Tips and Styles for the Best Backgrounds for a Professional Headshot

Summary: In this article, the importance of selecting the right background for professional headshot will be discussed. As well as the different background types including plain colors, outdoor settings, workplace environments, studio setups, and creative themes, to help you choose the best background. Other than that, PicWish will also be introduces as a phot editing software that can help you change or edit backgrounds effortlessly.

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background for professional headshot

Content

Choosing the right background for professional headshot can be difficult at times. If you haven’t found yours, let me help you! With the progress of digital technology, having a striking professional headshot has become necessary. It is needed for company websites, press releases, brand promotions, product advertisements, and online portfolios for job applications. It increases one’s online credibility which gives way to possible engagements and income. Even so, simply having a professional headshot is not enough. Knowing what background to use is what completes the picture. In this article, we will explore the best backgrounds for professional headshots and learn how to change or edit them using PicWish.

Choosing the Right Background for Your Professional Headshot

Why Background Matters in a Professional Headshot

The background for professional headshot that you are going to use can either benefit or hinder you. It is important to know what background color and tone are suited for your attire and skin complexion to make your headshot stand out, rather than be overlooked. There are also times when your background should be based on the intended use of your professional headshot so it can effectively serve its purpose. In addition, the setting of your background also matters. A cluttered setting looks unprofessional, the complete opposite of the professional image that your headshot is trying to create. Being aware of the right backgrounds for professional headshots that you will use can strengthen your online presence and your chance of getting hired for a job.

Best Background Types for Professional Headshots

Now that you already know the importance of having the right background for professional headshot, here are the 5 best backgrounds that you could give a try: 

  • Plain Background: This type of background looks simple, clean, and free of distracting elements. It directs the viewer’s attention towards the subject of the professional headshot. This is suitable for formal use, such as job applications, corporate website profiles, and legal documents. Recommended colors are white, gray, or light blue.

  • Outdoor Background: Another type of background that you can consider having is clean and modern architectural designs, parks, gardens, or evenly patterned stone walls. This makes your professional headshot radiate openness and authenticity. But be careful not to choose a busy spot as it can be distracting. As a tip, you can blur your background to keep the focus on the subject of the headshot.

    garden buildings wall road backgrounds

  • Workplace Background: For a more professional effect, consider making your workspace as background for professional headshot. Your workspace can reflect the skills and expertise that you can offer, which adds to the possible engagement that you can receive. Here’s a trick, arrange and design your workspace background based on the character that you want to be perceived by your audience.

    art business technology fashion backgrounds

  • Studio Background: Out of all the types of professional backgrounds, this can be noted as the most common for this has been used for printed professional headshots. This can be textured or gradient. Studio background is less hassle to have since the lighting and settings are already fixed for you. However, it also means you have to spend money on it.

    gradient textured backgrounds

  • Themed Background: While this type of background is not always applicable for a formal intended use of one’s professional headshot, it shows creativity and personality. Aside from that, it attracts attention and interest which makes it suitable for people who promote brands or advertise products.

    bread coffee graphic themed backgrounds

How to Easily Change or Edit Backgrounds Using PicWish

Determining the best background for your professional headshot can be challenging, but setting it up and putting it into life is even more challenging. To make it less of a hassle, PicWish is here to assist you.

PicWish is an AI-supported photo editing software that offers backgrounds for professional headshots just for you. With its Remove Background tool, you can easily change the background “+” option where you can add and upload an image as a new background to your headshot. Alternatively, you can also access the AI Background feature which lets you use a more scenic background for your professional headshot without much effort. It offers different types of backgrounds, including plain colors, indoors, and outdoors. It also has a feature that lets users customize their professional background by typing a prompt. 

Here’s how you do it:

  • First, click the button below to access the background removal feature.

    Remove Background

    picwish home click remove background

  • Next, click the Upload Image button to select the image you want to change the background on or drag and drop the photo anywhere on your computer screen.

    click upload or drag and drop image

  • After your image is uploaded, PicWish will automatically remove the background of your professional headshot. You can now choose a plain background between black and white or choose another color from the color picker.

    pick solid color background

  • You also have the option to upload your background photo. Just click the + icon beside the color picker then select Add Photo to upload.

    click add photo background

  • Click the Light on button to brighten your image.

    click light on

  • Once you are satisfied with your background, hover your cursor on the Download Image button to choose the image format, then click it to save the final image.

    choose image format and download

If you want to further explore and use other types of background for professional headshot using PicWish, here are the steps that you can follow:

  • From the Remove Background webpage, click on the + icon again and this time, click the Generate AI Background.

    click generate ai background

  • You can now choose among the AI backgrounds offered by PicWish according to what you think is the best for your professional headshot.

    choose ai background and generate

  • You can also choose to click Custom and type the description of the background you need. It has an Enhance prompts option to improve your background description, and a prompt box intended for the things you don’t want to appear on your background, for better generated AI background results.
  • After that, click the Generate button and wait for the process to finish. PicWish will generate two backgrounds at a time.

    type prompt for custom ai background

  • Click on the generated background you find more suitable for your professional headshot.
  • Lastly, click the Download Image button to save.

    click image and download image

  • If you want to compare the before and after results, just click on the Full-Screen Compare button.

    click full screen compare

That is how you generate backgrounds for professional headshots using PicWish. Aside from generating AI backgrounds, PicWish also offers Photo Retouch, Unblur Image, Face Cutout, Restore Old Photos, Watermark Remover, and AI Art Generator.

Conclusion

There you go! By now, you should already know how to choose the best background for professional headshot that you will use. Start creating your headshot and put the tips you’ve learned into action!

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▪ Chief Editor of PicWish's team▪ A seasoned professional whose work has been published in tech publications over the course of the last 8 years.▪ Photo editing is her area of expertise and she excels at writing comprehensive program reviews or photo editing tutorials.

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