Have these ready
List where the image will appear and whether viewers need to recognize you at a meeting.
Choose the right workflow
Professional photo or illustrated avatar?
Choose a photograph when the viewer needs to recognize you in person. An illustration can express a creative identity, but may be less useful for a directory or first client meeting.
You choose your own source and review the current cost before generation.
Choose the smallest useful change
Keep both versions consistent in hairstyle and overall outline. Check any platform or employer requirements before replacing a real portrait.
Work through a practical example
Make the first version
Compare a professional portrait and an illustrated avatar at the same small size. Place each in the actual profile or introduction layout. Check which better supports the audience’s expectation, then retain stable cues if you use both across different channels.
Choose the next move
Use a recognizable photo for practical introductions; use art where a creative persona is expected. The choice can differ by context without changing who you are.
Try this before committing
Look at the destination's existing profiles and rules. A professional directory may need a realistic likeness; a creative community may accept illustration. Keep separate versions instead of forcing one image to fit every audience.
Create a headshot with my photo ↗02
Look closely at the examples
Why consider this directionThe simple warm-gray setting keeps attention on the face and is easy to evaluate in a square profile frame.
Check before choosingInspect the open collar and hair boundary, then reduce the example to the size visitors actually see.
LinkedIn Professional Headshot
Start with this direction ↗
Why consider this directionSoft washes leave more open light around the portrait and can suit cards, gifts or a quieter editorial image.
Check before choosingWatch the eyes and boundary between face and hair. Pale washes should not erase the features you need to recognize.
Watercolor illustration
Start with this direction ↗
Why consider this directionRounded forms and modeled light create the appearance of a sculpted avatar without requiring a real clay object.
Check before choosingKeep the distinctive head and hair silhouette. This flat example does not supply printable geometry or a rigged 3D character.
Clay 3D
Start with this direction ↗Questions for this project
Should the two versions have identical crops?
Keep comparable face scale and a recognizable expression where possible, but allow the medium’s composition to work. Test both at their real destinations. Forcing a very close photo crop onto a simplified drawing can remove the very contour that makes it readable.
When you have chosen a direction
Create a headshot with my photo ↗Photo guidesContent reviewed: