№ 40 · HEADSHOT

Fix a headshot that came out fake-looking

№ 40

№ The prompt

If your headshot came out looking fake, it is usually one of four things: skin smoothed into wax, the face quietly slimmed, an over-perfect plastic finish, or a fake blurred background that haloes around the hair. Re-run with the constraints that block each: "Re-edit this headshot. Keep visible skin pores, fine lines, and the exact face shape — do not slim the face or smooth the skin. Keep the background blur subtle and the hair edges crisp with no halo. The result should look like a real photograph taken on an 85mm lens, not a retouched render." Then compare to the original and dial back anything that drifted.

Open ChatGPT

№ How to use it

  • Input

    A headshot of a synthetic or stock-style person (no real identifiable person) that came out over-smoothed, reshaped, or plastic.

  • Preserve

    Real pore texture, fine lines, and true face shape; subtle, believable background separation.

  • Avoid

    Waxy smoothing, face slimming, a plastic finish, or a haloed fake-bokeh edge around the hair.

More prompts to try

№ 01

Turn a phone selfie into a friendly LinkedIn profile photo — bright, even light, a soft blue-grey background, and head-and-shoulders framing that stays clean inside the circular crop.

LinkedIn profile photo from a phone selfie

HEADSHOT85MM

Turn a phone selfie into a friendly LinkedIn profile photo — bright, even light, a soft blue-grey background, and head-and-shoulders framing that stays clean inside the circular crop.

№ 06

Match every team member to one backdrop and light setup, aligned framing, uniform crop for a website grid.

Corporate team headshot with a consistent backdrop

HEADSHOT

Match every team member to one backdrop and light setup, aligned framing, uniform crop for a website grid.

№ 10

Cut the subject cleanly, drop in a softly blurred office, relight edges so the composite reads natural.

Swap a busy background for a clean office blur

HEADSHOTBOKEH

Cut the subject cleanly, drop in a softly blurred office, relight edges so the composite reads natural.