Let’s be honest: no one likes looking at themselves in photos. Even if you have expensive lighting, a good angle, and an hour of Photoshop, you still want to scream, “Delete it now!” Not to mention avatars needed for business networks, hackathon applications, coworking passes, and other serious adult matters. You need to look respectable, but spending $300 and half a day on a photo shoot is overkill. Then suddenly, neural networks appeared, promising to do everything for us. Beautiful, fast, for $35. We decided to check it out.
Our Methodology
First, we selected five volunteers: one art director, one content creator, a student designer, a marketer on maternity leave, and a front-end developer. We asked everyone to send us their usual photos: selfies, vacation photos, and old passport photos—a total of 10 to 20 photos. We didn’t edit them in advance or give instructions like “take a photo against a white wall.” The goal was to see how the algorithms would handle the most ordinary material.
Services We Tested
Here are the generators we used:
- Portrait Pal is the most popular one; they even have a landing page like a photo studio. It costs $35, and you get the results in 2 hours.
- BetterPic is in second place based on reviews, plus you can edit the results.
- Dreamwave is the choice of all “creative” people: they promise stylish and customizable photos.
- Instaheadshots portrays the entire team, which is interesting for corporate use.
- Canva AI is built right into Canva and can be used for free if you’re lucky.
We showed each participant the finished avatars and asked them to choose the three best ones. Then we sent them to friends, colleagues, and cats to find out: does it look like a person? Does the image match their style? Would you want to go for coffee with this person or unfollow them immediately?
At this stage, we already have some interesting conclusions:
- Yes, neural networks can really create decent avatars—sometimes even better than a pro with a camera.
- But… only if you already have a few good photos. They can’t make candy out of complete trash.
- The perfect picture is not yet the ideal image. Some generators make you “too correct.” Smooth. Even boring.
So, The Result Is…
No ratings on a 10-point scale. We’re journalists, not aggregators. Instead, we’ll tell you what it’s like to upload a selfie and see how a neural network interprets your appearance, hairstyle, and outfit, which you may not even have in real life.
Portrait Pal
If we urgently needed to update our LinkedIn profile before a dream interview, we would choose this service. For $35, you get a decent set of photos where your face, lighting, background, and even a nod to “business casual” look surprisingly appropriate. The interface is intuitive, and you get results in several hours. You’ll want to save the photos and even print them out for something important.
The downside? You have to upload your photos, which is a trust issue for some people. But if you’re willing to take that step, you’re almost guaranteed to be satisfied.
- Price: $35
- Suitable for: LinkedIn, portfolio, company website
- Satisfaction: High, easy, fast, beautiful
BetterPic
The main advantage is the ability to edit the result for an additional fee. It’s like having your photo taken and then being invited to a makeup artist. However, the interface is outdated, and the response time is not always great. The photo quality is good, especially the backgrounds and lighting, but sometimes the neural network “overdoes” the face, resulting in magazine covers with a hint of a 2012 filter.
- Price: $35 + $8 for edits
- Suitable for: Those who want something “a little better” than the basic version
- Satisfaction: Average with reservations, but the result is there.
Adobe Firefly
It’s like giving a schoolchild a paintbrush and saying, “You’re now Rembrandt.” The potential is enormous, especially if you know how to use Photoshop. You can remove the background, add a jacket, lighten the skin, and change the facial expression to a smile or a thoughtful look. But all this requires patience and time. It’s free, yes, and sometimes it looks good, but it’s not perfect.
- Price: Free (not counting an Adobe subscription)
- Suitable for: Confident Photoshop users and those who like to experiment
- Satisfaction: Varies depending on skill and mood
PixelPose
Speed is everything. Ninety minutes after uploading a photo, you get a selection of your new digital copies in different images. There is an open space, a library, and even an SEO office. Everything looks smooth, even too smooth. At some point, it seems you weren’t photographed, but rendered. But if you need something quick and hassle-free, this is your option.
- Price: $35
- Suitable for: Urgent tasks, new avatars “on the run”
- Satisfaction: High if you’re not a perfectionist
Dreamwave
This is more of a photo novel. You choose a style, set the background, choose a facial expression, and even the mood of the shot. The result is a selection of photos that look like the work of a fashion photographer with a light touch of digital magic. Everything is delicate, stylish, and to the point. It’s our personal favorite because there is art in this madness after all.
- Price: $35
- Suitable for: Portraits with mood and artistic presentation
- Satisfaction: Very high, excellent aesthetics
Summary table: what to choose?
| Service | Price | Best For | Ease of Use | Satisfaction Level |
| Portrait Pal | $35 | LinkedIn, portfolios, company websites | Very easy | High—fast & polished |
| BetterPic | $35 + $8/edit | Custom edits, presentation materials | Moderate | Medium—needs tweaking |
| Adobe Firefly | Free (Adobe sub optional) | Creative control, Photoshop users | Complex | Mixed—depends on skills |
| PixelPose | $35 | Quick results, casual business use | Very easy | High—great for speed |
| Dreamwave | $35 | Stylish portraits, artistic touch | Easy | Very high—aesthetic win |
Is It Worth It?
Honestly, yes. Especially if you need a quick, decent photo so you don’t have to repost that old picture from your vacation in Egypt, these neural networks are already good enough to compete with real photographers on routine tasks. Of course, you’ll unlikely choose such a portrait for a magazine cover. But for a website, presentation, or conference, why not?
The best part is that you feel like you’ve been upgraded: you’re still you, just on your best day, with the proper lighting and a face that looks like it’s Friday instead of Monday morning.
Editor’s Conclusion
Neural networks will not replace professional photographers in complex tasks. But they have already replaced the mirror in our office. We saw ourselves with new eyes, and it wasn’t always pleasant, but it was interesting.
Our advice: try at least one service. It’s cheap, fast, and fun. The avatar generated by artificial intelligence may bring you a new job offer or a like from an ex. At least one of the two.