AI is everywhere now. Sometimes it makes life easier. It seems like it has new, improved capabilities every day! But sometimes it’s not really that helpful, and it’s hard to always know if a task is suited for AI’s current skill level. In our business, we’ve looked at AI headshots, and while the technology is pretty amazing, it’s definitely not yet at a level that will give you a professional-looking headshot. But what about using AI to generate a a background for your photo? We checked it out, and here’s what we learned about AI background for headshots.
AI Background for Headshots: A Great Tool
We’ve already talked about how sometimes it is more feasible to insert a background image, say, of your place of business, into the blank background of your studio headshot, than to actually photograph you in your business space. The same can apply to AI backgrounds.
One case you might want to use an AI-generated image in your background is if you’re looking for a certain vibe that isn’t immediately available in the studio. For example, you might want a backdrop that looks like natural wood planks, or a brick wall. Often the fake printed fabrics that studios use, printed with a pattern of wood or bricks, look—well, fake. You don’t want to invoke department store senior portraits of the 80’s. AI does a good job of generating a realistic backdrop like this.
One way we’ve used AI backgrounds in our studio is to create an image that matches with the rest of a company’s headshots. Melanie came in for a headshot and got some great photos on our modern, neutral studio background. However, on her company’s website, the other headshots were taken outdoors. She wanted, for the web page, to match her photo with theirs. We generated some AI options and chose one that looked realistic as well as matching in tone with the rest of the headshots. Problem solved!
Maybe you have a very specific background in mind for your photo, something that gives potential clients an immediate understanding of what you offer. You create the image using AI generation, but you still want to use a professional studio headshot. No worries! When you get your headshot updated with us, we’re happy to professionally add your AI background to your photo.
AI Backgrounds for Headshots: Not Always Good
Not every image generated by AI is going to be what you expect. AI makes mistakes or misunderstands prompts, or sometimes seems to just not be listening. If you’re generating your own AI images for your headshot background, just be aware that it may take several tries to get something you’re happy with. When we worked on Melanie’s background for the images above, we got a lot of unusable, fake-looking ones. While it’s not hard to ask the program to try again, you do have to be wary of using the images it creates.
Whether you are considering creating an AI background for your headshot, or you’ve decided to go with the clean, modern look of a solid color backdrop, Berks Headshots can help. We’re a professional headshot studio with over a decade of experience photographing portraits. Learn more about our headshot sessions here, or, if you know you’re ready to update your headshot, book a session instantly online!
