Enhancing Your Profile with AI Headshots
Ensuring a professional image is vital for platforms like LinkedIn or your company’s website. A bathroom selfie certainly doesn’t fit the bill. Usually, this involves paying for professional headshots, which can be expensive and time-consuming. However, artificial intelligence (AI) may offer a solution. AI is capable of transforming casual selfies into professional-looking headshots in just few minutes. But the question remains: Are AI-generated photos suitable for professional use? Let’s put it to the test.
Obtaining AI headshots
There are several steps you can follow to get AI headshots. Different websites like Fotor, Try it on AI, and Aragon offer this service at varying prices. Here is what you need to do:
- Choose a service: Consider factors like price and ease of use when selecting an AI headshot-generating website. Some services offer short trial periods, which can allow you to get a free AI headshot if used wisely.
- Sign up: It is standard for these websites to require credit card payment. The cost of the service varies, but the most affordable option can be around $17.
- Follow the instructions: Usually, you will need to provide between 10 and 20 selfies, with specific guidance on poses. Typically, these are chest-up pictures showing your hair and eyes, with different backgrounds, expressions, and angles.
- Wait for your results: After you have submitted your selfies, it’s just a matter of waiting for your pictures to be processed.
- Do it yourself: If you are technically inclined, you can follow the steps outlined in this Twitter post to generate your own AI headshots.
Maximizing the Quality of AI-Generated Photos
If you want to get the most out of the AI-photo enhancement process, there are certain tips you should keep in mind:
- Vary your expressions: Try not to stick to just one expression in the pictures you submit. The AI can enhance different poses, but just one expression will limit its capabilities.
- Use different angles: Different angles can help to present you in a more diverse range of settings, even within the technical requirements of the photograph.
- Change the backgrounds: To maximize the AI’s capability to enhance, use diverse backgrounds. A blank wall may simply be altered to a different color.
- Avoid including your hands: AI may not accurately recreate your hands, leading to odd-looking results.
- Experiment: Have fun sending in a couple of unconventional shots. Whether it’s you winking or your hand touching your face, it can be enjoyable to observe AI stretching its capabilities.
Comparing AI-Generated Headshots with Professional Photographs
To put AI headshots to the ultimate test, we approached professionals from the film and television industry, where high-quality headshots play a critical role. Actor Andrew Kirsanov, who has appeared in shows like Dexter and CSI, and casting director Kirkland Moody, who has worked with the likes of the Coen Brothers and Larry Charles, agreed to participate in an experiment to evaluate the effectiveness of AI-generated headshots.
We used ‘Try it on AI’ for its affordability and user-friendly interface. The process of uploading around 15 selfies from Kirsanov took about 20 minutes, and within an hour, the website returned 100 AI-generated images for less than $20. Compare the real headshot with the AI-generated ones below:
Unsurprisingly, the professionally-taken headshot was superior to the AI-generated images. However, the AI images were a clear improvement over the original selfies. The AI algorithm not only improved lighting and added interesting backgrounds but also “dressed up” Kirsanov in some smart suits, lending the images a more professional touch. However, the changes also altered Kirsanov’s appearance, which would be a disadvantage in his industry.
Acceptability of AI Images for Professional Use?
Despite AI’s impressive capabilities, Kirsanov did not believe the images could be used as submission tools for actors, mainly because they didn’t accurately represent him. This is a critical factor as casting directors strongly prefer that actors resemble their photos.
Casting director Kirkland Moody, however, did not find the AI images to appear fake. He even suggested that actors could use AI-generated headshots professionally, as long as they resemble the actor in question. Most professional headshots, he observes, do not always look like the actor, and this applies to 100% of the AI photographs generated in this experiment.
AI Generated Pictures for Professional Photographs?
In most professions, you don’t need to look exactly like your bio photo. So, if you need a photograph for professional use and want to save money, AI-generated photos are a practical choice. The technology produces well-enhanced images that, at the casual glance, can pass for real. However, you should be mindful of the potential negative impacts on photographers and the broader job market.