“New year, new you,” as the phrase goes. When we embrace the “out with the old, in with the new” mindset brought on by January 1st, the first place we frequently turn to change is our social media accounts. Of course, your profile photo is one of the most crucial aspects of your profile since it should express precisely who you are in a single image.
But here’s the catch: various social media sites need distinct facets of your personality, so a one-photo-fits-all strategy isn’t an option. From Facebook to dating apps to LinkedIn (and everywhere in between), getting your profile photo “just right” may be difficult.
This tutorial addresses the topic “what is a decent profile picture?”. We go into the psychology of profile photographs and teach you all you need to know about taking a decent profile photo!
How to Take an Effective Profile Photo?
As you would expect, there are several crucial dos and don’ts to consider while taking the perfect profile picture. These are listed below:
Do:
- Check that the picture is appropriate for the platform on which you want to use it. While social media sites like Facebook, Pinterest, and Instagram may call for a more casual or fun image (in which your pets are welcome to photobomb), business-related sites like LinkedIn will require a portrait that makes you look professional – including business attire, an uncomplicated background, and an approachable smile.
- Use a photograph that focuses on you rather than your surroundings (no matter how scenic it might be). While it’s totally legal to use a photo from your trip as your social media profile image, make sure you trim it, so you’re immediately identifiable.
- As your profile picture, use a recent photograph. After all, the purpose of this photograph is to portray your current self, not a 10-year-old version of yourself!
- Capture your profile picture in color rather than black and white at first. Even if you are confident that you want to convert an image to black and white, you may do it quickly throughout the editing process.
Don’t:
- Simply clip individuals out of a group shot (such as your friends or family) so that only you are visible. Trust us when we say that someone else’s arm or hand is almost certainly visible in the shot, and it’s not a good look.
- Take a picture of yourself. Instead, have a photographer buddy take some fantastic portrait photographs of you. Do you want to learn how to snap your own profile pictures? Simply set the self-timer on your phone or camera to catch yourself in the shot without the selfie look.
- Choose a picture that is poorly lit or grainy. If you’re taking a fresh photograph for your profile image, make sure you have lots of natural light in your surroundings.
- When taking a photograph, zoom in too far. Allow lots of space around you so you may crop images correctly for the site you’re posting them to.
- Include hats, sunglasses, dogs, or drinks in an image for a business-related network like LinkedIn (no matter how great that mojito looks).
The Psychology of Profile Photos
Your profile photographs, like all visuals, are sensitive to psychological factors that might help or hinder their success. Researchers have been researching this issue for well over a decade, and here’s how their research may assist you in creating the perfect social network profile photo.
LinkedIn and Professional Networking Sites
These are possibly the most crucial aspects of your profile picture for LinkedIn and other professional networks. This is due to the fact that prospective employers will be watching it, and according to a study, it only takes one-tenth of a second for them to form an opinion about you based on this image.
The bulk of that initial impression is built on two characteristics: trustworthiness and expertise. Fortunately, you can use several basic strategies to ensure that your profile picture is a hit rather than a miss.
The first step is to ensure your grin shows off your pearly whites since this is seen as a “real” smile, making you look twice as lovely as individuals with a closed-lip smile in their photo. If you smile too broadly, you may look incompetent or untrustworthy for the job (perhaps just a bit kooky).
You should also incorporate what is known as ‘the squinch’ in your image, which is essentially a little squint or narrowed look. This boost favorable evaluations of your competence, likeability, and influence and is based on the notion that wide-open eyes often represent fear, but slightly squinted eyes represent comfort and confidence.
Websites for social media
Social network profile photographs are a little more exciting since they allow you to show off your fabulous personality! As you are aware, there are several social networking sites to consider, each with its own profile picture size and style criteria.
It’s critical to be aware of the particular sizes and aspect ratios that each site wants for its profile picture since you don’t want your image to seem blurry or awkwardly stretched.
Dating Applications
You’ll want to put your best foot forward when it comes to your profile picture on dating platforms and apps. After all, these platforms come with a whole new set of restrictions, some of which you may not even be aware of!
According to 2017 research by dating app Hinge, males who grin without revealing their teeth in their dating app profile picture were 43% more likely to obtain a like, while those who faced the camera front-on increased their potential like factor by a whopping 102%.
On the other hand, women were claimed to earn much more likes if their dating app profile photo depicted them with their hair up (27% increase) and smiling and displaying teeth (76% increase). According to the same research, women who glanced away from the camera in their photo were 74% more likely to obtain a like. Isn’t it strange?
Both men and women had a boost in engagement when their pictures featured them standing alone. Another surprising discovery from the research was that black and white photographs were the most appealing, with their subjects having a 102% higher likelihood of involvement.
However, when it comes to the most common dating app picture turn-offs, the findings were probably not so unexpected. Shots with a Snapchat filter, bathroom mirror selfies, and beach photos all reduced their subjects’ chances of receiving a ‘like’ by up to 90%.
Conclusion
Creating your ideal profile photo has never been simpler, thanks to the helpful information above and powerful photo editing apps like AutoRetouchs AI Photo Editor. You now have everything you need to change up your LinkedIn photo, create a humorous profile image for Facebook and Instagram, or make a lasting impression with your dating app photo.