Fix your LinkedIn photo in a minute. Crop, light, done.

What LinkedIn asks of a profile photo

• Size: between 400 x 400 and 7680 x 4320 pixels.

• File: PNG or JPG, up to 8MB. GIFs are not supported.

• Likeness: LinkedIn says the photo must reflect your likeness. Illustrations and caricatures are allowed.

That last rule is why a good edit fixes the photo rather than changing the person. Light, crop and color are fair game. A different face is not.

Five fixes to make in this LinkedIn photo editor

• Fill the frame. LinkedIn's own tips say to aim for your face filling about 60% of the space. Most selfies are taken from too far away, so zoom in.

• Center and straighten. Keep your head level and your eyes in the upper part of the frame. A slight tilt reads as casual.

• Lift the shadows. Indoor photos are often dark. Raise brightness a little and contrast a little, not a lot.

• Fix the color. Office lights can turn skin green or orange. Use warmth to bring it back to how you look.

• Check it small. Most people see your photo at thumbnail size, next to your posts and comments. The preview shows it at that size.

Common profile photo mistakes

• The cropped group photo. A stranger's shoulder at the edge gives it away. Crop tighter, or pick a photo of just you.

• The ten-year-old photo. People should recognize you on a video call. Use something recent.

• The heavy filter. Beauty filters and strong presets look fake at any size. Small, natural corrections only.

• The tiny file. A photo saved from a chat app is often too small and blurry. Start from the original.

Keep the background simple

LinkedIn's photo tips recommend a simple background so you stay the focal point, and note that solid colors tend to do best on camera. If your background is busy, crop tighter so less of it shows. A plain wall and window light will beat any filter.

Why the photo is worth ten minutes

LinkedIn says that just having a profile picture makes your profile 14 times more likely to be viewed. The photo also sits beside every comment you leave, so it is the face of your whole presence on the platform, not only your profile page.

A good photo, then a profile worth the click

Once the photo looks right, the people who click it see your headline, your About section and your recent posts. Sharpen the words with the LinkedIn headline analyzer, frame the top of the page with the LinkedIn banner maker, and keep your activity fresh with VoiceMoat: audenAI learns from your own content and drafts LinkedIn posts and comments in your voice. The Chrome extension even drafts comments right inside LinkedIn.