Headshot Sizes and Dimensions Guide for LinkedIn, Resumes, Websites, and Print

Getting a great headshot is only half the story. If the size, crop or resolution is wrong, your photo can look blurry, strangely cropped or unprofessional on LinkedIn, your resume, your website or in print.

This guide walks through the exact sizes, aspect ratios and resolutions you need for the most common professional uses, plus simple cropping rules you can follow every time. You will also see where a high‑resolution AI headshot from BetterPic fits in.

Key Concepts: Pixels, DPI And Aspect Ratio

Before choosing a headshot size, it helps to understand three basic terms:

• Pixels
  Pixels are the tiny squares that make up a digital image. A size like 400 × 400 pixels describes how wide and tall the file is on screen.
• Aspect ratio
  Aspect ratio is the relationship between width and height, written as width:height. Common headshot ratios:
  • 1:1 - square, used for profile photos on LinkedIn and Instagram
  • 4:5 - classic vertical headshot, ideal for 8 × 10 inch prints
  • 2:3 - slightly taller than wide, often used when you want more of the environment in the frame (Source: The Studio Pod)
• DPI (dots per inch) / PPI (pixels per inch)
  DPI describes how many printed dots a printer places in one inch of paper. For photo prints up close, 300 DPI is the standard for crisp results. An 8 × 10 inch print at 300 DPI needs 2400 × 3000 pixels (8 × 300 and 10 × 300) (Source: StorePhotos).

For the web, DPI does not matter. Only pixel dimensions matter on screens.

Standard Headshot Sizes For Print (8×10 And More)

Most printed professional headshots use the 4:5 aspect ratio. The industry standard for actors and many professionals is 8 × 10 inches.

Recommended Print Sizes And Resolutions

At 300 DPI, you should aim for at least the pixel sizes below:

In centimeters, an 8 × 10 inch headshot is about 20.3 × 25.4 cm

Practical tip: If you plan to print later, capture or export your headshot at 2400 × 3000 pixels or higher so you can crop for both print and web without losing quality.

BetterPic generates 4K headshots, which comfortably exceed 2400 × 3000 pixels, so you can create clean 8 × 10 prints and still have room to crop for LinkedIn or your website

Digital Headshot Sizes By Platform

LinkedIn Headshot Size

LinkedIn uses a square (1:1) profile photo that appears as a circle.

• Minimum recommended size: 400 × 400 px
• Common best practice: export at 800 × 800 to 1200 × 1200 px for extra sharpness on modern screens
• File size limit: up to 8 MB
• Formats: JPG or PNG (Source: Buffer, Image For Post)

Because LinkedIn crops your photo into a circle, keep your face centered, leave a little space above your head and avoid important details near the corners.

Quick answer: If you only want one export for LinkedIn, 800 × 800 px, 1:1, JPG is a safe choice.

Instagram Profile Photo Size

Instagram also uses a square profile picture displayed as a circle.

• Minimum stored size: 320 × 320 px
• Appears around 110 × 110 px on mobile, so start with a higher resolution for clarity
• Recommended by many guides: upload at 320 × 320 px or larger for a clean result (Source: Brandwatch, Image For Post)

If you want one square headshot that works for both LinkedIn and Instagram, a 1000 × 1000 px export is easy to downscale and keeps the image sharp.

Quick Platform Reference For Square Headshots

For other professional platforms (Upwork, Fiverr, freelancing sites), a square 400–800 px headshot in JPG format is usually accepted (Source: Portrait Pal).

Headshot Size For Resumes And CVs

Resume norms vary by country. Where photos are acceptable or expected:

• Digital resume (PDF):
  • Square 400–600 px wide works well
  • Keep file size modest so your PDF stays small (for example, under ~200 KB for the image) (Source: Business‑Headshots.ai)
• Printed resume:
  • A 2 × 2 inch square photo at 300 DPI is common
  • That equals 600 × 600 pixels (Source: Business‑Headshots.ai)

If you are applying in the United States, double‑check whether a photo is recommended for your field. When in doubt, prioritize LinkedIn and your website instead.

Headshot Specs For Websites And Team Pages

On websites, you control the layout. The main goal is consistency: same aspect ratio, similar head size, similar background for everyone.

Common Website Headshot Sizes

Web design and performance guides often recommend:

• Team grid thumbnails:
  • Aspect ratio 1:1 or 4:5
  • Export around 200–400 px wide for regular screens and a 2× version for retina (for example, 200 and 400 px)
• Larger bio or leadership photos:
  • Aspect ratio 4:5 or 3:4
  • Export around 500–1000 px wide plus a 2× version (for example, 500 and 1000 px)
  • Aim for 80–200 KB per image to keep pages fast (Source: Headyshot)

Some organizations publish specific guidelines, like 400 × 400 px, 1:1 for profile headshots, to keep directories and team pages uniform (Source: Utah State University).

If you want a simple standard that works in most website themes:

• Square option: export at 800 × 800 px then let your CMS resize as needed
• Portrait option (more formal): export at 800 × 1000 px (4:5) for bios (Source: Business‑Headshots.ai)

BetterPic’s 4K exports give you enough detail that designers can create separate crops for small grids, detailed bios and press kits without re‑shooting photos (Source: BetterPic).

How To Crop A Professional Headshot

Correct cropping is as important as the size. Follow these steps whether you are preparing a photo from a traditional shoot or exporting from BetterPic.

1. Choose The Right Aspect Ratio

Pick an aspect ratio based on where the image will appear:

• 1:1 for LinkedIn, Instagram, avatars and team grids
• 4:5 for 8 × 10 prints, many websites and more formal portraits

Start with a larger file (for example, a 4K BetterPic export) and crop down to the ratio you need.

2. Use The Rule Of Thirds For Eye Placement

Most portrait experts recommend placing the subject’s eyes about one third of the way down from the top of the frame, not in the vertical center. This follows the classic rule of thirds and gives a balanced, natural look (Source: Wikipedia - Headroom).

Practical steps:

1. Imagine a 3 × 3 grid over your image.
2. Move the crop so the eyes sit close to the top horizontal grid line.
3. Keep a little space above the head. Around 10–20% of the frame as headroom works well (Source: Business‑Headshots.ai).

3. Frame Head And Upper Shoulders

For professional headshots:

• Include the top of the shoulders and some chest
• Avoid extreme close‑ups where the chin or head is cut off poorly
• Avoid wide full‑body crops for profiles - they will look tiny on mobile

A good rule is to let your face fill about 55–70% of the height of the image so that facial features stay clear even at small sizes (Source: Business‑Headshots.ai).

4. Keep The Background Simple

For LinkedIn, resumes and corporate sites, a plain or softly blurred background works best:

• Neutral gray, soft white or subtle office tones
• No busy patterns, logos or distracting objects in the frame

This helps compression and keeps attention on your expression (Source: AI Image Edit).

File Format, Color And Resolution Best Practices

A few technical choices keep your headshots flexible across print and web.

File Formats

• JPG (JPEG): best default for photos. Good quality with small file sizes.
• PNG: useful when you need transparency, or when graphics and logos are combined with your photo (Source: ListReports).
• WebP: smaller files for modern browsers. Many web teams now use WebP with JPG as a fallback (Source: Headyshot).

Color Profile

Export in sRGB so colors look consistent across browsers and devices (Source: Headyshot).

Resolution Checklist

• For print: export at the final print size at 300 DPI when possible, for example 2400 × 3000 px for 8 × 10 in.
• For web: match the pixel dimensions your platform or website design needs; DPI has no impact on how the image appears on screen (Source: ReadyCalculator).

How BetterPic Helps With Headshot Sizes And Consistency

BetterPic is designed to make both individual and team headshots easy to use everywhere:

• High resolution: BetterPic delivers 4K headshots, giving you plenty of pixels for clean 8 × 10 prints, LinkedIn crops and website layouts from one set of files (Source: BetterPic).
• Multiple styles and backgrounds: You can choose from many outfits and backgrounds, then export neutral options for LinkedIn and more creative looks for social media (Source: BetterPic).
• Commercial license: You receive full commercial rights to your generated headshots, so you can use them on social media, websites, business cards and more without extra licensing steps (Source: BetterPic).
• Team consistency: For teams, BetterPic can generate matching crops, similar backgrounds and coordinated styles so HR or marketing no longer has to chase people for new photos.

Because all of your images start at a high resolution, you can safely create versions for LinkedIn, resumes, your website and print from the same session.

Quick Reference Cheat Sheet

Use this table when you just need the numbers.

Frequently Asked Questions

What Size Should My LinkedIn Headshot Be?

Use a square 1:1 headshot. LinkedIn recommends 400 × 400 px minimum, but exporting at 800 × 800 or 1000 × 1000 px gives a sharper result on modern devices (Source: Buffer, Image For Post). Keep your face centered with your eyes about one third from the top.

What Resolution Do I Need For An 8×10 Printed Headshot?

For a high quality print, aim for 300 DPI at 8 × 10 inches, which equals 2400 × 3000 pixels. This is the standard many print labs and photo guides recommend for photo‑quality prints up close (Source: StorePhotos, PrintUpscale).

What Are The Standard 8×10 Headshot Dimensions?

Physically, a standard headshot print is 8 × 10 inches, roughly 20.3 × 25.4 cm, with a 4:5 aspect ratio. Digitally, prepare the file at 2400 × 3000 px for 300 DPI printing (Source: PrintUpscale).

How Do I Crop A Professional Headshot Using The One Third Rule?

Use the rule of thirds grid:

1. Choose a 1:1 or 4:5 crop.
2. Place the eyes on or near the top horizontal third line.
3. Include head and upper shoulders.
4. Leave a small amount of space above the head.

This eye placement is a widely recommended starting point for portraits and helps your photo feel balanced and natural

What Square Profile Photo Size Works For Both Instagram And LinkedIn?

If you want one file that you can reuse:

• Export a square JPG at 800 × 800 or 1000 × 1000 px.
• Upload the same file to LinkedIn and Instagram.

LinkedIn will accept 400 × 400 px and higher and Instagram stores profile photos at 320 × 320 px, so an 800–1000 px source keeps both platforms looking sharp (Source: Buffer, Brandwatch).

If you are starting from BetterPic’s 4K headshots, you can create all of these versions quickly without worrying about losing quality.