Summary: /* Edit, crop, upload */
Social media photos are ubiquitous -- your friends and followers see them in their feeds every day -- so you'd better create one that's going to set you apart from hundreds of other thumbnail-sized faces.
==Who are you?==
The point of social media, of course, is to share information and ideas with other people. And to do that, you need to be yourself.
If you're conservative or shy, it's possible that a simple, well-lit photo of your head and shoulders really represents who you are. If that's the case, great. Choose a simple background, a nice button-down shirt, soft lighting, and you're all set.
[[Image:Yoga-Instructor.jpg]] [[Image:Yoga-Instructor2.jpg]]
''Photos by [http://www.flickr.com/photos/mistagregory/3467384676/ MistaGregory] via Flickr''
But if you spend your summers following Phish, or if you're a '''yoga instructor''' or a firefighter, you should work that into your shot. After all, who wants to take a yoga class taught by somebody who looks like an accountant?
==If you're recycling, shoot for the moon==
Unless you've just stepped out of a time machine from 1983, you should have tons of photos of yourself on your hard drive or your phone. Recycling one of those is OK, but don't just choose any old picture.
You know those photos where you think you look great, but you've cropped out your old boyfriend? And we can see his arm? Don't be that person. Really. It's awkward. And that photo of you with a group of friends? The one where you're squatting? It's even worse. '''No squatting -- please!'''
[[Image:Photo-squatting-instructions1.jpg]]
[[Image:Photo-squatting-instructions2.jpg]]
Are you sure you don't have anything better? Do all your friends and followers a favor and try and find the very best photo you have. That means you look great, you're happy, and you're the only one in the picture. Then crop it so that our focus is on your face, or you having a great time doing whatever you love.
If for some reason you don't have any good photos of yourself, it couldn't be easier to shoot a new one. So let's talk about that.
==The size and shape of things==
When you're planning the composition of your shot, plan for the shape, and remember that square shapes are more widely used. (See the next section for site-specific sizes).
You need to think how much of you ?- or how little ?- your friends will be able to see. So think of a head-and-shoulders shot, or a partial-face shot for you arty types. Whatever you do, it needs to be recognizable when cropped to the correct dimensions and sized down smaller than a postage stamp.
===What size is best?===
The different social networks have different allowed sizes for profile pictures. But always think in squares -- here's why.
'''Twitter''' uses two different sizes of the same square image. The larger size, which only appears at the top of your profile page, is 130px by 130px. The small size, which appears in people's timelines, is 50px by 50px. Compose your picture as any size square, but be mindful that Twitter will shrink it to 130x130 on your profile.
'''Google''', '''Yahoo''' and '''LinkedIn''' profile pictures are also square. The sizes vary, but all are under 150px.
'''Facebook''' is more complicated. Your profile photo can be a rectangle up to 180px wide and up to 540px tall, and that's what will appear on your profile page. But in News Feeds and on other people's Walls, your picture will be a 52px by 52px square. Facebook will automatically crop your photo right in the middle, and its robot brain can be unforgiving.
Here's what to do for Facebook: Make a profile photo that's 180px wide, and however tall it needs to be, then upload it. Next, hover over your profile picture on your Facebook profile and you'll see a little pencil appear in the upper right corner. Click this pencil to get the Edit Your Profile Picture menu. Choose Edit Thumbnail, then make your own crop, choosing the square region that best suits your photo. See our cropping tips below.
[[Image:FacebookProfile.jpg|thumb|562px|left]]
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==Lights, camera, action!==
Some folks never think about lighting when taking a photo. Big mistake.
When planning your shot, avoid direct light, which creates hard, dark shadows under your nose or chin and emphasizes wrinkles, blemishes and extra chins. A camera's flash and direct sunlight are both unflattering.
Try to create or take advantage of diffuse light, which produces soft shadows. One way to do this is to shoot outside on a cloudy day or under some shade on a bright day ?- or during the golden hour, which is near dusk. Indoors, you can shoot in a room with a few lamps with low-watt bulbs, or if you have a room with a window, against the opposite wall.
You'll know when you have the right mix: Your face will be clear and softly lit in the photo, and there won't be any dark shadows against the wall behind you or on your face. Experiment. You'll figure it out.
As for cameras, you can work with almost anything, though you should try for the best camera you can finagle. Here are some tips:
* If you're using a point-and-shoot or DSLR, experiment with a low aperture. Try between 1.8 and 4. It will soften or blur the background while keeping a sharp focus on your face.
* With a DSLR, use a lens that's somewhere between 50 and 200 mm. The longer the focus, the softer the background.
* Use a tripod. It should help you get a more stable image, and you can experiment with different settings without having to reframe the shot.
* With an iPhone or other smartphone, you'll need better light, but you can get great results as long as the photographer has steady hands.
==Edit, crop, upload==
This is the easy part. Upload your photos to your computer, open them up with a simple photo editing program, like Photoshop Elements or iPhoto, and take a good look at what you have.
If you don't have any photo editing software, use a free site like [http://mypictr.com/ mypictr.com] which lets you size your picture based on which network you're uploading it to.
When you're feeling good about the photo ?- which means you actually look cool now, instead of like someone surprised you -? log in to your social media account and upload it. This is also a good final editing ground. Facebook, for example, lets you make your own square thumbnail once you've uploaded your shot.
'''Some notes on cropping:'''
[[Image:cropping-japan.jpg]]
* Get in tight around the face, but not too tight. A bit of a background looks more natural.
* Try to keep the background a uniform color and texture. If you can see the corner of a poster or a shadow off to the side of your photo, crop it out.
* People look funny without chins. They're also less recognizable. If you have to make a choice, leave the chin and crop the top of the head.
* Shrink the photo down to a much smaller size (50px by 50px) to replicate what it will look like online. If it doesn't look like you, tighten your crop.
==More Tips==
Creating a great social media profile pic should be easy. Just think about creating a distinct, cool shot of you, and experiment until you get it right.
For more of a "straight" shot, keep the background simple and focus on great lighting.
If you're looking for something other than a headshot, go for a more colorful, arty take that shows people who you are. Have fun with it.
Use an altered perspective, play with eye contact, or introduce props. [http://www.digital-photography-school.com/10-ways-to-take-stunning-portraits Some great tips here].
Grab a friend and shoot each other's shots.
If at first you don't succeed, try, try again. Just don't get lazy and use some shot of you with your shirt off from last year's vacation. No one wants to see that.
[[Category:Photo]]
[[Category:Facebook]]
[[Category:Internet]]
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