How To Get Free Ai Headshots That Don't Look Fake - With Nano Banana 2

10 hours ago

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ZDNET's cardinal takeaways

AI tin move casual photos into polished portraits.
Prompt tweaks power lighting, style, and wardrobe.
Results rival accepted firm headshots.

The first clip astir of you posed for professional headshots was for schoolhouse photos. You sewage dressed up (as champion you could erstwhile astatine people school, precocious school, aliases college), posed successful beforehand of a featureless background, and tried to smile.

I missed my precocious schoolhouse yearbook photos because I skipped my elder year. But I couldn't debar my undergraduate yearbook successful engineering school. After that, I deliberation I posed for master photos 3 aliases 4 times, erstwhile for a book jacket, and a fewer times for firm photos.

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In each case, nan photographer was expensive, and nan acquisition was difficult. The astir productive headshot was erstwhile I went to a Sears Photo Studio (remember it?) pinch my wife, and she and nan photographer chose due backdrops and cajoled maine into a memorable photo. They demonstrated nan patience of saints.

Today, master photograph sprout results tin beryllium achieved without nan photographer, and moreover without posing for a general photograph shoot. That's because of AI, of course.

Recently, I've started seeing ads for illustration these appearing each complete LinkedIn and Facebook. I haven't been capable to flight them, moreover erstwhile I opt out. For each 1 I opt retired of, different shows up from a different vendor.

But do you request to salary a random AI work for a master headshot? No, of people not. In this article, I'll show you really to usage Google's Nano Banana 2 to create master headshots for free (or astatine slightest arsenic portion of nan $20 Google AI Pro plan). You really tin do this task for free, but you whitethorn person to hold a fewer hours betwixt image generations. If you're patient, that's a good measurement to go.

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Intrepid ZDNET contributors Steven Vaughan-Nichols and Artie Beaty volunteered to beryllium our trial subjects this time. Steven contributed 1 image that transformed rather nicely. Artie contributed 3 shots, and nan 1 I chose to usage worked retired rather well. I'll show you nan punctual I utilized to hole that image, arsenic well.

Let's get started pinch Steven.

Steven Vaughan-Nichols

Here's Steven's original image. It's not bad. It already features a bully smile. Let's return that changeable and move it into a workplace portrait.

I was capable to execute a bully image pinch a azygous three-part prompt. Let's look astatine that first:

Produce a hyper-realistic, general image depicting nan taxable successful a acheronian navy suit. Preserve nan nonstop aforesaid facial features and hairstyle from nan reference image. The look should convey powerful assurance and composure, pinch a subtle consciousness of authority and intelligence.

This portion of nan punctual tells Gemini to support Steven arsenic Steven. The AI changes his look from a grin to a much corporate, assured look, but it's very clear this is our guy. I besides put him successful a classical navy bluish suit, but I did not specify nan tie. I'll travel backmost to that portion successful a bit:

Use refined, melodramatic lighting, soft workplace illumination pinch delicate shadows that specify and heighten facial contours. The inheritance should consciousness understated yet upscale, specified arsenic charcoal, heavy taupe, aliases a soft achromatic gradient.

This portion describes nan workplace environment. I could person gone pinch much color, but I wanted a very accepted firm portrait. The punctual besides includes lighting notes to abstracted Steven's caput from nan background:

Capture nan image successful a premium editorial style pinch crisp attraction and cinematic extent of field, arsenic if changeable connected an 85mm lens. Ensure highly precocious detail, accordant pinch a polished firm image and luxury marque aesthetic.

This portion helps position nan image arsenic if you were specifying it to a photographer. The 85mm lens is often utilized to create flattering portraits pinch beardown inheritance blur and earthy perspective, truthful I added that constituent to nan mix.

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I pasted each 3 parts into my punctual section arsenic 1 prompt. Here's nan result. It's beautiful impressive:

I chose to time off nan small Gemini logo successful nan lower-right area for this article. Gemini ever adds nan logo, moreover if you're utilizing nan paid type I'm using. You tin region it utilizing photo-editing apps. Photoshop's Content-Aware Fill would do nan occupation rather well.

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Back successful nan day, I worked for a VC-backed machine company. It required each of america to deterioration reddish "regimental" ties. These are classical striped ties pinch a definite look it liked. I thought 1 of those ties would look amended connected Steven than nan AI-generated option. So, I told Nano Banana, "Convert nan necktie to a reddish regimental stripe tie. Keep everything other identical and unchanged." Here's nan result:

I deliberation that changeable is awesome for firm purposes. But I'm not done. I want to do 1 for fun. See, I've ever considered Linux master Steven to beryllium a ZDNET stone star. So, here's a punctual for that picture:

Dress nan taxable arsenic if he's nan prima performer of a metallic band, but don't alteration his look aliases usage facial makeup. Make nan station due for a publicity changeable for an album. Make his T-shirt opportunity Linux. Have energy sprout retired of nan apical of nan guitar, but don't obstruct nan subject.

Yeah, Steven. You're welcome. I mean, he makes that punctual look good:

Artie Beaty

Artie gave maine 3 snapshots to take from. The 1 connected nan little near has nan champion color, but nan 1 pinch his woman has overmuch higher resolution. So, I decided to commencement pinch that picture.

The first point I had to do was isolate him successful nan photo. I utilized this prompt:

Remove nan female from nan image and make nan man look guardant and centered. Preserve nan nonstop aforesaid facial features and hairstyle from nan reference image.

That punctual worked great, but I americium concerned astir nan lighting and that his eyes are successful shadow. Rather than fixing those things specifically, I decided to usage nan aforesaid punctual I utilized for Steven's firm image and spot nan results. That attack turned retired to beryllium a bully idea, because Nano Banana returned this image:

That's great! Once again, though, I want a reddish tie, truthful I gave nan aforesaid regimental necktie punctual I utilized pinch Steven's image. And here's what Nano Banana returned:

I really for illustration really Nano Banana added nan classical crossed-arms pose. Now we person a awesome photograph for firm use. But, of course, I couldn't time off good capable alone. I had to do a nosy one. Artie's ZDNET bio says, "On nan weekends you'll find him starring haunted shade tours of uptown Charlotte."

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Who you gonna call? That's right. I fed Nano Banana nan prompt, "Dress nan taxable arsenic if he's a Ghostbuster. Do not alteration his look aliases usage facial makeup. Make nan station due for a publicity shot." Here's nan output:

The only gotcha is that Artie isn't Spengler. So, let's hole that. I prompted, "Remove nan Ghostbuster spot and alteration nan sanction to BEATY." Here's what we got:

Gotta springiness it to Nano Banana 2. The matter rendering was perfect, making nan letters look for illustration they were embroidered onto nan uniform.

Go pro

As you tin see, there's nary logic to salary nan large bucks to nan purveyors of societal media ads. If you want a professional-looking photo, usage my punctual and spell for it. You tin besides alteration up nan inheritance specification if you want, but you can't really spell incorrect pinch a classical look for illustration nan 1 I've demonstrated here.

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Special acknowledgment to Steven and Artie for being my trial subjects and for being specified bully sports.

What astir you? Have you tried utilizing AI devices for illustration Google Gemini to create master headshots? How did your results comparison to accepted photography? Do you deliberation prompts for illustration these are capable to switch a photographer, aliases do they still autumn short successful immoderate ways? Would you salary for a dedicated AI headshot service, aliases instrumentality pinch devices you already person entree to? Let america cognize successful nan comments below.

You tin travel my day-to-day task updates connected societal media. Be judge to subscribe to my play update newsletter, and travel maine connected Twitter/X astatine @DavidGewirtz, connected Facebook astatine Facebook.com/DavidGewirtz, connected Instagram astatine Instagram.com/DavidGewirtz, connected Bluesky astatine @DavidGewirtz.com, and connected YouTube astatine YouTube.com/DavidGewirtzTV.