How to Generate Professional LinkedIn Headshots Using Nano Banana

#promptengineering #nanobanana #ai #chatgpt

By Naresh Devineni, GBTI Network Member

Creating a professional LinkedIn headshot doesn’t need to be difficult or expensive.

In this guide, I will share a simple method for producing AI-generated headshots that look authentic, clean, and career-ready using Nano Banana.

Step 1: Find Your Reference Image

Look for a professional headshot you like (make sure you’re using it ethically and legally).

This image will serve as your style reference — the goal is to recreate its lighting, framing, and background style with your own photo later.

Step 2: Let AI Describe It

Upload your chosen reference image to an AI chatbot (like ChatGPT, Gemini, or Claude) and ask it to describe the photo.
This helps generate a consistent, professional image prompt that Nano Banana can follow.

Here is an example prompt:

For the uploaded reference image:

### ✅ Be Minimal

Only describe what is clearly visible.

### Never Include

* Racial, ethnic, or skin tone descriptors
* Facial features, hair details, body type
* Accessories, age, or gender indicators

### Only Include What’s Visible

**Expression:** Simple description only (e.g., “warm smile” or “neutral expression”)
**Clothing:** Describe exactly what’s worn – color, garment type, style
**Clothing shadows:** Note visible shadows under lapels, collars, or folds
**Lighting:** Direction and quality (e.g., “soft frontal lighting” or “three-point lighting”)
**Facial shadows:** Shadows under chin, on neck, or one side of face — or state “evenly lit”
**Background:** Exact color, brightness level, and subtlety of gradient (if any)
**Background shadows:** Only if visible — otherwise, state “no background shadow”
**Framing:** What’s visible (e.g., “head and shoulders” or “upper chest to top of head”)
**Position:** Head/body angle relative to camera

### Rules

1. Describe only what you actually see — don’t infer or imagine details
2. Keep descriptions factual and minimal
3. Any gradients should be described as **VERY SUBTLE** with minimal tonal variation

### Critical Restrictions

CRITICAL RESTRICTIONS:
1. NO multiple backgrounds or layered backgrounds
2. NO rounded corners or circular crops
3. NO additional background colors or borders
4. NO dramatic background gradients – background should be evenly lit or have only minimal, natural variation
5. Standard rectangular crop only
6. DO NOT add shadows if none exist in the reference image

Step 3: Generate Your Headshot

Upload your own photo to Nano Banana.
Paste the AI-generated description as your image prompt.
Generate your professional headshot.

Nano Banana will produce an image that matches the lighting, framing, and background style of your reference photo — but featuring your own face.

Here is an example headshot and prompt:

For the uploaded picture, generate an image of:

Expression: Warm, genuine smile

Clothing: Dark gray textured suit with light blue dress shirt and navy blue tie with small dot pattern

Clothing shadows: Visible shadows under suit lapels, along tie, and in jacket fabric folds

Lighting: Soft, natural outdoor lighting from front

Facial shadows: Face evenly lit with minimal shadows

Background: Blurred outdoor corporate/office building environment (bokeh effect) with modern glass windows and architectural elements visible, blue-gray and white tones

Background shadows: Background is out of focus, no distinct shadows visible

Framing: Head and upper torso to mid-chest level

Position: Body angled slightly to left, face turned toward camera at slight angle

CRITICAL RESTRICTIONS:

NO multiple backgrounds or layered backgrounds
NO rounded corners or circular crops
NO additional background colors or borders
NO dramatic background gradients – background should be evenly lit or have only minimal, natural lighting variation
Standard rectangular crop only
DO NOT add shadows if none exist in the reference image

The Result

You’ll get a professional, consistent, and natural-looking headshot that reflects your desired style, without the guesswork or endless prompt tweaking.