Before buying a Substack profile photo, identify whether you are changing the author's identity or the publication's branding. Substack documents a profile-photo edit separately from publication logos, wordmarks and welcome-page images.123 A new portrait does not automatically solve every one of those design tasks.
Your current theme also matters. Substack's current publication-name help says the Profile theme hides publication name, short description and logo fields.4 An absent logo field can therefore be a layout issue rather than a reason to purchase another image.
This MyPhotoAI guide uses official help checked October 19, 2026. We have not changed a publication or tested whether a new picture increases subscriptions.
Name the image field before commissioning work
| Asset | Purpose in the brief | Check before buying |
|---|---|---|
| Author profile photo | Identify the person writing and participating | Whether the existing recognizable portrait is sufficient |
| Publication logo | Identify the publication as a brand | Whether an approved mark already exists and the theme displays it |
| Wordmark | Present the publication's name in a horizontal design | Who supplies accurate typography and the finished layout |
| Welcome-page photo | Introduce the publication on that page | What the actual welcome layout needs to show |
Substack's profile-editing instructions describe selecting a new profile image from your device.1 That is distinct from changing the publication's other branding assets. Review the actual page you intend to alter so the commission is tied to the right field.
Check theme visibility before replacing a logo
If a publication field appears to be missing, verify the current theme and permissions first. The current help points users to Custom theme when they want publication fields hidden by Profile theme to appear.4 Do not buy a portrait to solve a field-visibility problem.
Ask which identity should remain consistent across the author profile and the publication. They can be connected without being identical. A publication with several writers may need its own mark while each author keeps a separate person image.
Do not treat a portrait-photo allowance as a multi-author branding or logo-design package. Write those deliverables explicitly if the project needs them.
Prepare files for the actual layout
Substack's Custom-theme guidance lists logos at least 256 by 256 pixels and horizontal wordmarks at least 1344 by 256. Its welcome-page help recommends a photo at least 600 by 600.23 Keep those placements separate rather than applying one number to the author's profile avatar.
A face image can be part of a wider design, but adding a publication title and arranging the composition are separate work. Keep accurate text and approved marks in the design tool rather than relying on generated lettering.
For a biography or media page outside the publication, the website crop guide helps check whether the same original can supply another export.
Decide whether a new portrait is the real gap
If your existing image still represents you and fits the profile crop, reuse it. If it needs a bounded background or framing adjustment, consider an editor. A new photographed or AI session is more relevant when the current source itself needs replacing.
MyPhotoAI's current US Starter offer includes 3 HD photos for US$5. Plus includes 10 for US$10; Everything includes all photos from one shoot for US$10.5 Personalized generation begins after payment. There is no subscription in this offer, and another shoot requires another purchase.
Those are portrait-photo allowances, not an automatic Substack upload, theme change, wordmark or complete publication design.
Download the author-and-publication asset worksheet. Identify the actual field, theme and missing deliverable before deciding which photo or design work to buy.
Sources
- 1Update your author profile and photoSubstack Help
- 2Custom-theme logos and wordmarksSubstack Help
- 3Welcome-page image and recommendationSubstack Help
- 4Profile theme and hidden publication branding fieldsSubstack Help
- 5MyPhotoAI pricingMyPhotoAI
