Record a great video for your AI headshot

Gather your gear and find your light

You don't need a studio. Your phone's front-facing camera is perfect. I've shot hundreds of successful headshots with an iPhone 12. Just clean the lens with your shirt first. That smudge you never notice? It turns your video into a foggy mess.

Light is everything. Stand facing a window, but not in direct noon sun. That creates harsh shadows under your eyes. Aim for soft, even light that fills your face. A cloudy day is a gift. If you're inside at night, use two lamps. Put one on either side of your computer, pointing at your face from about five feet away. The goal is to eliminate dark, creepy shadows on one side of your nose.

Check your background. A plain wall works. So does a tidy bookshelf. Avoid the busy kitchen with the blinking microwave clock or the hallway with a distracting painting. The focus should be you, not your laundry pile.

Frame your shot and set your camera

Prop your phone up. Use a stack of books, a tripod, anything stable. Shaky hand-held footage is unusable. Frame yourself from the mid-chest up, with a bit of space above your head. This is a "head and shoulders" crop. If you're too far away, the software can't see the details it needs.

Look directly into the camera lens. It's a conversation with one person. Tilt your chin down slightly to avoid a double chin. This feels weird but looks great. I tell my clients to imagine the lens is the forehead of a friend they're listening to.

Settings matter. Open your camera app. Tap to focus on your face. Lock the exposure if your phone allows it. This stops the brightness from wildly shifting if you move. Record in the highest quality your phone offers—likely 1080p or 4K at 30 frames per second. Portrait mode is a gamble; sometimes it blurs edges you need sharp. Stick with the standard video setting.

Record your video: 30 seconds of you

Don't perform. Just be. You need about 30 seconds of natural movement and expression. Start with a gentle smile, holding for three seconds. Then let it fade to a neutral, thoughtful look. Slowly turn your head about 45 degrees to your left, pause, then turn 45 degrees to your right. Bring your gaze back to the lens.

Think of something that makes you genuinely pleased—a good coffee, your dog, a project you nailed. Let that feeling show in your eyes. The software is looking for the real shifts in your expression, not a frozen mask. A single, stiff smile gives it nothing to work with.

Breathe normally. If you mess up, don't stop. Just pause, reset, and continue. A single continuous clip with a small flub is better than twenty chopped-up five-second clips. We can work with real human moments.

Avoid these three common video mistakes

I see these every week. First, the moving light source. Someone starts with window light, then turns their head into a dark shadow. Or a cloud passes overhead mid-video. Find your light and stay in it. Don't wander.

Second, the frantic wardrobe change. You do not need five outfits. Wear one solid-color top that you love and that contrasts with your background. A deep blue against a white wall, a cream against dark wood. Avoid tiny stripes, loud logos, or neon colors. They distort and distract. The star is your face.

Third, the "deer in headlights" stare. You freeze, terrified of the camera. It creates a tense, unnatural expression. Blink. Swallow. Relax your shoulders. The slight movements of a living, breathing person are what create a headshot that feels approachable and trustworthy.

• Mistake 1: Walking in and out of your light source.
• Mistake 2: Wearing busy patterns that fight for attention.
• Mistake 3: Holding a rigid, unmoving pose with a fixed smile.

Upload and let the process do the rest

Transfer the video file directly from your phone to your computer. Don't email it to yourself if it compresses the file. Use a cable or AirDrop. A full-quality 30-second video should be around 50 to 90 MB. If it's 5 MB, something went wrong.

Upload that single, clean file. The system will analyze every frame—the slight crinkle by your eyes when you smile, the way your hair falls. It looks for your most authentic expressions and blends them into a cohesive portrait. This takes the raw material you gave it and finds the best you.

Your job was to provide good raw material. That's the secret. A perfect, stiff photo might be less useful than a relaxed, slightly imperfect video. You've given the technology a real person to work with.

Think of it like giving a sculptor a block of marble instead of a pre-carved statue. You provided the good stone, in the right light, from all the necessary angles. Now the craft can begin. Your takeaway is simple: a great result starts with 30 honest seconds in good light, looking at a lens like it's a friend.