When you’re growing a brand, time often feels like the enemy. A lot of us find ourselves stretched thin between all of the hats we wear as we grow our businesses - visionary, strategist, manager, marketer, salesperson, customer service…the list goes on and on.

The rise in AI has been a godsend for being able to provide tools that can help us get through our tasks faster. If there’s one task that is easy to sweep under the rug and push down the priority list, for me, it’s keeping an updated headshot.

Today, I’m diving into AI generated headshots. Are they the next big thing or just another fleeting trend? Let’s find out -

Why AI Headshots?

AI-generated headshots offer convenience, consistency, and cost savings. Imagine creating a polished, professional-looking headshot without taking the time to block off a half day, put on makeup, fix your hair, drive, get in front of a camera, drive back (you see where I’m going). It sounds like a dream, especially for those of us who cringe at the thought of booking yet another photoshoot.

The Good

CONSISTENCY

We’ve seen teams pages on websites where some employees heads are too zoomed in, the crops are weird, the backgrounds are off - it’s not the absolute worst, but it looks SO MUCH BETTER when they are consistent.

AI can create headshots that align perfectly with your brand’s aesthetic, ensuring a unified look across your team and brand.

COST-EFFECTIVE

No need to hire a photographer or invest in an elaborate setup and lighting you’ll only use a few times. AI headshots can prove to be very budget friendly.

CONVENIENT

Forget about scheduling, traveling, or waiting weeks for edits. AI headshots are a quick alternative.

The Not-So-Good

LACK OF AUTHENTICITY

Nothing beats the real you! The blemishes, the quirky smile, the tiny chip in your front tooth that just adds to your character. AI headshots could risk lacking that personal touch and authenticity that a real photo captures.

POTENTIAL FOR INACCURACY

AI can, as I’m sure you’ve seen, miss the mark sometimes. It can potentially create images that don’t quite capture your true essence or uniqueness.

OVER-RELIANCE ON TECHNOLOGY

While tech is great, relying too much on AI can make your brand feel less human and more robotic.

My Experience

I decided to put AI generated headshots to the test and purchase two “photoshoots” from two of the top professional-level AI headshot companies I found after reading  reviews. Be prepared to see a lot of me and me-adjacent images (reference above is an actual photo of me).

What They Don’t Tell You

TIME INVESTMENT

It’s no where near the time investment of a photoshoot, but don’t expect to get this done in 5 minutes. I spent around 30 minutes diving into my phone to collect reference photos to plug into these services. Between locating your pics, uploading your pics, and then going through the generated headshots to star your favorites and download them, it will possibly take more than an hour (plus a break between purchase and delivery)

REFERENCE PHOTOS

One good photo of you isn’t going to cut it. Most of these services will allow you to upload quite a bit of reference pics. The more high quality photos of your face you can give the machine, the closer your photos will come to looking like you.

You need to make sure a majority of the photos are shots of your face head on without a hat or beanie. If you upload photos of you with different haircuts or hair-lengths, you will probably receive a mix of them within your shots.

OUTFITS + BACKGROUND CHOICES

Depending on the service you use, you will most likely have to narrow down your package to a few outfit styles / backgrounds. When choosing these, think about your brand and what makes the most sense to align with your vibe. If you aren’t one to ever wear a suit, you probably don’t need a headshot wearing one… or maybe you do? Plan with purpose.

GLASSES

You’ll have the option to generate headshots with and without glasses. Some of them may even be able to replicate your own. I found a number of my generated photos missed the mark on my glasses, so I suggest selecting to have some with and some without to choose from the mix.

TO SMILE OR NOT SMILE

You will be able to choose a few options for how your face should be. If all of your photos have you smiling, you should choose smiling, and the same goes for the other options.

Headshot Pro

I paid $39 for the Medium package of 100 headshots from HeadshotPro.

THE BEST THREE

THE WORST THREE

MY REVIEW OF HEADSHOT PRO

• HeadshotPro allowed me to choose a larger array of clothing and backgrounds, but I would suggest niching yourself down to make sure you get a result you’re expecting.

• Out of 100 shots, I’d say 10% looked kind-of like me. The majority ended up looking along the lines of the worst I’ve listed above.

• This platform had a hard time with my glasses. There would be bits missing, different shapes, and just all around wacky outcomes.

• I have a slightly crooked front tooth, and this platform replaced my teeth with a perfect smile that just didn’t feel like me.

• It had a bit of trouble with my hair length because some of my reference photos had my hair behind my shoulders.

Although some of these headshots look appealing, the overall vibe I get is high contrast and unauthentic. Even if the headshot looks like you, it will still give off a highly edited aesthetic. There are some very defining characteristics that I feel were overlooked and this resulted in a slew of alternate-universe versions of me.

Headshot Pro simply isn’t my favorite.

Studio Shot

I paid $29.25 for 65 headshots from Studio Shot.

THE BEST THREE

THE WORST THREE

MY REVIEW OF STUDIO SHOT

• Studio Shot asks you to choose one background style and then pick from a variety of outfits to try out.  

• Studio Shot provides you with a mix of vertical and close-up shots.

• Out of 65 photos, I would say most of them looked like me and I would consider about 10% solid options for a headshot.

• The hair in these headshots looks real, they captured my semi-waves, the shape of my bangs, the frizz on my silhouette

• The teeth, although missing the mark on some, were mostly representative of my smile.

• This platform likes to sprinkle jewelry into some headshots (earrings and necklaces). About half of those renderings wind up with weird results.

• Impressively, these headshots are very on the mark with my eyebrows, giving them the drawn-on look that they are.

• Some of the vertical shots got a bit busty - they really run the gamut on breast interpretation.

• There’s quite a mixture of facial expressions and personality in these headshots.

These renderings paid attention to my skin tone, defining characteristics, and personality. Those that didn’t work usually just missed the mark on one part - not the right face shape, glasses a little weird, hair too short, eyes a little off, just a little off in general. But, after delivery they give you the option to request further edits to each shot - you can get a different facial expression, change the hair and outfit, or try out a different background.

One thing to note is the crops are a little tight. To use one for a round crop headshot, I would pull it into Photoshop and use generative AI to stretch the image out more. Not a ton of work, but an extra step.

Overall, I feel Studio Shot presents a better pool of options for headshots that won’t  be recognized as AI and a higher likelihood to end up with a Linkedin/website/social worthy headshot.

Should You Try It?

If you’re in a pinch, working with a remote team, or need a quick, budget-friendly headshot, AI might be your solution. However, for a truly authentic and engaging brand presence, nothing can replace the real you. After all, your brand is about building genuine connections, and that starts with showing your true self.

But in the end, it’s for you to decide what’s the right and realistic choice for your team.

Thoughts? Let’s Chat!

Lots of Love

-Katie Mont