LinkedIn is one of the most popular professional networking platforms, with over 810 million users worldwide as of October 2022. Having an effective LinkedIn profile, with a professional photo, is important for establishing your personal brand and making connections.
When updating your LinkedIn profile picture, it’s important to understand LinkedIn’s photo requirements. Following LinkedIn’s photo guidelines will ensure your photo looks crisp and polished on your profile.
LinkedIn Profile Photo Dimensions
The most important factor for your LinkedIn profile photo is the size. LinkedIn requires profile pictures to be 400 x 400 pixels minimum. If you upload a photo that is less than 400 x 400 pixels, LinkedIn will stretch and warp the photo to meet the minimum size requirement, which can make your photo look distorted or blurry.
For best results, upload a square photo that is at least 400 x 400 pixels. Some recommended LinkedIn photo sizes include:
- 400 x 400 pixels (minimum size)
- 500 x 500 pixels
- 800 x 800 pixels
Avoid rectangular photos, as LinkedIn will crop a rectangle image to fit it into a square frame. Make sure to crop and edit your photo into a square shape before uploading to maintain control over the framing.
LinkedIn Photo File Size
In addition to minimum dimensions, LinkedIn also has file size limits for profile photos. The maximum file size for a LinkedIn profile picture is 8 megabytes (MB).
To ensure your photo uploads successfully, use image editing software like Photoshop, Lightroom, or GIMP to compress your LinkedIn profile photo to under 8 MB before uploading. Most digital camera photos taken within the past 5 years will easily be under the 8 MB limit.
LinkedIn Photo File Types
LinkedIn only accepts certain file formats for profile photos. The supported LinkedIn photo file types include:
- JPG
- JPEG
- GIF
- PNG
For best quality, save your LinkedIn profile photo as a JPG/JPEG file. JPG files compress well without losing image quality. PNG files are also a good option if you have text or logos in your photo.
Avoid uploading BMP, PSD, TIFF and other file formats, as LinkedIn does not support these types.
LinkedIn Photo Style Guidelines
In addition to the technical requirements, LinkedIn also has style guidelines for professional looking profile pictures:
- Portrait style: Use a headshot style portrait photo, cropped around your head and shoulders.
- Neutral background: Position yourself in front of a plain wall or solid backdrop.
- Well-lit: Ensure your photo is properly exposed, not too dark or bright.
- High quality: Use a sharp photo free of graininess or distortion.
- Face forward: Look directly at the camera for an engaging photo.
Do’s and don’ts for LinkedIn profile pictures:
| Do | Don’t |
|---|---|
| Smile and look friendly | Use selfies, group shots, or landscapes |
| Wear professional attire | Include other people or props |
| Maintain eye contact | Wear sunglasses or hats |
| Look sharp and groomed | Upload blurry or pixelated photos |
| Use a current photo | Upload cropped or warped photos |
Tips for Taking a LinkedIn Profile Photo
To take a quality headshot suitable for LinkedIn, follow these photography best practices:
- Use a DSLR camera or high-end smartphone camera
- Shoot outdoors in shade for even lighting
- Use a tripod for sharpness and proper framing
- Shoot straight on and position the camera at eye level
- Pick a solid neutral wall as your background
- Wear professional attire in solid neutral colors
- Do your hair and makeup as you would for an interview
- Pose with good posture by straightening your shoulders
- Have someone else take the photo or use a remote trigger
- Take lots of shots and review them on your camera to select the best
If taking a quality DIY LinkedIn profile photo seems too difficult, consider hiring a professional photographer. Many photographers offer specialized LinkedIn headshot sessions.
How to Edit a Photo for LinkedIn
After taking your LinkedIn profile photo, you’ll need to edit it to look its best:
- Crop your photo: Crop the image into a square shape. Resize the photo if needed to meet the minimum 400 x 400 pixels.
- Re-frame the photo: Adjust the crop so your head and shoulders fill the frame. Center yourself in the frame.
- Adjust brightness: Use editing software to adjust exposure, shadows, highlights, and contrast so your face is neither too bright nor too dark.
- Warm the temperature: Adjust white balance toward warm tones for natural looking skin tones.
- Sharpen details: Slightly increase sharpness and clarity to make details crisp without overdoing it.
- Enhance subtly: Apply minimal corrections like spot removal, skin smoothing, whitening teeth, or evening skin tone.
- Save a copy: Save your edited 400 x 400 px LinkedIn photo as a JPG.
Use subtle edits for a natural look. Overprocessing your LinkedIn headshot can make it look obviously edited and unprofessional.
Tips for Touching Up Your LinkedIn Photo
When editing your photo for LinkedIn, aim for natural enhancements:
- Whiten teeth slightly with an adjustment layer.
- Soften skin, blemishes, lines minimally.
- Brighten eyes by lightening the whites only.
- Darken hair and eyebrows subtly for definition.
- Warm face with golden highlights on cheeks.
- Add a slight vignette to draw focus to the center.
Keep retouching minimal for a polished, but natural look. Dramatic retouching like plastic skin, narrowed face, colored contacts, and fake eyelashes will look obviously fake on LinkedIn.
Changing Your LinkedIn Profile Photo
To change your profile picture on LinkedIn:
- Click your current profile photo in the top right.
- In the dropdown menu, select “Change profile picture.”
- The Upload Photo box will appear. Click “Choose File” to select your new photo file.
- Crop your new photo if desired once uploaded.
- Click “Apply changes” to save your new profile picture.
Your new profile photo will now display on your LinkedIn profile. For best results, update your LinkedIn picture regularly every few years to maintain a current professional appearance.
LinkedIn Profile Photo Checklist
To ensure your LinkedIn profile picture meets all requirements, run through this checklist before uploading:
- Square crop: Photo is cropped into a square shape
- 400 x 400 pixels minimum: Photo meets the required dimensions
- Under 8 MB file size: Photo’s file size does not exceed the limit
- JPG/JPEG format: Photo is saved in a supported file type
- Professional headshot: Photo is a portrait framing your head and shoulders
- Clean background: Photo background is solid and uncluttered
- Well-lit: There are no shadows or brightness issues
- Sharp focus: Photo is properly focused and high quality
- Friendly expression: Your expression looks approachable and appealing
- Natural edits: Any retouching appears subtle and realistic
Running through this LinkedIn photo checklist helps ensure your profile picture promotes the best impression.
Conclusion
To summarize, the ideal photo to use for your LinkedIn profile should be:
- A square crop at 400 x 400 pixels minimum
- JPG or PNG format
- Under 8 MB file size
- A professional headshot on a plain background
- Well-lit with no shadows or brightness issues
- In focus and high resolution
- Edited subtly and naturally
Following LinkedIn’s photo dimensions and style guidelines helps present the best representation of yourself on your profile. Invest time into taking and editing a quality headshot suitable for your personal brand. A polished, professional LinkedIn profile photo can make a great first impression.
