Betterpic was born from CEO Miguel’s vision to create a more accessible and efficient photo enhancement service, sparked by his thesis project in 2023.
By combining AI technology with a user-friendly platform, Betterpic offers a seamless process for generating high-quality, professional images at a fraction of the cost of traditional photography. In this interview with Website Planet, Ricardo Ghekiere highlights how Betterpic stands out by focusing on perfecting critical details, such as eyes and hands, ensuring realistic results free from common AI distortions.
This innovation positions Betterpic as a leader in the evolving world of AI-powered photo enhancement services.
What inspired the creation of Betterpic, and how does it stand out from other photo enhancement services?
The initial inspiration for Betterpic actually came from my CEO, Miguel. He wrote his thesis on the project before graduating, and instead of just writing about it, he decided to create something and see if it could be sold. This happened around March 2023, and he officially launched the service in August 2023. We have a detailed article on Starter Stories that breaks down the whole journey.
In November or December 2023, I met Miguel, and we immediately clicked. We both recognized the huge gap in the market for professional headshots. On the one hand, people in the U.S. pay around $350 for a professional headshot, while on the other hand, many settle for poor-quality selfies. There wasn’t anything in between. We realized AI could be the perfect solution to bridge that gap. By December, we decided to collaborate and build Betterpic.
As for how we stand out, there are a few key things. Compared to traditional photography, we are faster, cheaper, and digital, so there’s no need to travel for a session. As for our competitors, many use open-source solutions like Stable Diffusion, which is often trained on inappropriate content, leading to strange outputs. For example, some models generate images with distorted hands or extra fingers. We have put in a lot of effort to ensure that details like hands and eyes are flawless.
In fact, we spent two months perfecting how the eyes appear, ensuring they have the natural reflections you’d expect from a professional photograph. These details, like having five fingers instead of four and realistic eyes, are what set us apart. We focus on the quality of the image, and we make sure that the final product looks natural and professional, not like a poorly generated AI image. Here is an example of my own:
Can you explain how AI technology is integrated into your photo enhancement process?
AI plays a role in three key stages of our photo enhancement process to deliver AI headshots.
The first stage is called preprocessing. When you upload a picture on our website, AI analyzes it and provides a quality score. The better the input image, the better the output, so our AI guidance system helps users upload the best possible images. It explains why a photo is good or bad, helping ensure higher-quality results.
The second stage is when we create an AI model of the user. It’s not as simple as taking a picture and instantly turning it into an enhanced version. Instead, our system goes through a morphing process, generating different versions of your image. Watching the AI transform the image into a better, more refined version of yourself is interesting. It’s a gradual improvement, not pixel-by-pixel, but through multiple phases that look progressively more like you.
The third stage is post-processing. Similar to a traditional photo shoot, where a photographer might take 300 shots but only send you the best 100, our AI filters out flawed images. For example, if there are any visual issues—like extra fingers or odd eye distortions—the AI automatically removes them. This ensures that only the best results are presented to you.
In summary, AI is involved in three steps: first, it helps assess and guide the quality of your upload; second, it creates a dynamic AI model that refines the image over time; and third, it filters out any flawed results to ensure a polished final product.
What are the most common types of photos clients come to you for improvement?
We keep detailed data on the types of photos our clients request for improvement. Over the past six months, we’ve worked with over 10,000 people and identified two main categories: consumer use cases and B2B use cases.
For consumers, the most common reasons for photo enhancement include:
1. Updating CVs: Many want professional headshots to enhance their resumes.
2. Social Media Profile Pictures: Most clients seek to update their LinkedIn profile pictures.
3. Website Photos: Marketing managers often struggle to find quality images for their teams’ websites. They also look to improve personal images used in chats, as poor-quality pictures can lead to distrust.
On the AI headshots for teams side, the most frequent requests are:
1. Website Updates: Businesses often require high-quality team images for their websites.
2. Social Media Profiles: Like consumers, businesses also seek to enhance their social media presence.
3. Business Cards and Email Signatures: Professional images for business cards and email signatures are also common requests.
So, while there are overlaps, individual consumers’ and businesses’ specific needs can differ.
How do you ensure privacy and security when handling clients’ photos?
That’s a great question! We take several measures to ensure the privacy and security of our client’s personal photos.
First, we store data for up to 30 days. This is mainly because we incur storage costs, and once clients have received their photos, we do not need to keep them. Therefore, after 30 days, all data is deleted. We typically delete pictures from our database within seven days unless a client requests an extension. Some clients extend the storage period because we offer an AI modification feature that allows them to adjust their images after processing. For instance, they might want to change the background or modify their appearance, such as adjusting skin tone or eye color.
However, we ensure that everything is deleted within 30 days, as we want to minimize storage costs.
Additionally, we are currently obtaining GDPR, SOC 2, and ISO certifications. This process can take anywhere from two to eight months. Still, we’re committed to ensuring we have the necessary compliance and certifications to meet the demands of enterprise clients who request this level of security.
Overall, we focus on protecting client data and maintaining efficient operations.
Can you share a success story where Betterpic significantly improved a client’s photo?
Absolutely! One of our clients came to us with some skepticism about using AI for their LinkedIn profile photo. They were worried that the final images would look AI-generated. However, they were pleasantly surprised by how realistic the photos turned out after using our service. The final images didn’t look artificial at all; in fact, they received compliments for their professional appearance.
Another client uploaded photos that could have been better quality, but the headshots we produced were outstanding. They were thrilled with the high quality and variety of options we provided. Our variation generation is designed to be accurate and efficient, delivering a range of great options quickly.
Additionally, we pride ourselves on our customer support. One client encountered an issue with a red tint on their enhanced photos. They reached out to us, and we responded promptly. Our support team maintained a positive and professional attitude while quickly resolving the issue. The client found our website interface straightforward and user-friendly, making the entire experience smooth. After the issue was fixed, they received their corrected images in no time, and the quality of the photos was excellent.
These success stories highlight our commitment to delivering high-quality images and exceptional customer service, ensuring our clients are satisfied with their results.
What new features or advancements are you excited to introduce in the future of Betterpic?
I’m really excited about our upcoming updates! It took us a year and a half to develop our current model, and now we’re updating it to ensure we have the best model on the market. While we’ve been catching up with competitors who launched earlier, we’re confident that our improvements will position us as number one.
One of the most significant advancements is eliminating any “weird” hand or eye anomalies in our photos. The enhancements to eye details are remarkable, and I’m eager to share examples from my LinkedIn. For instance, our new eye features have fine-tuned the irises and colors, making them look incredibly realistic.
We’re also introducing an AI Studio tool 2.0 that allows users to enhance their skin tone without losing essential details; you can even adapt your eye color in the future! This will provide a more polished look while maintaining natural beauty.
In addition to these features, I’m thrilled to share that we’re closing our first enterprise clients, a major achievement for our team. Our technology is transforming the onboarding process for new employees. Instead of waiting for a professional photo shoot, new hires can receive their photos before they even start, ensuring they have their pictures ready for badges, social media profiles, and internal presentations on day one.
Moreover, we are currently working on our first integration partnership with an HR tech company. Through this partnership, we will enable their platform to generate headshots for their clients, making our technology accessible without directly branding it as Betterpic. This will position us as the world’s first API headshot connector, and I’m very excited about the potential impact this will have.
Overall, these advancements represent a significant step forward for Betterpic, and I can’t wait to see how they will enhance the user experience.
Find out more at www.betterpic.io
Luka, a skilled individual from Serbia, set aside his aspirations of becoming a Web Designer but discovered a fresh passion for content writing. With a keen interest in IT-related domains, encompassing Web Design and UI-UX Design, Luka is now delighted to express his thoughts on his favorite subjects. His proficiency in these areas positions him as an excellent source for those seeking valuable insights into the realm of technology.
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