AI headshot generator: a studio headshot from your photos

An AI headshot generator turns ordinary photos of you into a studio-style portrait. You send one or more clear, well-lit photos of yourself as reference images, describe the look (plain backdrop, soft light, business clothes, head-and-shoulders framing), and keep the result that still looks like you. The model draws a new picture rather than retouching yours, so the resemblance is not guaranteed; check the face before you use it.

On Sume, that is one POST /v1/images request to a model that edits from reference images. Sume facts come from the Image API docs and the Sume API reference; LinkedIn's numbers come from its Help pages Photo won't upload to your profile and Profile photo guidelines and conditions. All were read on 2026-09-28.

How do I make an AI headshot from my photos?

• Pick recent photos with your face clearly visible, even light, and nothing covering your eyes.
• Put them at public HTTPS URLs. Localhost, private-network, and non-HTTPS URLs are rejected before submission.
• Send them in input_references to a model that edits from reference images, and say in the prompt that every reference shows the same person.
• Set a square frame: a custom image_size of 1024 × 1024 on ChatGPT Image 2.5, and output_format jpeg or png.
• Ask for n: 4 to get four versions in one call, and keep the one that looks most like you.

curl -X POST "https://api.sume.com/v1/images" \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer $SUME_API_KEY" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{
    "model": "openai/gpt-image-2.5",
    "prompt": "Professional headshot of the person in the reference photos; all of them show the same person. Keep their face, age, skin tone and hairstyle exactly as they are. Head and shoulders, facing the camera, navy blazer over a white shirt, plain light-gray backdrop, soft even front light.",
    "input_references": [
      { "type": "image_url", "image_url": { "url": "https://example.com/me-1.jpg" } },
      { "type": "image_url", "image_url": { "url": "https://example.com/me-2.jpg" } }
    ],
    "image_size": { "width": 1024, "height": 1024 },
    "output_format": "jpeg",
    "n": 4
  }'

What should an AI headshot prompt say?

Put who stays the same first, then describe the photo shoot. A headshot prompt can cover six things:

• Identity: "the person in the reference photos; keep their face, age, skin tone, and hairstyle exactly as they are".
• Framing: head and shoulders, facing the camera, eyes level with the lens.
• Clothes: name them, such as a charcoal suit jacket or a dark green sweater.
• Backdrop: plain light gray, warm beige, or a softly blurred office.
• Light: soft, even front light, or window light from one side.
• Expression: a slight, natural smile.

Can I make an AI headshot from one photo?

Yes. One clear, front-facing photo is enough to send, because input_references takes one image or more. With one photo, the model sees your face from one angle only, so pick the sharpest, most evenly lit one you have. If you have several, send them together and say in the prompt that they all show the same person; consistent character AI image generator covers how many references each model takes.

What size should a LinkedIn profile photo be?

A 1024 × 1024 image is inside LinkedIn's pixel range, and jpeg or png matches its file types. Check the downloaded file's size before you upload it. For your profile's cover image, see AI banner generator for LinkedIn.

Will the AI headshot look like me?

Not guaranteed. The model draws a new portrait from your photos, so the shape of your face, your skin texture, or your apparent age can shift. Compare each result with your own photos and use one only if it looks like you. LinkedIn's guidelines allow "an illustration, caricature, or other artistic rendering of yourself, but your profile photo must reflect your likeness." Make headshots only of yourself, or of someone who has agreed.

What does it cost, and what are the limits?

• Each completed image is billed, so n: 4 is four images. ChatGPT Image 2.5 estimates each request's price from the size, the quality, and the images and text you send, and usage.cost in the response is the USD amount billed.
• A failed or cancelled generation is not billed.
• High quality, this model's default, and a large n are the slow configurations most likely to return 202 with a job to poll instead of the images.
• Result URLs are Sume-hosted and signed, so download the headshot you keep.