How to take a good profile picture
Ten things that make the difference, in the order you meet them. None of them needs a better phone.
Before you take it
- Face the light. Stand facing a window, or outside in the shade on a bright day. Light from the front fills in the shadows that make a face look tired. Light from above (a ceiling lamp, the midday sun) does the opposite. More about light.
- Wipe the lens. A phone lens carries fingerprints, and a fingerprint makes everything look hazy. A clean shirt corner does it.
- Pick a calm background. A plain wall, a hedge, a bookcase out of focus. Stand a step away from the wall so your shadow does not land on it.
While you take it
- Step back and zoom in a little. A phone held close to your face makes whatever is nearest look bigger, usually the nose. From a metre or two away with the 2× lens, a face looks the way people see it in person. Ask someone to help, or use a timer.
- Camera at eye level. From below looks unflattering on everyone; from high above looks like a selfie from the past. Eye level or a little above is the neutral view.
- Head and shoulders, with room above. Your face should fill about half the frame, with some space above your hair. Apps cut a circle out of the middle, and the corners are lost. How big your face should be.
- Tap your face to focus. Then hold still and take a few in a row. One of them will have sharp eyes and a real smile.
After you take it
- Choose the one that looks like you today. People who meet you will compare. A recent photo that looks like you does more than a better photo from years ago.
- Upload the original. A screenshot, or a copy that went through a chat, has lost detail you cannot get back. Take the file from your camera roll. Why profile pictures turn blurry.
- Check it before you post. The free check reads the light, the sharpness, the size of your face and the round crop in a few seconds, on your own device.
And a retouch?
A light one is fine: softer light and a little smoothing, with the texture of your skin kept. Anything that changes your face is a different person in the photo. How to retouch without looking edited.
Questions
Front camera or back camera?
The back camera takes sharper photos on almost every phone. Use it when someone can help or the phone can stand on something with a timer. The front camera is fine when you hold it at arm's length at eye level.
Should I smile?
A real smile reads as friendly at any size. Think of something that makes you laugh just before the photo, and take several: the second or third is usually the natural one.