Last month I needed a fresh photo for a speaking gig. Instead of booking a photographer, I spent 29 minutes and $39 on an AI headshot generator Eltima AI

The result? 127 images that look like I hired a $2,000 fashion photographer who also happens to be a wizard with lighting. My favorite one is now my LinkedIn photo, and I’ve already gotten three “who shot this?!” messages.

Here’s the non-hype version of what actually happens in late 2025.

The Process Is Stupidly Simple

1. I took 16 selfies in my living room at 4 p.m. on a cloudy day (window light only, phone at eye level, plain black T-shirt).
2. Uploaded them to a tool I won’t name because this isn’t sponsored.
3. Drank coffee while it processed for 34 minutes.
4. Scrolled through 127 variations: different outfits, backgrounds, expressions, lighting styles.
5. Downloaded the 12 I liked best in 6K resolution.

Total effort on my part: lower than brushing my teeth.

What Blew My Mind

• My slightly crooked nose is still slightly crooked (thank god, it’s me).
• The blazer fits my weirdly broad shoulders perfectly.
• My skin looks like skin, not Botox-adjacent plastic.
• There’s a tiny scar on my chin that showed up correctly in every single image.
• Even my slightly-asymmetric eyelids are consistent across all 127 photos.

Photographers reading this are probably crying into their seamless paper right now.

The Stuff That Still Isn’t Perfect

• My super-thin silver eyeglass frames vanished in about 15 % of the shots (I just deleted those).
• One batch gave me weird zombie hands when I tried a waist-up crop (I stuck to chest-up).
• Super intricate beard patterns can get simplified if your source photos don’t match perfectly.

That’s literally it. Three minor issues out of 127 images.

Who This Actually Works For (Almost Everyone)

• Job hunters who need to look employable yesterday
• Founders raising money (yes, investors notice crusty 2018 photos)
• Remote teams that want consistent branding without coordinating 40 shoots
• Anyone who hates sitting still while someone tells them to “think of something funny”

The Price Reality Check

$39 once → unlimited headshots for life (or at least until I change my face dramatically).

Vs.

$400–$800 every time I grow a beard, lose 15 lbs, or just feel like my current photo makes me look tired.

It’s not even a choice anymore.

Final Thought

I still love real photography. I’ll still hire a human for creative shoots, album covers, or family portraits.

But for the boring, functional “person who does work” photo that lives on LinkedIn, my website, and conference badges?

A machine  now does it better, faster, and cheaper than 98 % of human photographers.