How to Take a Professional Profile Picture With Your Phone
Face a window for soft light, hold the camera at eye level, frame head and shoulders, then remove the background, add a calm solid colour and export a sharp square of at least 800 x 800 with your face centred.
Light is the whole game
Stand facing a window during the day, with the light hitting your face from the front or slightly to one side. Avoid direct sun, which creates harsh shadows and squinting.
Turn off overhead lights that add a different colour. One soft light source looks the most natural.
Camera position and framing
Hold the phone at eye level or very slightly above, about an arm’s length away, or use the rear camera with a timer for better quality.
Frame from the top of the head to just below the shoulders. Profile pictures are shown as small circles, so your face should fill most of the frame.
Expression and clothing
A relaxed, natural smile reads as approachable. Take a burst of photos and pick the one where your eyes look most natural.
Wear solid colours that contrast with your chosen background. Busy patterns distract at small sizes.
Clean up the background
Open SleekCut Remove Background with Person selected. Choose Colour and pick a calm brand colour or a soft neutral, or use Blur for a portrait mode look of your real surroundings.
Use Refine with the Smart brush if any hair or shoulder edge needs a touch up.
Size it for every platform
Use Continue with Crop for a 1:1 square with your face centred, or open the Profile Picture resizer for a crisp 800 by 800.
Platforms show profile pictures at different sizes, around 320 pixels on Instagram and 400 on X and LinkedIn, so a sharp 800 pixel square looks good everywhere.
Keep it consistent
Use the same photo across LinkedIn, work chat, email and socials so people recognise you instantly. Update it when your look changes noticeably.