DIY: Social Media Headshot

Whether you want to have a fun Facebook profile picture or you need a headshot (for whatever reason) it's always nice to know some basic photo-editing skills. A profile picture and/or headshot should convey your personality and if you are using it in relation to what you do, it should say something about your line of work. In my case, I wanted my "head hot" (which I also use as my Facebook profile picture) to look fun, cheerful and creative. 

Since I am a jack of all (master of well...not much) I decided to DIY my own headshot with the help of some photo editing! You can do this too using free online software programs with state-of-the-art photo editing tools!

Here's how:

I like to use PicMonkey for two reasons #1 It's free (for now) and #2 It has some of the best filters around. PicMonkey also allows you to make collages and they even have a layout option for Facebook!

Step 1

So first, open your "headshot" picture in PicMonkey. Here is my original picture, which is untouched.

Step 2

If you don't have a fantastic camera (I can relate!) you have at your disposal lots of fancy focus features on PicMonkey. Once you have your picture opened, search through the focal point tools (click on the little chemistry bottle on the left then scroll to find these). I like Fancy Focus because it allows you to choose a focal point then soften the color around your images like so:

Step 3

Once you have used the focal features, your next step would be to photoshop your picture if needed. I wanted my picture to look fun bright and even a little over-the-top just to be eye-catching. So I decided to amp-up the blush on my cheeks using the "Blush Boost" feature. To find this feature, click on the little lipstick icon on the PicMonkey toolbar

you can even add lipstick here too!Crazy, right? 

Step 4

Once you play around with some fun editing tools (you've been warned, you can add a little too much if you aren't careful--see? Look at ll my blush!) add a fun filter. This is the step that will give your picture a unique look, if that's what you want. 

I used this filter (Cross Process) but it wasn't quite right...

so I switched to this filter (called Tranquil) because it made the red and blue really pop. 

Step 5

Next, crop your headshot.

Okay! There you have it! Once you have cropped your image, you can save it. I think I may have brightened my image with the exposure tool at this point as well, but you get the gist and now you see the possibilities! 

See? Easy. And slightly scary, too right? 

It just goes to show that "headshots" and "profile" pictures may be fun and serve as a visual thumbnail of us, but they aren't really us! This would be a great lesson to show kids as well!