Does the tool use AI to retouch my photo?

The tool uses canvas-based pixel operations: brightness, contrast, saturation, sharpening, a box-blur convolution for skin smoothing, and a radial gradient mask for background blur: rather than a neural network. All processing runs in your browser with no server involved.

Will my face be recognised or stored?

No. The tool never uploads your image. No biometric data is extracted, stored, or transmitted. Everything stays on your device.

How does the background blur work?

A radial gradient mask centred on the upper-middle portion of the image identifies the subject zone. Pixels outside this zone receive progressive blur that increases toward the edges, simulating bokeh without any segmentation AI.

Which preset is best for LinkedIn?

The 'Professional' preset is designed for business profile photos: moderate brightness lift, stronger contrast, slightly desaturated tones, and a gentle background blur. It suits most headshots shot in office or neutral environments.

My photo has a busy background: will the blur look natural?

The gradient mask blurs everything outside the centre zone uniformly, so it works best when the subject is centred. For photos with very cluttered or high-contrast backgrounds, keep the blur radius below 10 to avoid halo artefacts.

What resolution is the output?

The output matches the input resolution up to 2048px on the longest side. Images larger than 2048px are scaled down before processing to keep memory usage manageable.

Can I use the tool on a mobile phone?

Yes. The tool runs in any modern browser including mobile Safari and Chrome. Processing is heavier than a basic crop, so expect 1–3 seconds on a mid-range phone.

Completely free, no account, no watermarks. All presets and sliders are fully available without any subscription.

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Headshot Enhancer

Portrait-specific retouching: background blur, skin smoothing, tone presets. Perfect for LinkedIn and profile photos.

Drop a portrait photo here or click to browse

JPG, PNG, WebP: works best with face-centered portraits

How background blur works

A radial gradient mask is used to identify the portrait subject zone (center-top 50% of the image). Areas outside this zone receive progressive blur: simulating a shallow depth-of-field (bokeh) effect without any AI model.

For best results, use a photo where the subject is centered and clearly separated from the background.

Turn Any Portrait Photo into a Professional Headshot: No Upload, No AI Server

A strong LinkedIn or professional profile photo makes a measurable difference to how others perceive you, but booking a photographer or paying for a cloud AI headshot service costs time and money. AlteredIdea's headshot enhancer applies a set of portrait-specific retouching operations: background defocus, skin smoothing, tone correction, and sharpening: entirely inside your browser. Your photo is never uploaded to any server.

Six one-click presets cover the most common use cases: Natural for casual profiles, Professional for corporate settings, Warm for personal branding, Cool for modern tech aesthetics, Dramatic for bold creative profiles, and B&W for a timeless monochrome look. Each preset can be fine-tuned with individual sliders, and a side-by-side original comparison lets you judge every change before you download.

How to use: step by step

1
Upload your portrait photo
Drop or select a face-centred photo. JPEG, PNG and WebP work: the tool performs best when the subject fills most of the frame.
2
Pick a preset
Try Natural, Professional, Warm, Cool, Dramatic or B&W to instantly apply a pre-calibrated look. You can fine-tune any preset after applying it.
3
Add background blur
Drag the Background Blur slider to create a shallow depth-of-field effect that keeps the subject sharp and softens the surroundings.
4
Adjust skin smoothing
The Skin Smoothing slider applies a subtle pass that reduces the appearance of blemishes and pores without making the skin look plastic.
5
Compare and download
Toggle 'Compare original' to check your edits, then click 'Download Enhanced Photo' to save a high-quality JPEG.

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Frequently Asked Questions

Does the tool use AI to retouch my photo?: The tool uses canvas-based pixel operations: brightness, contrast, saturation, sharpening, a box-blur convolution for skin smoothing, and a radial gradient mask for background blur: rather than a neural network. All processing runs in your browser with no server involved.
Will my face be recognised or stored?: No. The tool never uploads your image. No biometric data is extracted, stored, or transmitted. Everything stays on your device.
How does the background blur work?: A radial gradient mask centred on the upper-middle portion of the image identifies the subject zone. Pixels outside this zone receive progressive blur that increases toward the edges, simulating bokeh without any segmentation AI.
Which preset is best for LinkedIn?: The 'Professional' preset is designed for business profile photos: moderate brightness lift, stronger contrast, slightly desaturated tones, and a gentle background blur. It suits most headshots shot in office or neutral environments.
My photo has a busy background: will the blur look natural?: The gradient mask blurs everything outside the centre zone uniformly, so it works best when the subject is centred. For photos with very cluttered or high-contrast backgrounds, keep the blur radius below 10 to avoid halo artefacts.
What resolution is the output?: The output matches the input resolution up to 2048px on the longest side. Images larger than 2048px are scaled down before processing to keep memory usage manageable.
Can I use the tool on a mobile phone?: Yes. The tool runs in any modern browser including mobile Safari and Chrome. Processing is heavier than a basic crop, so expect 1–3 seconds on a mid-range phone.
Is the tool free?: Completely free, no account, no watermarks. All presets and sliders are fully available without any subscription.

AlteredIdea vs alternatives

vs Aragon AI / ProfilePicture.ai: Those services upload your photos to AI servers to generate synthetic headshots. AlteredIdea retouches your actual photo locally: nothing is uploaded, and no synthetic face is generated.

vs Photoshop portrait retouching: No installation, no Healing Brush tutorials. Drop a photo, click a preset, download: done in under a minute on any device with a browser.

vs paid headshot tools: Completely free, no subscription, no credits to buy. All six presets and every adjustment slider are available to every visitor without sign-in.

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