A good professional headshot needs even studio lighting, a clean backdrop, and business-appropriate wardrobe, which is normally hard to get without booking a photographer. This page has seven Gemini prompts that turn a regular phone photo into a headshot you can use on a professional networking profile, a company page, or a resume, each one describing wardrobe, lighting, backdrop color, and framing in enough detail to look consistent and professional rather than obviously edited. Copy a prompt, open a Gemini chat, attach a clear, front-facing photo, and paste the prompt as your message; a sample image next to each prompt shows the target result. Small changes are easy to make: swap 'navy blazer' for 'charcoal blazer,' or change 'grey studio backdrop' to a color that matches your company branding. Two issues to watch for. If the source photo is taken from far away, at a strong downward angle, or in dim light, the face can look less like you, so start with a photo taken roughly at eye level in good light. If the backdrop looks patchy or uneven, ask Gemini in a follow-up message to make the backdrop a single flat color. These prompts ask Gemini to keep your hair and facial features and change only the wardrobe, lighting, and background, so the result still looks like a real photo of you, not a cartoon or an illustration; in our tests the expression was the part most likely to change. No studio booking or extra software is required, though uploading a photo to Gemini needs a signed-in Google account.
Last tested in Gemini on . How to use these prompts
Sample images were made by running each exact prompt in an AI image generator on an AI-generated stand-in photo. Your result will not match the sample exactly: it depends on your photo, the model and version you use, and the randomness of each run.
Only upload a photo of yourself, or of an adult who has agreed to it. Please don't use these prompts on photos of anyone under 18.
AI-generated sample
Restyle the person in the photo as a classic corporate headshot: a tailored navy blazer over a collared shirt, soft even studio lighting, a seamless light-grey backdrop, natural color grading, and a close-up crop from the chest up with a relaxed, confident expression.
Copies the prompt; just paste it in Gemini
Tip: Swap 'navy blazer' for 'black blazer' to match your wardrobe.
AI-generated sample
Turn the person in the photo into a modern creative-industry headshot: a smart-casual sweater or shirt with no tie, warm natural window light, a softly blurred open-office background, gentle color grading, and a half-body framing with arms relaxed at the sides.
Copies the prompt; just paste it in Gemini
AI-generated sample
Reimagine the person in the photo as an executive-style headshot: a charcoal suit jacket, crisp white shirt, dramatic soft side lighting, a dark navy gradient studio backdrop, rich contrast, and a tight close-up crop with a direct, confident gaze at the camera.
Copies the prompt; just paste it in Gemini
Tip: Add 'warmer color grading' if the navy gradient feels too cold.
AI-generated sample
Convert the person in the photo into a natural-light outdoor headshot: business-casual attire such as a blazer over a plain top, soft diffused daylight in open shade, a softly blurred green outdoor backdrop, true-to-life color, and a half-body framing.
Copies the prompt; just paste it in Gemini
Tip: Mention 'blurred office window' instead of greenery for an indoor feel.
AI-generated sample
Style the person in the photo as a clinical professional headshot: a white coat or collared scrub top, bright clean studio lighting, a plain white or pale-blue backdrop, neutral color grading, and a close-up crop with a warm, approachable expression.
Copies the prompt; just paste it in Gemini
AI-generated sample
Make the person in the photo look like a finance-industry headshot: a tailored suit in a neutral color, warm beige studio backdrop, soft key light with a subtle rim light, polished color grading, and a half-body framing with one shoulder slightly angled.
Copies the prompt; just paste it in Gemini
AI-generated sample
Place the person in the photo against a plain black backdrop for a startup-style headshot: a simple crew-neck shirt or light jacket, dramatic single-source lighting from one side, high-contrast black-and-white or muted color grading, and a tight close-up crop.
Copies the prompt; just paste it in Gemini
Tip: Ask for 'full color' if you'd rather skip the black-and-white option.
Prompts 5 and 6 came back with a toothy smile, though prompt 6 doesn't mention expression at all; a plain second run of prompt 6 didn't smile, so it comes and goes. With 'Keep the exact facial expression, mouth and features from the photo; do not add a smile' added (the first version below), prompt 6 kept the neutral expression in both of our two runs.
One run of prompt 3 added a tie to the white shirt; prompt 2 put blurred coworkers behind you and a computer with what looks like an Apple logo. Say what you don't want. Our single re-runs with 'a crisp white open-collar shirt with no tie' and 'a softly blurred office background with no other people in it' came back with neither, though a plain second run of prompt 3 had no tie either.
Prompt 4 came back with a small orange square on one cheek, and Gemini's reply didn't mention it. Check the face at full size before you upload the picture anywhere. We haven't tested a fix for this; running the prompt again is the simplest thing to try.
Make the person in the photo look like a finance-industry headshot: a tailored suit in a neutral color, warm beige studio backdrop, soft key light with a subtle rim light, polished color grading, and a half-body framing with one shoulder slightly angled. Keep the exact facial expression, mouth and features from the photo; do not add a smile.
Prompt 6 kept the neutral expression in both of our runs with this line. A plain re-run without it stayed neutral once too, so the smile comes and goes.
Turn the person in the photo into a modern creative-industry headshot for a profile picture: a smart-casual sweater over a shirt with no tie, warm natural window light, a softly blurred office background with no other people in it, gentle color grading, and a square 1:1 crop from the chest up with the face centered.
Our single re-run came back square, with nobody in the office behind.
: We ran all seven prompts on gemini.google.com, each in a new temporary chat with the model left on Flash-Lite and our AI-generated stand-in photo, then re-ran prompts 3 and 6 as they are and the fixes above. The main problems were a smile and a tie that came and went between runs, coworkers and a logo we hadn't asked for, and one coloured mark on a cheek.
Start with a photo taken roughly at eye level in good light. A photo taken from far away, at a strong angle, or in dim light makes it harder for Gemini to keep your real facial features accurate.
Yes, as long as it is a photo you have permission to edit, such as a colleague or teammate. Attach their photo and the same prompt builds the same headshot style for them.
A clear, well-lit selfie is enough to start; you don't need a professional photo. Gemini changes the wardrobe, lighting, and background, but in our tests it also gave two results toothy smiles, one of them from a prompt that didn't mention your expression at all, so compare the result with your photo.
Yes, name the colour in the prompt, for example 'backdrop in a deep green'. You can also ask in the same chat after the first result, but check the whole picture again, because in our one same-chat test Gemini changed more than we asked for.
