How to Make Headshots on Photoshop

By Filonia LeChat

In the theater, film, modeling and television worlds, a headshot is your calling card. Like a business card but bigger, headshots give hiring managers, agents and casting directors their first glances of you, along with a way to contact you and give you that role of a lifetime. Experiment with making your own headshots using Adobe Photoshop, an ideal way to “role” play before committing to the expensive real thing. Design a different headshot for each role you go out for or create one that best represents your preferred image.

Step 1

Start Adobe Photoshop. Click the “File” menu. Click “New.” Enter “MyHeadshot” into the “Name” field on the “New” window. Enter “8.5” into the “Width” box. Enter “11” into the “Height” box. Choose “inches” from the two drop-down menus. Click the “OK” button to open the headshot canvas.

Step 2

Click the “File” menu again. Click “Open.” Browse to a close-up photo and double-click the name of the file, opening the image in a new tab on the Photoshop canvas.

Step 3

Click the “Image” menu. Click “Mode.” Click “Grayscale.” Click the “Discard” button. The image becomes black and white. Skip this step if your headshot photo was already black and white or if you want a full-color headshot.

Step 4

Click the “Select” menu. Click “All.” Click the “Edit” menu and select “Copy.” Click the “X” on the photo’s tab to close it. Click “No” when Photoshop asks whether to save your photo.

Step 5

Press the “Ctrl” and “V” keys to paste the copied headshot photo onto the headshot canvas. Resize the picture so it is slightly smaller than the canvas by clicking the “Edit” menu, selecting “Transform” and clicking “Scale.” Press and hold the “Shift” key on the keyboard, click a corner of the photo and drag towards the middle. You should be able to see a border of white from the “MyHeadshot” canvas all around your headshot photo. Leave a little extra white space at the bottom of the photo canvas.

Step 6

Click the “T” icon on the “Tools” collection on the left side of the screen. Choose a clear, easy to read font such as Arial Black from the toolbar at the top of the screen. If black is not already in the default color rectangle on the toolbar, click into the color rectangle, choose black and click “OK.”

Step 7

Click the bottom of the headshot canvas, in the white space. Type the name of the person whose headshot you are creating. If desired, type additional information such as height and weight, contact information such as your website, cell phone number or email address and most recent roles played.

References

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