How to Fix Uneven Pupils in Your AI Headshot

Spot the Problem: Why One Pupil Looks Bigger

You’ve just loaded your new headshot. The smile is perfect, the suit looks sharp. Then you see it. One eye seems wide open, almost startled, while the other looks relaxed. It’s subtle, maybe a 10-20% difference, but it makes your whole face feel slightly off. You look a little…untrustworthy. This isn't a medical condition. It happens because the AI didn't perfectly interpret your original photo's lighting and angle. Shadows can make a pupil appear larger. A slight head tilt can do it. The software sometimes reads one eye as being in brighter light, so it "corrects" that pupil to be smaller, leaving you with uneven gates to the soul.

Use the Eye Correction Tool in Portraze

Find the panel labeled "Eyes" or "Retouching." Inside, you’ll see a slider for "Pupil Size." The default is usually a global adjustment, changing both eyes at once. That’s not what we need. Look for a small icon nearby—often two circles linked by a chain. Click it. That chain breaks, unlocking independent control for the left and right pupil. I’ve watched clients breathe a sigh of relief right here. This single action moves you from a generic fix to a surgical one.

Zoom In and Adjust the Right Pupil Size

Zoom your image to at least 200%. You need to see the individual pixels of the iris. Now, identify which pupil is the problem. Is the left one too large, making that eye look dominant? Select the left pupil slider. Move it slowly to the left, in increments of 5. Watch the pupil contract. Your goal isn’t to match the other pupil’s exact pixel diameter. Your goal is to match the *feeling*. Does the eye’s expression now match its partner? Stop. Zoom back out to 100%. Look at your whole face for ten seconds. Does the tension you felt before disappear?

Avoid This Common Mistake: Over-Correction

Here’s where most people ruin a good fix. They zoom in, match the pupils perfectly at 300% magnification, and create a robotic, creepy stare. In a natural human face, pupils are *almost* identical, never perfectly so. If you adjust the slider more than 15 points from its original setting, you’ve probably gone too far. The telltale sign is an eye that looks flat, like a painted doll’s eye, because you’ve removed all the natural gradation of color at the pupil’s edge. A better check: look at the catchlight (the tiny white reflection). If adjusting the pupil distorts or eliminates that sparkle, you’ve overdone it. Dial it back.

Check Your Final Result for Natural Balance

Do not judge your work on the zoomed-in screen. Follow this three-step check. First, flip the image horizontally. This fresh perspective makes asymmetry scream. Second, look away for 30 seconds, then snap your gaze back to the photo. What do you notice first—your confident expression, or your eyes? If it’s the eyes, something is still wrong. Third, shrink the image to the size of a LinkedIn profile picture. At that tiny scale, your eyes should project a unified, engaged look. If one still seems to squint or stare, make a final 1-2 point adjustment.

The best headshot eyes don't look "fixed." They just look like you, on your best day, listening intently to someone you respect. Mastering this one subtle tool—the independent pupil slider—gives you control over that crucial impression. It turns an almost-right image into one that feels authentically, believably you.