With AI generated headshots, 10-25 selfies of yourself need to be submitted to properly assess your data. These are not shots of you on vacation or at the park. You will need to create this many business-like images. AI uses the data from all of these images to create your headshot. So, what can go wrong?
- Your skin looks rubbery and shiny. Computer technology does this to take away imperfections. That is a dead give-away your image is computer generated. It does not look real. In post-production, we edit any imperfections manually with Photoshop and never “erase” everything on the face. Each image is completed individually to each client’s specifications. The result is a polished and professional image that looks like you.
- With AI generated images, the skin on the nose, cheeks and under-eye areas lacks dimension, looking almost cartoonish. Eyes will look too white and/or demented. You can have an over-eager or alternatively “dead in the eyes” look. Hands are rendered in incorrect proportions that look creepy. You can crop them out. But if you want a portrait style photo with hands showing, you are out of luck. You may like one that looks like you, but it may have clothing that is not flattering to you or something you would never wear. Or you may get an image with clothing that is something you like, but your teeth or eyes don’t look like you. The results are inconsistent.
- If you work for an employer who needs specific guidelines for a professional headshot, the current technology cannot match an extremely specific set of style guidelines. Currently, this technology collects random images online. These random backgrounds and clothing attire may have little relevance to you. You don’t have control of the specifics for your images.
- You are posing yourself. You are smiling what you think is your best. Most people don’t know how to pose or even smile properly. As professional photographers, we know how to pose you in a way that is flattering to you. When we are photographing a client, we get them to relax which creates the best expressions that look genuine. And you want to look genuine, right?
- Quite often most people don’t know which image is the best or at the least are not sure. And comparing small images with different backgrounds and lighting is not the easiest thing to do. We assist you with your image selection. We compare large images of you on our computer screen side by side in the same outfit and the same background. Your hair, eyes, and facial expressions are easy to distinguish when that is the only thing that is different in each image. At the end of your image selection, you tell us what YOU want edited. That personal touch is not there with AI.
- We can change the color of the background to your choice. We can match your background color to the exact background color used by others in your company’s website. Each image you select can have a different background color. You may select a color that coordinates or matches what you are wearing or something that brings out your eyes. AI cannot do that for you.
Most importantly, there is the ethical and legal aspects of using an altered image. It has long been the position of the U.S. Copyright Office that there is no copyright protection for works created by non-humans, including machines. Therefore, the product of a generative AI model cannot be copyrighted. Legally, these AI systems including image generators and chatbots like ChatGPT cannot be considered the author of the material they produce. What that means to you is your AI generated image can be used by anyone for any purpose, legal or non-legal, WITHOUT your permission and there is NOTHING you can do about it. If you are asked to submit a headshot to a new employer for their website, they will know immediately if it is an AI generated image. The metadata that is incorporated on images taken with a camera is missing from an AI generated image. In addition, computer generated profile photos on platforms or company websites creates a significant security and safety risk by allowing people to falsely represent their appearance.
With D2 Photography, you receive an image with metadata that proves the image was created by a human. Your image is protected by U.S. Copyright Laws, and we issue you a Copyright Release in your name granting you the right to use your image for any business or personal purpose. AI companies cannot do that, nor will they do that for you.
