Headshot Dimensions: Sizes and Aspect Ratios for Every Use

There is no single standard headshot size. The two that cover most uses are an 8 x 10 inch print for acting headshots, which is a 4:5 portrait, and a square profile photo of at least 400 x 400 pixels for LinkedIn and most other platforms, which show it as a circle. Websites and meet-the-team pages usually use a 4:5 portrait. Work badges, passports and CVs have their own sizes, set by whoever asks for the photo.

The table below gives the size, shape and file limit for each common use. Under it: badge and ID photos, 8 x 10 against 8 x 12 for actors, what the ratios mean, the print sizes in pixels, how much of the frame your face should fill, and how to crop a photo to an exact pixel size.

Headshot sizes by use

Platforms and badge offices change these limits from time to time, and each one crops your upload to its own shape, so start from a larger image than the minimum. ERAS has more rules than size alone, and our ERAS photo specs guide sets them out.

Work badge, ID card and staff directory photos

There is no single size for a work badge. The badge office sets it, and the form you upload to usually states it. Most ask for one of two shapes:

• Square, so the card printer does not stretch your face. Miami University, for example, asks for a square JPG of at least 300 x 300 and at most 800 x 800 pixels, on a plain light background.
• A 3:4 or 4:5 portrait. HSBI in Germany asks for 3:4, at most 350 x 466 pixels. Mining Indaba asks for at least 600 x 750 pixels for its event badges, between 50 KB and 2 MB.

The card itself is almost always the standard ID card size, 3.375 x 2.125 inches (85.6 x 54 mm), so the photo prints at about an inch wide. At that size, a tight crop matters more than resolution: your face should fill most of the frame, looking straight at the camera, with only you in the photo. If the form gives no size, send a square of 600 x 600 pixels or larger and let the system crop it.

Staff directories, Workday, Microsoft Teams and Slack all show your photo as a small square or circle, so a square crop with space around your head works for every one of them. For a meet-the-team page on a company website, ask whoever runs the site which shape the other photos use, and match it. A 4:5 portrait at 800 x 1000 pixels or larger is the most common.

8 x 10 or 8 x 12 for acting headshots

Use 8 x 10. It is the standard print size for acting headshots in the US, vertical, and it is what agents and casting directors expect unless they ask for something else. Résumés are cut to 8 x 10 to be stapled to the back.

8 x 12 is a 2:3 ratio, the shape most cameras shoot, so a photographer can print the full frame without cropping. That is its only advantage. It does not match an 8 x 10 résumé, so trim it to 8 x 10 or ask for 8 x 10 prints. For online casting sites, upload a 4:5 or the shape the site asks for (Actors Access uses 5:7).

What the aspect ratios mean

An aspect ratio is the width of the photo against its height. The same headshot cropped to different ratios keeps different amounts of your shoulders and background.

All of the portrait ratios are taller than they are wide. If a page asks for a horizontal image, such as a speaker banner, it wants a wider crop with more background, and a normal headshot will need space added on the sides.

Print sizes in pixels

To print sharply, a photo needs about 300 pixels for every inch of print.

For a business card or a brochure, the printer will say what resolution they need. It is usually 300 DPI.

How zoomed in a headshot should be

For a profile or website headshot, your face should fill roughly 60 to 70 percent of the height of the frame, with your eyes about a third of the way down and a little space above your hair. Show the top of your shoulders. Do not crop the chin or the top of the head unless you want a deliberately tight, editorial look.

ID photos set this precisely, which makes them a useful reference:

• US passport: the head, chin to top of hair, is 1 to 1 3/8 inches of a 2 inch photo, so about half to two thirds of the height.
• UK passport: 29 to 34 mm of a 45 mm photo, about two thirds to three quarters.
• Schengen visa: the face takes up 70 to 80 percent of the photo.

Acting headshots are usually cropped a little tighter than corporate ones, and circular profile crops cut off the corners, so leave space around your head when you upload to LinkedIn or Slack.

How to crop a headshot to an exact pixel size

Application forms often give an exact size, such as "minimum 1,500 x 2,100 pixels (5:7 ratio)". Work it out in two steps:

1. Crop to the ratio. Divide the width by the height they ask for: 1,500 ÷ 2,100 is 5:7. Set your editor's crop tool to 5:7 (or to 1,500 x 2,100 as a custom ratio) and frame your head and shoulders inside it.
2. Resize to the pixels. Scale the crop to exactly 1,500 x 2,100.

Check that you have enough pixels before you crop. A typical phone photo is 3,000 x 4,000 pixels. Cropped to 5:7, it becomes 2,857 x 4,000, which is larger than 1,500 x 2,100, so it will stay sharp. If your crop comes out smaller than the size asked for, start from a less tightly framed or higher resolution photo rather than enlarging it.

Free tools do both steps. On an iPhone, the crop tool in Photos has 5:7, 8:10 and square presets. On a computer, crop and then set the pixel size in Preview on a Mac (Tools, then Adjust Size) or Paint on Windows (Resize).

How to resize a headshot without losing quality

1. Start from the largest version you have. You can always make a photo smaller without losing detail. Making it bigger adds blur.
2. Crop to the ratio first, then resize. Choose 1:1 or 4:5 and crop, then scale that crop down to the pixel size you need. Resizing without cropping stretches or squashes your face.
3. Export as a JPG at high quality, around 80 to 90 percent in most editors. That keeps a 400 x 400 profile photo well under any platform's limit.
4. Check it at the size people will see it. A LinkedIn photo is often seen as a small circle in search results. Your face should still be clear there.

One set of photos for every size

The simplest way to cover all of these is to start from a sharp, well-lit headshot with some space around your head, then crop a square for your profiles, a 4:5 portrait for your website, and a small portrait for a CV. Our guide to taking a good LinkedIn photo covers the profile photo itself, and what makes a headshot covers the basics of framing.

Headshots by Magic Studio turns about ten of your own photos into 50 AI headshots across 5 looks, ready in 15 minutes. You see them before paying. The full set gives you enough to crop for every size above. The free AI headshot generator lets you try it first, with no sign-up.

Common questions

What is the standard size for a headshot?

For acting, an 8 x 10 inch print, which is 2400 x 3000 pixels at 300 DPI. For online profiles, a square image of at least 400 x 400 pixels. There is no single standard that covers both.

What aspect ratio should a headshot be?

4:5 for prints, acting headshots and websites, and 1:1 for profile photos. Both are portrait or square. CV and ID photos in Europe and Japan are usually 3:4.

What size should a LinkedIn profile photo be?

At least 400 x 400 pixels, square, under 8 MB, as a JPG or PNG. LinkedIn shows it as a circle, so keep your head centered with space around it.

What size is an 8 x 10 headshot in pixels?

2400 x 3000 pixels at 300 DPI, which is the resolution most printers ask for.

What size is a work badge photo?

Whatever your badge office asks for. Most want a square of 300 x 300 to 800 x 800 pixels, or a 3:4 or 4:5 portrait of around 600 x 750 pixels. If no size is given, a square of 600 x 600 pixels or larger, face filling most of the frame, works on almost any card printer.

What size should a headshot be for a meet-the-team page?

Match the photos already on the page. Most company websites use a 4:5 portrait of at least 800 x 1000 pixels, and some use squares. Using one shape and one framing for the whole team matters more than the exact size.

Is 8 x 10 or 8 x 12 better for acting headshots?

8 x 10. It is the standard casting directors and agents expect, and résumés are cut to that size. 8 x 12 only saves cropping the camera's 2:3 frame.

Are headshots square?

Online profile photos are square, and most platforms then show them as a circle. Printed and website headshots are portrait, usually 4:5. Shoot or keep a version with space around you so you can crop either shape.

How do I crop a headshot to an exact size like 1,500 x 2,100 pixels?

Crop to the ratio first (1,500 x 2,100 is 5:7), then resize the crop to exactly 1,500 x 2,100 pixels. Start from a photo at least that large, so you never have to enlarge it.

How much of the photo should my face fill?

About 60 to 70 percent of the height of the frame for a headshot, with your eyes about a third of the way down. Passport photos set it tighter: the head takes up one half to two thirds of a US passport photo.