Real talk: I&#;m not going to tell you how to get &#;the best dating profile photo ever.&#;

You already know you&#;d look awesome standing on the edge of a mountain. Or toasting Elon Musk.

Tips for taking &#;the best dating picture ever&#; would sound hard. As a consequence, you&#;d just ignore my advice and take a bad selfie in your bathroom mirror.

So to keep things easy peasy, here&#;s a simple method for getting a pretty darn good picture — one that&#;s reasonably flattering and effective — without leaving home.

This method is great because you can use it again any time you want to change up your look.

Step 1: Create a scene across from a window

Think of your picture like a movie scene.

The scene you are creating is this: you were hanging out at your place with at least one other person, and they took a photo of you being good-looking and normal.

Maybe you&#;re playing guitar or interacting with your dog. Maybe you&#;re holding a coffee mug or a game controller. All while your make-believe friend looks on and takes a picture.

To look your best, you should directly face a window. Soft natural light from a window is extremely flattering, so you&#;ll look as attractive as possible.

(See: How Lighting Changes What You Look Like)

Avoid getting a bathroom or bed in the picture. (Bedrooms read as presumptuous at best; predatory at worst.) Living rooms and kitchens generally look good.

Step 2: Set up a tripod to hold your smartphone

Selfies distort the proportions of your face, making your forehead or nose look larger than it is.

(See: Why Selfies Make Your Face Look Bad)

To avoid unflattering facial distortion, use a tripod to get the camera a few feet away from you at about eye level. This will also fake the look that someone else is taking your picture.

You can get a tripod for cheap on Amazon. This one requires a separate adapter to hold an iPhone.

If you don&#;t want to buy a tripod, a table stacked with books and/or a Kleenex box might work as long as they don&#;t block the light.

Step 3: Use your timer to take pictures

Once you&#;ve got your phone in place, turn on your camera&#;s timer setting.

If you&#;re using an iPhone, you&#;ll simply open up your camera app and tap the clock icon:

Once your timer is set, you simply press the button to take a picture, and it gives you a few seconds to get in place.

Step 4: Edit your favorites

If you followed the steps above, you should have a variety of pictures that look something like this.

Next you’ll want to use a free photo editor to make some easy tweaks.

Here’s an edited version of the photo above:

Because the lighting and coloring was already solid, I just cropped the picture to a square. If your pics didn&#;t turn out quite as well, you can try adjusting some things like the color balance.

I suggest you go ahead and edit several different photos to give you some options to work with in the next step.

Step 5: Get feedback to choose the best picture

Aim to use just one picture from the shoot at a time on your dating profile. This ensures a good variety (for reference, check out #5 in this post) and makes it less obvious that your pic was set up.

To identify the best pic to use:

Take the handful of shots you just edited and put them on Photofeeler for some free, easy feedback.

Here are the results from my first test (from females, all ages):

Here are the individual scores it got from each person:

And here are the notes they left:

So, the first pic did awesome on Photofeeler!

This is already a great score, but I might try some pics with different clothes, facial expressions, angles, etc. just to see how those compare.

Anyway, that wraps up all you need to know! I hope you found this method simple enough to pull out again when you want a different look for your dating profile.

If you know someone who could use this info, be sure to spread the word.

Greetings, friends. Welcome to CNET's online dating advice column by me -- Erin Carson, staff reporter, resident young-enough-person, refrigerdating correspondent, curator of odd stuff on the internet, most likely to leave you on "read."

You might be wondering why you should pay any attention to what I have to say about online dating.

First off, I've been happily married for 10 years. Kidding! I'm out there just like everyone else, a machete in one hand, pocket knife between my teeth, hacking through the dating wilderness, wondering how this all happened, and why I didn't pack bug spray.

Read more:Best dating sites of

I've also been covering dating apps for about three years, which means that if I've written about it, I've probably downloaded it. In that time I've talked to many of the folks behind the apps you use, and with experts who work with hopeful lovebirds every day.

Most of all, believe me when I tell you: I get that online dating is a little weird. However, I subscribe to the philosophy that tech is a tool, and if folks can have tacos delivered to their apartment, hitch a ride, and shout their desire to know the weather into the ether and get a response, they should be able to find someone to drag along to that random free arts event in the park.

So, if you've got questions about how to pick an app, craft a bio or how not to sink into an existential mire whilst on the apps, hit me up.

Q: What are the best types of profile pictures?

You. In the bathroom, flexing hard, about to take a selfie. Put your phone down.

If I've just destroyed your entire dating profile photo strategy, pull up a chair and we can chat.

Now, I will couch what I'm about to say with the fact that more than a few dating platforms out there have put out data in the past about what seems to work on profiles. You might be able to dig up platform-specific info on the ideal number of pictures you should have, or even the most successful facial expressions for men and women. One study found that guys come off as more attractive and trustworthy if they have a dog in their profile, which is great news if you're like me and like looking at pictures of dogs (and dreaming of stealing said dogs).

Dognapping aside, think of your photos as a whole. You've got maybe 4 or 5 pics to tell some kind of story about who you are and what your life is like.

Here's something that sounds obvious: Make sure people can see your face clearly in at least your main profile picture. THAT MEANS YOU IN THE SKI MASK. Are you robbing a bank?? What is happening??

Anyway. Throw in some lifestyle photos. Like to travel? Play soccer? Hike with friends? Great. (Side note: Make sure you're not projecting some type of unrealistic, showboat persona. Odds are you don't spend every weekend in a tux or evening gown. Give folks an idea of how you spend your time when you're not scaling a boulder shirtless.) Not only are you illustrating who you are, but you might be making it easier for someone to message you about how they, too, play Tibetan singing bowls in their free time.

When constructing a profile, it doesn't hurt to imagine how some random person out there will perceive it. If all they have to go on is one grainy picture of you, taken at 3 a.m. while lying down on your couch, using your laptop's built-in camera, well… the odds are not in your favor, pal.

You might not have perfect travel pictures of exotic destinations or delightful snapshots from Gatsby-esque soirees. That's OK. At the very least, put on a clean shirt, go outside and get a friend to take a decent picture of you.

And never forget: Car selfies are trash. 

Q: What are the best pickup lines for starting a conversation?

Let's get one thing out of the way: The best way to start a conversation is not "hey," or "hi" or any derivation thereof, unless you're actively trying to get ignored. In which case, by all means go for it. I can almost promise you'll end up in the hey stack of rejected matches.

In truth, "hey" might be a perfectly acceptable way to start a conversation with a friend or colleague. You start at "hey" and end up debriefing on Game of Thrones. But here's the thing -- you're not approaching someone you have a preexisting relationship with. You're talking to a stranger on the internet who, in all likelihood, is trying to place a bet on which strangers from the internet they should talk to while fighting off the creeping numbness that comes along with flipping through 3 bazillion dating profiles. At best, "hey" is uninteresting; at worst, it's rage-inducing.

"Hey" just isn't going to cut it, partly because, as is the case with your photos, your bio, and other profile elements, you're making a pitch about yourself to the person you're trying to talk to.

In sum, "hey" is the worst thing since stepping on a wet spot on your kitchen floor while wearing socks. Don't do it. Just. Don't Do. It.

So, what do you say?

Now playing:Watch this: Top 5 strangest dating apps

There's no science here, folks. But the opposite of a soul-suckingly generic greeting is actually taking the time to look at a person's profile. Try asking them a question about something they've mentioned. Do they like to cook? Ask them what they'd make based on what's in their kitchen right now. Into live music? Ask what bands are on their bucket list. Big Westworld fan? Ask them what the hell happened last season because I have no damn clue and would love to know. (Maybe not that last one, but you get the idea.)

You're just trying to break the ice and veer into a more natural chat about whatever is actually interesting to you both. The first contact is a small hurdle to clear to get you toward either figuring out if the other person has the personality of a wet mop or maybe you'd like to meet up in person.

Granted, you can scour the internet for cheeky opening questions like whether pineapple belongs on pizza (it does and I will fight you) or send along a GIF of a waving panda. Yes, you can do that. It might work. I would argue, though, that's a bit of an assembly line approach to trying to start a conversation.

Keep in mind that when it comes to online dating, it's easy to feel like you're on some kind of nightmarish, overcrowded merry-go-round. Just think— wouldn't it be nice to get a message from someone who seemed like they were specifically interested in you?

This is a recurring advice column focusing on online dating. If you've got a question about finding love via app, send it to www.chevaliercompetences.fr@www.chevaliercompetences.fr for consideration. 

Do not include photos of yourself

1. Holding a fish.

2. Partying.

3. In front of the bathroom mirror.

4. At the gym.

5. With an ex.

6. With filters.

DO include pictures of yourself

1. That are close-up and clear.

2. Smiling.

3. With pets.

4. Traveling.

5. Dressed up.

6. Doing something active.

7. That are candid.

The problem with group shots is many times people will blur out someone (or scratch out their faces or put white boxes over them) -- why even bother? Or there are so many people in it, you are not sure who the person is. Another turnoff with group shots is if a guy is standing with his arms around a lot of women, the woman viewing his profile thinks he is just a player. Is he trying to say this is the type of women he wants to go out with? So if the woman looking at him doesn't think she looks like that, she will pass on him. Same goes for women surrounded by a lot of guys.

Also, what happens if your friends are better looking than you? Unless it's an action shot showing something fun you have done, best not to share those photos until after you start dating the person. Really the profile should be about you. Not your pets, not your children (or grandchildren). Please, if you are a grandmother and in your 50s, do you really want the guy thinking of you in terms of a grandmother, or the sexy woman you are? -Ann

I think that it’s fine to include one or two photos in your profile that show you interacting with groups of people. Those kinds of photographs can show that you have friends and a social life. However, you need to be careful of any mixed messages. If the photograph shows you in close contact with someone who might match the kind of person you’re looking to date, the viewer might jump to the conclusion that you’re showing photos of people you’ve dated previously. You can overcome that issue by adding a written description to your photo explaining that the person in question is just a friend. However, just remember that some online daters won’t read that far into your profile.

The only thing worse than close contact with someone in a photo is when you chop someone out of the photograph. Nothing screams “here’s my ex” like a disembodied arm in your photo. And that’s a definite no-no in online dating. -Rob

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man carried by women

Source: Halfpoint/Shutterstock

Your dating profile picture is your "shop window." It is the very first thing other daters see, and if they like what they see, they might investigate further. If they don’t, then they are likely to move on.

The fact is that we form impressions of others very quickly, and these impressions are not only formed from what we see but also established from such cognitive shortcuts as prejudices and stereotypes. For example, people think that the French and Italians are the best lovers (I’m not sure they are) or people wearing spectacles are intelligent (around 14% of all online daters wear specs). Therefore, in order to attract the interest of others, it is important to get your profile picture right.

Clearly, you are going to use what you consider your best photos, but what else should you consider which might give your profile picture the edge?

1. Smile

This should be an obvious one, as people usually look more approachable and friendly when they smile, which is the impression you are trying to create. Use a photo in which you are displaying a genuine smile, referred to as a Duchenne smile. Duchenne or genuine smiles are those which involve the orbicularis oculi muscle, which raises your cheeks and produces wrinkles around your eyes. Fake smiles, on the other hand, generally tend to be lower-face smiles and may also look slightly asymmetrical.

It is quite easy to spot the difference between the two smile types. Surprisingly, however, according to a survey by Dating Scout, only 5% of dating profile pictures of men show them smiling. This may be because men are trying to present their masculine side, preferring not to smile. Indeed, you may consider your best photo is one in which you are not smiling.

Woman wearing red

Source: Javi-indy /Shutterstock

2. Wear something red

Red is a colour that has long since been associated with love and passion. In one study, researchers looked at the effects of the colour red on the attractiveness of women. They showed men pictures of women with either a red, white, blue, green, or grey background, finding that the red background led men to judge the women as more attractive (Elliot & Niesta, ). In another study in which women wore a red t-shirt, researchers found that men sat closer to them than when they wore a blue t-shirt (Niesta-Kayser, Elliot & Feltman, (). Overall then, for women at least, it seems that the colour of clothing is important, and wearing something red in an online dating profile picture might be beneficial, in enhancing your attractiveness.

3. Show your creative side

In terms of illustrating your interests, why not show yourself being creative in your profile picture? For men, creativity is an indicator of creative intelligence, which means they carry good genes. We know that women prefer to have children with men who possess good genes because this means their offspring (by possessing these genes), will be intelligent and therefore have an advantage in life.

Indeed, engaging in a creative activity such as painting pictures, taking photographs, and writing poetry is positively associated with the number of sexual partners for males (Clegg, Nettle & Miell, ). Profile pictures displaying creative pursuits are the modern-day human equivalent of a peacock’s tail, which is an indicator of reproductive fitness.

In case you are wondering what types of activities are judged to be most creative, examples are recording music, performing in a band, and taking artistic photos. Those rated as least creative and attractive are interior decorating, making clothes, or carting out everyday domestic chores (Kaufman, Kozbelt, Silva, Kaufman, Ramesh & Feist, ). The overall message here is that men who advertise their creative side in their dating site profile make themselves appear more attractive.

travel photo

Source: Yulia Mayorova/Shutterstock

4. Create a sense of mystery

Following on from being creative, generating a sense of mystery in your profile picture will leave people wondering and perhaps make them curious about you. A sense of mystery may be conveyed by having unusual interests or being original in some way. The reason why creating a sense of mystery is important is explained by the fact that we are simply intrigued when a person has an unusual interest or hobby and want to find out more (Apostolou & Christoforou, ). For example, a profile picture showing travel to somewhere unusual without giving away the precise location, or displaying an unusual skill, may well make people curious and want to discover more.

Some 18% of all profile pictures show daters in the company of other people (Dating Scout). While this conveys the impression that a person is socially competent and comfortable in the company of others, might such pictures have other benefits?

5. Use photos alongside other people

If you do this, then you might first think about how attractive you are compared to the other people in your photo. If you consider yourself to be unattractive, then being viewed in a photo alongside other unattractive people can have the effect of making you appear more attractive than being in a photo alone.

Alternatively, if you consider yourself to be attractive, then being in a photo with less attractive people can make you look less attractive than being in a photo alone (Rodway, Schepman & Lambert, ). This is explained by the fact your own attractiveness may be rated in terms of the overall attractiveness rating for the group, referred to as the assimilation effect.

Contrary to the above, the contrast effect suggests that being viewed in a photo alongside attractive people may mean that you are judged as less attractive by comparison. According to this contrast rule, we appear more attractive when viewed in the company of people less attractive but are judged as less attractive when viewed in the company of people more attractive.

Whether the assimilation or contrast effect applies may depend on the size of the difference in attractiveness between you are the other people in your profile.

6. Use photographs with members of the opposite sex

Whether or not we benefit from photographs in the company of others, also depends on our gender and the gender of the person with whom we are pictured.

In contexts where two people of the same gender are seen together, then an assimilation effect applies, with an unattractive person being judged as more attractive when viewed in the company of those more attractive but judged less attractive when they are with others less attractive. However when people of the opposite sex are viewed together, then the same assimilation rule only applies for men, in that they are perceived as being more attractive when seen with attractive women.

Indeed, some men use wing women services, (paying to surround themselves with attractive women) as a way to make them appear more attractive. However, women are unlikely to be viewed as more attractive as a result of being viewed in the company of other attractive men. What matters most for women is how they look.

7. Use photos that include children

Posing in your profile photo with a child could be interpreted as a subtle hint that a person wants children of their own. Some 47% of men and around 53% of women include children in their dating profiles, although this number does decrease with age (Dating Scout).

A study in which women viewed men in different situations, (standing alone, vacuuming a rug, interacting with a child) found that the men viewed interacting with the child were rated as more attractive, than the men in the other conditions. Furthermore, men who were viewed as paying no attention to children wanting attention were rated as less attractive (La Cerra, ). This simply means that men who indicate in their dating profiles that they can be good fathers would be rated as more desirable.

Overall then, in your profile picture, it is important to consider how you should look, what you are doing, and who should be with you. Furthermore, be honest and use up-to-date pictures. People will be disappointed if they turn up for a date expecting to meet your younger brother or sister. Finally, don’t try to be something you are not, so no pictures of you playing the guitar while interacting with a child on the flight deck of a

References

In general, how men and women ‘read’ dating photos is different. Women tend to look more for clues about the other person and how they live their life. Men tend to look more at the person to see whether they are attracted to them.

All genders tend to look for whether a person looks friendly, approachable… and normal!

It’s important to most people to check out whether the person looks like someone you could spend time with and if there is consistency throughout the photos.

Knowing this, you can really up your dating game by using online dating photos which appeal to the people you are hoping to attract on your dating app.

5 tips on how to take dating profile pictures for men

1. Do choose photography locations and backdrops that are visually interesting and reflect who you are, the places you like to go or what you like to do. Do not do selfies in bathrooms!

2. Do make the effort to wear outfits that you might wear on a date. Think of a dating photo as doing a similar job to your Linked In profile photo. Do not wear your TV lounging clothes, even if they represent what you most like to do.

3. Do smile. Moody shots and David Beckham style brooding shots work for some people but what works best is an attractive smile. Including a few non-smiling photos can work but make sure you are smiling with your teeth somewhere in your set of photos.

4. Do include at least one full length shot

5. Do include a group shot with friends. Make sure you stand out in this group photo and that you’re not hidden at the back. You should use a photo where you are all smiling and look like you’re having a great time. Do not use a photo where you’ve photoshopped out your ex!

5 tips on how to take dating profile pictures for women

1. Do include both mid length and full length shots to show your body shape. It really doesn’t matter what shape you are as we’re all attracted to different things, but men will likely subconsciously notice the curve of your waist and hips, your outline, a hint of cleavage etc.

2. Do be brave and show off your body shape. Your outfits needn’t be clingy but they should show some shape. Avoid very shapeless jumpers and huge cosy knits. A little cleavage is good but don’t go crazy, statistics show that less is more when it comes to attractive dating photos.

3. Do make sure your photos are taken in softer, more flattering light. Statistics show that gently-lit images with fewer harsh shadows are more visually appealing to men.

4. Do or don’t wear make up. What’s most important in your photos is that you feel at your best and that you look like yourself when you go on your dates.

5. Do smile and look relaxed in your photos. Ultimately, everyone is attracted to someone who looks open and welcoming.

10 tips on how to take a great dating photo. Gender-neutral.

Though this post is gender specific many of the tips can be useful cross-gender and you may want to experiment with what works best for you on your own dating profile. Here are ten non gender specific dating photo tips…

1. Use photos that have been taken within the last year, or if more recent, better still.

2. Make sure the photos on your dating profile are consistent and that you look like the same person in each shot

3. Use the best quality photos you can and if possible, invest in professional photos. Quality photos stand out - they are bright and visually appealing.

4. Include close up or mid length shots where you can see your face. Don’t wear sunglasses or a hat that covers too much of your face. A far away shot is fine (not too far away!) if you’re doing an activity but just include one as a ‘conversation-starter’ picture and put it towards the end of your set of photos.

5. This goes for group shots too. One photo showing you with your friends or family is great. Do make sure you’re easy to spot in the photo and that everyone looks like they’re having fun.

6. And it also goes for children/ pets/ your car/ meals you’ve cooked! Remember that someone is dating you, so if it’s important to you to include your children/ pets etc aim to have one lovely one (ideally with you in it too) and put it towards the end of your set of photos.

7. Try to avoid crazy/ silly/ drunken photos, especially if you are looking for a long term relationship. People do want to see that you are fun but these types of photos may not always show you in the best light on dating websites, however fun you think you look.

8. Make sure your photos represent more or less how you’ll look when you go on your first date.

9. If there’s something you physically don’t like about yourself be brave and don’t hide it away in your dating photos. It sounds counter intuitive but when you meet up with your date they will likely see whatever it is that you may be conscious of. Chances are that in reality whatever seems a big noticeable thing to you is really not that noticeable to someone else, and if it does bother them then you won’t want to be dating them anyway. I have taken dating photos for a handful of lovely clients who haven’t liked their smile but it’s so important to include a friendly smiling shot. Enlist a photographer you can trust (whether a friend or a professional dating photographer) to get a great smiling shot that you’re happy to use, it’s unlikely you’ll be able to keep your smile hidden forever!

10. Smile. I really can’t say this enough!

Lucy Williams is a professional online dating portrait photographer shooting natural, eye-catching dating photos to transform your dating experience and attract the people you’d really like to meet.

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