows you to create professional headshots with simple steps and templates.

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Ryan Barnett

I'm a freelance writer with a passion for editing and designing photos. Here at insMind, I strive to educate users on image creativity, photography, and enhancing product photos to help grow their businesses.