Marketing Tips & Tricks
Great headshots. How to shoot and crop professional headshots.
Format your headshot properly. The traditional guidance regarding how to crop your headshot is 8 inches wide by 10 inches tall (or 2400px x 3000px). This is a 4:5 ratio. JPG or PNG final files are preferred. In print, it can show up on business cards, flyers, banners and even billboards. Resolution should be at least 300 dpi (dots per inch) in order to print as crisp and clear as possible. Your headshot can be also posted on the web – LinkedIn, Instagram, Facebook and company websites. Each of these different platforms is going to need slightly different formatting.
Your original photo. In general, we recommend keeping your photo as wide out as possible (chest or waist up) until the last possible minute before it’s used. Your original file should be a wider shot than you intend to crop for your headshot. In other words, don’t crop your headshot to a smaller format until you’re ready to use it, and when you do, make sure you don’t save over the original file so you still have access to the uncropped version. If you save over the original file, you’ll severely limit your options for the future! We can always crop in, but we cannot crop out once cropped and overwritten.
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How to crop your headshot. Have you ever taken a photo and thought there is more of your body or the sky showing than you had hoped for? Maybe it’s a bit off-center? That’s where cropping comes in! Exact headshot size, shape and dimensions can change depending on the end use, but this guide will show you general cropping and sizing suggestions so you look your best in your shot. Let’s get started!
Head in upper half of image. Be sure that your head is positioned within the top half of the image. A wider crop increases its versatility across platforms and shapes (like circles). If forced to crop close, position your head within the top two thirds of the image.
Wide Crop
Tight Crop
Center your face in frame.
Not too close. Cropping close is not recommemded. Try not to cut off any hair and make sure that you don’t have too much headroom above you, or there will be unnecessary dead space.
Always make sure that your face is centered within the frame. This is an example of an off-center headshot. You do not want this.
Off-Center Crop
Too Tight
The takeaway. Cropping within the chest, or about where a tie would meet a suit jacket, is a good rule of thumb. If the image is too far out, it can’t be considered a headshot, and if it’s too close, it will just look awkward. Cropping matters and can make all the difference.
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