How to crop a portrait for a company team page

A staff photo can look fine on its own but awkward in a team directory: the face is too close, the top of the head is cut off, or every profile tile has a different shape. A careful crop helps the page look consistent while keeping each person recognizable.

First check the image shape your company page uses. Then frame and crop a copy of the portrait in the Photo Editor, and review the result at the size visitors will see.

Crop the portrait for the page

1. Open a copy of the original portrait in the Photo Editor. Keep the original file unchanged so you can start over if the crop is too tight.
2. Check the team page or its image instructions for the required aspect ratio, which is the width compared with the height. If the site crops every photo into a square or circle, use that shape as your guide rather than guessing.
3. Use the selection tools to mark the area you want to keep. Include the full head, a little space above the hair, and enough of the shoulders to make the framing feel natural.
4. Adjust the selection around the person, then crop the image to that area. Keep the eyes near the upper third of the frame, and leave similar space around each person in the directory.
5. Check the crop at both its intended size and in the page layout. If the site displays a circular avatar, preview the circle too, since it may cut off more from the corners than a square preview suggests.
6. Export a separate finished copy at the dimensions the site requests. Use a common photo format such as JPEG unless the site asks for another format or you need a transparent background.

If you do not know the required dimensions, ask whoever manages the website or inspect another team profile. Do not assume that a square file will display as a square: some layouts automatically crop images to fit their cards.

Choose a crop that fits the page

Square portraits

A square crop works well for a grid of profile cards or small avatars. Keep the face centered from side to side, with the chin and shoulders still visible. Leave some room above the head so the portrait does not feel cramped when the site rounds the corners or displays it as a circle.

Vertical portraits

A taller crop, such as 4:5, gives more room for shoulders and clothing. Choose it when the page shows larger profile photos or uses a vertical card design. Keep the subject in a similar position across the set, so people do not appear to change size from one profile to the next.

Wide cards or banners

A wide crop can suit a team page with landscape cards, but it needs extra room on both sides of the subject. Avoid cutting off an ear, shoulder, or the top of the head just to fill a wide frame. If the source is a close headshot, ask for a wider original rather than stretching the image.

One person or a group

For an individual profile, center that person and keep the eyes at a consistent height. For a group photo, make sure every person who needs to appear remains inside the selection. A group picture may not work as a small profile tile, so use individual portraits if the team page is designed for them.

Fix common crop problems

1. The crop cuts off hair or chin. Expand the selection and leave a small margin around the head. A tight crop can feel uncomfortable and may lose important detail when the page applies its own rounded or circular frame.
2. The person looks too small. Move the crop edges closer to the subject, but keep the shoulders and a little headroom. Compare the face size with nearby profiles instead of filling the frame as much as possible.
3. Faces sit at different heights. Use the same visual guide for each portrait, such as placing the eyes at roughly the same height. Matching eye position usually looks more consistent than matching the top edge of each person's hair.
4. The image looks soft or pixelated. Start again from the largest original file. Cropping removes pixels, and enlarging a small crop cannot restore detail. If the final tile is 300 by 300 pixels, an image around 600 by 600 pixels gives a useful margin for high-density screens, if the site accepts that size.
5. The background distracts from the face. Choose a crop that includes less of the busy area. If you need more cleanup, the Photo Editor's selection, brush, and adjustment tools can help, but avoid heavy retouching that makes team photos look unlike the people in them.
6. The page crops the image differently from your file. Check the site's image guidance and preview the actual page. The website may apply its own aspect ratio or focal position, so adjust the source crop only after you see how it appears in the layout.

Keep a consistent set of team portraits

Use the same aspect ratio, approximate face size, and eye-line position for everyone. Consistency does not mean every portrait needs identical lighting or expression. It means one person's face should not fill nearly the whole tile while another appears far away. If the photos come from different cameras, compare them at the display size and adjust the framing to create a similar visual scale.

Do not stretch a portrait to force it into a different shape. Stretching changes the person's proportions. Crop extra background instead, or request a new photo when the original does not leave enough room for the required frame. Also check whether the company site has a maximum file size, since very large images can slow page loading without improving a small profile tile.

The Photo Editor works in your browser, and the photo stays on your device while you edit it.