Having a professional looking LinkedIn profile is critical for making a great first impression and standing out from the crowd. A key element of an eye-catching LinkedIn profile is having a high-quality profile photo. With the right photo editing app, you can transform your profile photo from good to great. But with so many options available, how do you know which app is best for editing photos specifically for LinkedIn? This comprehensive guide will walk through the leading photo editing apps for LinkedIn, outlining the key features, capabilities, pros and cons of each to help you determine the best option.
Key Features to Look for in a LinkedIn Photo Editing App
When evaluating photo editing apps for LinkedIn, there are certain key features you’ll want to ensure the app provides in order to get maximum results:
– Cropping and resizing: Being able to crop your photo precisely to meet LinkedIn’s recommended dimensions (400 x 400 pixels minimum) is essential.
– Background removal: The ability to easily replace or blur your background helps place emphasis on you rather than distracting surroundings.
– Lighting correction: Fixing any underexposure, overexposure or color issues makes your photo look more professional.
– Blemish removal: Small touch-ups to smooth skin, minimize wrinkles, whiten teeth, remove red-eye, etc. can give you a polished look.
– Color correction: Adjusting color, contrast, brightness and saturation makes your photo pop.
– Retouching: Subtle improvements through techniques like airbrushing can refine your appearance.
– Facial recognition: Apps that can identify faces make editing easier and faster.
– Preset filters: Pre-made filters specifically designed to enhance professional headshots can instantly elevate your photo.
– Manual adjustments: Full control over edits through granular sliders allows precision fine-tuning.
– Undo/redo: Ability to easily undo mistakes or revert back through edit history.
– Saving options: Can save at high resolution for print or lower resolution for web.
– Batch editing: Editing multiple photos with the same adjustments saves significant time.
– Availability: Accessible across devices (desktop, smartphone, tablet) so you can edit on-the-go.
– Cost: App pricing models range from free to monthly/annual subscriptions.
Keeping these features in mind as we examine the leading options will help determine which is the best fit for your LinkedIn photo editing needs.
Top Photo Editing Apps for LinkedIn
Now let’s explore some of the top contenders for best LinkedIn photo editing app based on their capabilities, advantages, disadvantages and value:
Adobe Photoshop Express
Adobe Photoshop Express is a trimmed down mobile version of Adobe’s industry standard Photoshop photo editing software.
Key Features:
– Crop, rotate and resize
– Exposure, color & contrast adjustments
– Blemish removal
– Filters and effects
– Frames and collages
– Undo/redo capability
– Facial recognition for easy editing
– Batch editing
– Cloud storage and syncing across devices
Pros:
– Powerful and versatile editing capabilities
– Facial recognition makes touch-ups easy
– Integrates with Photoshop ecosystem
– Free basic version available
Cons:
– Full features require paid subscription
– Advanced features can have learning curve
– Primarily mobile focused
Cost: Free or paid Premium version ($9.99/month)
Overall, Photoshop Express is a top choice for comprehensive photo editing. The robust features and facial recognition paired with Adobe’s trusted reputation make it well-suited for sprucing up your LinkedIn profile pic. The learning curve and subscription cost are potential downsides.
Pixelmator
Pixelmator is a full-featured image editing app available for iOS and Mac.
Key Features:
– Cropping and resizing
– Color correction
– Layer-based editing
– Selection tools
– Batch editing
– iCloud syncing
– ML Enhance feature
– 100+ presets
Pros:
– Professional-grade editing tools
– User-friendly interface
– Powerful AI-based editing built-in
– Reasonably priced
– Sleek design
Cons:
– Some advanced Photoshop features missing
– No facial recognition
– Mac/iOS only
Cost: $4.99 iOS, $39.99 Mac
Pixelmator is a versatile photo editor with pro-level features contained in an easy to use app. The ML Enhance feature harnesses AI to automatically improve photos. For Mac users, Pixelmator is an affordable Photoshop alternative. The lack of facial recognition and limited platform availability are drawbacks to consider.
Fotor
Fotor is a free cross-platform photo editor with advanced capabilities through paid tiers.
Key Features:
– Crop, resize, rotate
– Exposure, color & sharpness adjustments
– Blemish removal
– Collages
– Background editor
– HDR effects
– Tilt shift
– Over 200 fonts
– Batch editing
Pros:
– Wide range of editing tools
– Intuitive drag and drop interface
– Excellent value for free version
– Additional capabilities through premium tiers
– Cross-platform
Cons:
– Requires subscription for more advanced features
– Minimal facial recognition
– Aggressive premium upgrading
Cost: Free or paid Pro ($8.99/month)
Fotor provides an impressive set of free photo editing features. Upgrading to premium unlocks more advanced capabilities like batch editing and background replacement. The free version is quite usable on its own. Fotor’s frequent nudging to upgrade and lack of robust facial recognition are limitations.
Canva
Canva is an immensely popular graphic design platform with integrated photo editing tools.
Key Features:
– Photo filters and effects
– Background and object removal
– Resizing and cropping
– Templates
– Animation
– Collaborative editing
– Drag and drop design
– 10,000+ fonts, illustrations, images
– Cross-platform
Pros:
– Extremely user-friendly interface
– Great selection of templates and design assets
– Batch image editing
– Team collaboration capabilities
– Free basic version feature-rich
Cons:
– Less control over manual adjustments
– More limited editing capabilities than dedicated photo editors
– File export constrained in free version
Cost: Free or Canva Pro ($12.95/month)
Canva makes photo editing incredibly easy through an intuitive drag and drop interface. The huge library of templates and assets allows you to enhance your LinkedIn headshot without much effort. It does lack more advanced editing functionality offered by standalone photo editors. But simplicity and convenience are Canva’s focus.
PicMonkey
PicMonkey is an online photo editor with a user-friendly interface and plenty of stylistic templates.
Key Features:
– Templates
– Touch up tools
– Effects and textures
– Background removal
– Color adjustments
– Graphics and overlays
– Collages
– Animation
– Cloud storage integration
Pros:
– Intuitive design with guided edits
– Numerous templates for fast styling
– Helpful tutorials and tips
– Feature-rich free plan
– Good selection of fonts and graphics
Cons:
– Less control than standalone editors
– Requires subscription for layers and more features
– Some functionality only in paid plans
– Mostly web-based
Cost: Free or paid plans from $7.99/month
PicMonkey makes enhancing your LinkedIn headshot fast and frustration-free. With stylistic templates and intuitive tools aimed at non-designers, achieving an eye-catching profile photo is easy. Lack of more advanced functionality and forced upgrades are limitations.
PhotoDirector
PhotoDirector is a highly-rated photo editor packed with professional features.
Key Features:
– Layers support
– RAW editing
– AI-based tools
– Sophisticated editing effects
– Content-aware removal
– Batch editing
– 360-degree editing
– Brush and gradient tools
– Facial recognition
Pros:
– Powerful tools rivaling Photoshop
– Intuitive user interface
– Excellent value with cheap one-time payment
– Cross-platform availability
– Great for both quick and detailed edits
Cons:
– Significant learning curve for some tools
– Less templates and creative content than some competitors
– Relatively small user community for help
Cost: $2.99 iOS, $29.99 Windows, $52.99 Mac one-time purchase
PhotoDirector lives up to its name with incredible editing tools that pros will appreciate. Yet it retains an accessible interface. The one-time payment makes PhotoDirector a cost-effective option. The learning curve and smaller community are potential downsides.
Snapseed
Snapseed is a mobile photo editor developed by Google with sophisticated features packaged in an intuitive interface.
Key Features:
– Filters and effects
– Healing brush
– Brush tool
– Face enhancements
– Lens blur
– HDR Scape
– Perspective correction
– Double exposure
– Focal blur
Pros:
– Powerful editing in a user-friendly app
– Completely free
– Excellent performance and speed
– Universal iOS and Android app
– Intuitive touch gestures for mobile
– Automatic saving and backup
Cons:
– Only available as mobile app
– More limited than desktop photo editors
– No layers, RAW editing, plugins, etc.
– Learning curve on some advanced tools
Cost: Free
Snapseed squeezes professional-caliber photo corrections and enhancements into a zero-cost mobile app. The intuitive touch interface makes powerful editing accessible. Just don’t expect desktop-level functionality from the mobile-only platform. But it excels at routine fixes and filters.
Key Considerations for Your LinkedIn Photo
Beyond just choosing the right photo editing app, there are a few other key considerations for getting the best results for your LinkedIn profile picture:
Background
The background is incredibly important for maintaining a professional look. Solid, neutral colors work best so your face becomes the focal point. White, gray and muted blue are commonly recommended backgrounds. Avoid distracting patterns or busy environments. A shallow depth of field can throw the background nicely out of focus as well.
Lighting
Proper lighting is essential for an appealing headshot. Soft, even lighting minimizes shadows and reduces glare from the camera flash. Outdoor shade on a partly cloudy day creates flattering natural lighting. If shooting indoors, placing a reflector on the opposite side of the light source helps fill in facial shadows.
Composition
Fill most of the frame with your head and shoulders. Leave a small amount of space above your head for a balanced look. Maintain good posture by keeping your chin parallel to the ground, not angling up or down. Look directly into the camera with a pleasant facial expression that feels natural. A slight smile is recommended to appear friendly and approachable.
Retouching
Subtle retouching like evening skin tone, reducing shine, whitening teeth, sharpening eyes can drastically enhance your photo. But avoid going overboard with edits that make your photo look obviously artificially smoothed and perfected. Maintain a natural, authentic look. Less is more when retouching for LinkedIn.
Attire
Dress professionally for your headshot. Solid color tops or blouses photograph well. Avoid busy patterns or logos. Make sure clothing fits well and is neatly ironed. For men, a suit and tie or dress shirt create a polished appearance. Take photos with and without glasses to determine which flatters you best.
Conclusion
Selecting the right editing app for fine-tuning your LinkedIn profile photo is an important piece of putting your best foot forward professionally. The apps explored above each have their particular strengths and weaknesses. Key considerations include your budget, preferred platform, editing experience level and exactly which enhancements your photo most needs. Adobe Photoshop Express, Pixelmator and PhotoDirector are excellent choices for powerful yet accessible editing. Canva, PicMonkey and Snapseed provide professional looking results through an easy interface. With the right photo editor tailored to your needs, you can present a headshot that catches attention and leaves a superb impression.