Process · Jul 31, 2026 · 6 min
How to edit an AI headshot without making it faker
The generator is step one. Background, crop, and a light retouch are step two. Heavy frequency separation is how you get caught.
Kristine BrennanIf the file already looks like a photograph, stop. Crop for LinkedIn (a little extra headroom), check the catchlights, and leave the skin alone. The people who get spotted are the ones who polish a good frame into a mannequin.
Allowed
- Crop and straighten.
- Global white balance if the generator ran tungsten-warm on a cool scene.
- A background swap the tool already offers.
Not allowed, if you want to keep the illusion
- Skin smoothing sliders.
- Eye whitening.
- Jaw liquify.