How to Crop and Size Headshots

How to Crop and Size Headshots (LinkedIn, Resumes, Websites, and ID Badges)

A great headshot is more than a nice photo—it’s a strategic asset. Whether you’re refreshing your LinkedIn, updating your resume, building a team page, or preparing an ID badge, the way you crop and size your headshot directly affects how professional you appear.

Below, you’ll find exact dimensions and aspect ratios for common uses, plus practical tips to get crisp, consistent results. If you’d rather skip the manual edits, you can generate correctly sized headshots in seconds with AI Business Headshots.

What Makes a Headshot Crop Look Professional

• Frame the head and upper shoulders. Avoid extreme close-ups or full-body shots for profile photos.
• Aim for 55–70% face coverage of the image height. This keeps features clear at small sizes.
• Keep the eyes slightly above the center, near the top-third line. This feels natural and engaging.
• Leave 10–20% headroom above the hair. Cropping too tight at the top looks awkward.
• Use simple backgrounds. Neutral or softly blurred office tones work best and compress well.

Exact Sizes and Aspect Ratios by Platform

Use the right aspect ratio first, then set your pixel dimensions. For print, you’ll also care about DPI (300 ppi for crisp results). For the web, DPI doesn’t matter—pixel dimensions do.

LinkedIn Profile Photo

• Aspect ratio: 1:1 (square)
• Recommended size: 800 × 800 px (minimum 400 × 400 px)
• Format: JPG (80–90% quality) or PNG; sRGB color
• Tips:
  • Keep the crop centered with your eyes near the top third.
  • Avoid busy backgrounds; LinkedIn displays your photo small on mobile.
  • Export at 800–1200 px square for sharpness without bloating file size.

Scenario: Sarah updates her LinkedIn with a 1000 × 1000 px headshot. The square crop frames head and shoulders, with soft light and a light-gray background. It looks sharp on both desktop and mobile.

Resume/CV Headshot

• Aspect ratio: 1:1 (square) or 4:5 (portrait)
• Digital resumes (PDF): 400–600 px wide (square) or 600 × 750 px (4:5)
• Printed resumes: 2 × 2 inches at 300 ppi = 600 × 600 px (square)
• Format: JPG (high quality); keep the file under ~200 KB for PDFs
• Tips:
  • Check regional norms; some countries prefer no photo on resumes.
  • Keep colors natural. Overly stylized images look out of place in formal applications.

Scenario: David exports a 600 × 750 px (4:5) headshot for his PDF resume. It stays crisp when printed and doesn’t balloon his file size.

Website “About”/Team Pages

• Aspect ratios: 1:1 (square) or 4:5 / 3:4 (portrait)
• Common sizes:
  • Square: 600 × 600 to 1000 × 1000 px
  • Portrait: 800 × 1000 px (4:5) or 900 × 1200 px (3:4)
• Format: JPG for photos; WebP if your CMS supports it; sRGB
• Tips:
  • Keep file sizes to 80–150 KB for fast page loads.
  • Use consistent crops across the team (same ratio, similar head size, same background style).

Scenario: A law firm standardizes all headshots at 800 × 1000 px (4:5). The site looks unified, and pages load fast.

ID Badges (Corporate) and Similar

• Aspect ratios vary by template; most prefer portrait (4:5 or 3:4) or square
• Typical print sizes:
  • 1 × 1.25 in at 300 ppi = 300 × 375 px (approx. 4:5)
  • 1 × 1.5 in at 300 ppi = 300 × 450 px (2:3)
  • Square: 1 × 1 in at 300 ppi = 300 × 300 px
• Format: JPG; sRGB; follow your organization’s requirements
• Tips:
  • Keep a plain, light background with even lighting.
  • Leave extra margin around the head for template bleed/cropping.

Note: If you need a government/passport photo, follow that agency’s strict guidelines. Corporate badges are more flexible.

File Prep Essentials (So Your Headshot Always Looks Crisp)

• Color profile: Export in sRGB for web and digital applications.
• Format: Use JPG at 80–90% quality. PNG for transparency. WebP for modern websites.
• Sharpening: Apply light output sharpening after resizing to avoid softness.
• Retouching: Keep it natural—remove temporary blemishes, tame flyaways, avoid heavy skin blurring.
• Background: Neutral gray, off-white, or softly blurred office scenes are universally professional.

How to Crop Your Headshot in Any Editor

1. Choose the correct aspect ratio first

• LinkedIn: 1:1
• Resume: 1:1 or 4:5
• Website: 1:1, 4:5, or 3:4
• ID badge: Follow the template (often 4:5 or square)

2. Position your subject

• Center the face; place eyes slightly above center.
• Include shoulders; maintain 10–20% headroom.
• Ensure the face fills 55–70% of the height.

3. Resize to target pixels

• After cropping, set exact dimensions (e.g., 1000 × 1000 px).
• Export at high quality (JPG 80–90%).
• For print, export at 300 ppi with exact inch dimensions.

4. Check on mobile

• Preview on a phone to ensure it’s sharp, well-lit, and recognizable at small sizes.

Pro tip: Save master versions (e.g., 3000 px on the long side) so you can create new sizes without quality loss.

Common Cropping Mistakes to Avoid

• Cropping off the top of the head unintentionally. It can look cramped or sloppy.
• Too much background. Your face appears small and unrecognizable on mobile.
• Busy or dark backgrounds that reduce contrast and clarity.
• Inconsistent team crops. Mixed ratios and head sizes look unpolished on websites.
• Over-compression. Artifacts around hair and edges make the photo look cheap.

Instantly Sized, Professional Results with AI

If you don’t have a great photo to start with—or you need multiple sizes fast—AI Business Headshots can help. Upload two everyday photos, choose attire, pose, and background, and get studio-quality headshots sized for LinkedIn, resumes, websites, and ID badges in seconds. No lighting setup. No retouching hassle. No reshoots.

With our service, you can:

• Generate consistent headshots for an entire team in one style.
• Export in multiple aspect ratios (1:1, 4:5, 3:4) and pixel-perfect sizes.
• Pick neutral backdrops that align with your brand.

Quick Reference: Go-To Sizes

• LinkedIn: 800 × 800 px, 1:1
• Resume (digital): 600 × 600 px (square) or 600 × 750 px (4:5)
• Resume (print): 2 × 2 in at 300 ppi (600 × 600 px)
• Website team: 800 × 1000 px (4:5) or 800 × 800 px (1:1)
• ID badges: 300 × 375 px (1 × 1.25 in at 300 ppi) or per template

Final Thoughts

Cropping and sizing headshots is part art, part rules. Keep your composition clean, match the aspect ratio to the platform, and export at the right pixel dimensions. That alone will boost how polished and trustworthy you look online.

Want a faster path to studio-quality results? Try AI Business Headshots. Upload two photos, choose your style, and we’ll deliver professionally cropped and sized headshots ready for LinkedIn, your resume, your website, and your badge—without a camera crew or a retouching marathon.