Seven Simple Steps for the Perfect Dating App Photo | M.D.D Dating Coach, Couples Therapy, Breakup Counselling, Personal development Consultancy

Table of Contents hide

1 Wear the Right Clothing

2 Pick the Right Background

3 Take Photos in the Right Lighting Conditions

4 Use a Tripod

5 Smile!

6 Consider Light Retouching, e.g. Removing Wrinkles

7 Crop or Resize the Image

8 Further reading

When people use dating apps to find potential dates, they will look at your photograph before anything else, so it’s crucial that you spend time taking the perfect photo to make sure you sparkle and stand out from the crowd.

If you’re unsure of how to create the ideal dating app profile image, follow these seven simple steps.

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Wear the Right Clothing

The clothing you wear can make a big difference in how other people see you. While you should wear items of clothing that you would normally wear, you should also be selective in order to show yourself in the best light.

Smart clothing could indicate that you’re a professional who is interested in success while casual clothing could show you’re relaxing to be around.

The colours of your clothes matter too. For instance, the colour red could indicate you’re passionate while the colour yellow could make potential dates see your sunny side.

Pick the Right Background

There’s nothing worse than having a messy background in your dating app photo. So, before you take your shot, take a look behind you to see what’s there. If you’re at home, you’ll want to ensure things like piles of dirty laundry or piled-up dishes aren’t in the background.

If you’re outside, you’ll want to make sure there are no distractions in the background, like someone photobombing your shot. Though, you could always use a background removal tool after you have taken the photo.

Also, you could select a background that helps to represent your interests. For instance, if you love the Great Outdoors, you could take a photo of yourself standing on top of a hill or if you love reading, you could place yourself in front of your home’s bookcases.

Take Photos in the Right Lighting Conditions

The right lighting conditions can make a huge difference to the look of your image. While you have the opportunity to use the lighting effects of photo editing software, it’s best to get the lighting right when you take a photo.

Avoid standing under home light bulbs, as they can discolour your teeth and eyes. Instead, face head-on towards a window during daylight hours to create a healthy glow and avoid unflattering shadows.

And if you take a photograph of yourself outside, don’t face the sun, as that can create shadows and make you squint.

Use a Tripod

While you can use a selfie stick to take a photograph by yourself, you can only reach your arm so far and the best photographs are those that are taken from a further distance.

Therefore, it’s best to use a tripod. And many tripods come with Bluetooth remotes, which means you can take photos without needing to set a timer.

Smile!

When it comes time to take your photo, make sure you smile! You may be tempted to not smile. Perhaps you think not smiling will make you look more sophisticated and mysterious. But at the end of the day, people are attracted to smiley people.

Uploading an expressionless image can come across as unfriendly. So, make sure you smile.

Consider Light Retouching, e.g. Removing Wrinkles

Once you have the image you want to use on your dating app, you can enhance it further to make you look your best. One of the best ways of doing that is to use a retouching tool.

You can then retouch photos like a pro by doing things like removing wrinkles and fine lines. The best photo editing software will have other tools you can utilise to enhance your photos, too.

Crop or Resize the Image

Finally, make sure your photo conforms to the size guidelines for the specific dating app you’re using. You can crop or resize your image to ensure it’s the right size and doesn’t lose any quality when uploaded.