LooksLab guide
How to take photos for face analysis
Set up clear front and side face photos, check what to retake, and record your setup for later photo comparisons.
For face analysis, use even light, keep the camera steady, and take clear front and side photos with a neutral expression. Follow the app’s framing guide. Check both saved images before you start analysis.
If you plan to compare photos over time, record your camera position, light, head angle, and expression. A change in the photo setup can look like a change in your face.
The same applies to an attractiveness test: the score can change with the photo, not only with your face.
Set up your phone and light
Choose a simple background. Put the light in front of you so that your face is visible. Avoid a bright window behind your head or strong light from one side.
Clean the camera lens if it has marks. Turn off any beauty filters you selected, and do not reshape or smooth the saved photos.
Check that the camera has focused on your face. Light on the subject, a simple background, no selected filters, and a check of the saved image are also principles in the American Academy of Dermatology’s photography guide. That guide is for photos sent to a dermatologist; it does not validate app analysis.
Keep the camera steady and near eye level. Follow the app’s framing guide, and avoid holding the phone very close to your nose to fill the screen. Close camera distance can change apparent nose proportions, as described in a Rutgers report on a mathematical photography model.
There is no established universal capture distance for LooksLab. Choose a comfortable position that fits the guide and that you can use again. Camera choice alone does not remove the effect of distance.
Take the front and side photos
In LooksLab, follow the front and side photo guides. Check both images on the review screen before analysis.
Front photo
- Face the camera directly.
- Keep your head level. Do not lift or lower your chin to change how your jaw looks.
- Relax your face. Use a neutral expression without a smile, pout, or clenched jaw.
- Move hair away from the edges of your face if it hides them.
- Hold still and take the photo.
A straight, level head matters most for the face symmetry test and the canthal tilt test, because both compare your left and right sides. Hair away from your temples and jaw also lets the face shape detector trace your full outline.
Side photo
- Follow the app’s side-view guide.
- Turn to show a true profile: the camera should see the side of your face, rather than a view halfway between front and side.
- Keep your head level and your expression neutral.
- Check that your nose, lips, and chin are visible.
- Hold still and take the photo.
Neutral expressions, visible facial edges, steady camera position, and direct front and side views are also part of Crisalix’s face-photo guidance. Its photo counts and distance instructions belong to its own workflow. Use LooksLab’s guides for your scan.
Accept or retake?
Open both saved images. Check the photos themselves, not only the camera preview.
| Check | Accept when… | Retake when… |
|---|---|---|
| Focus | Facial features are clear. | Movement or missed focus has blurred them. |
| Light | You can see your features and facial edges. | Deep shadows or very bright areas hide them. |
| Framing | Your face fits the app’s guide. | Part of your face is cut off. |
| Front angle | You face the camera directly. | Your head is turned or tilted. |
| Side angle | The image shows your side profile. | The view is partly front-facing. |
| Expression | Your face is relaxed in both images. | You smile, pout, or tense your jaw. |
| Visibility | Hair and other objects do not hide key features. | Something covers part of your face. |
| Filters | No selected beauty filter or face edit is applied. | The image has been reshaped or smoothed. |
Retake a photo to correct a specific capture problem. Do not repeat scans to seek a preferred score.
Save a short setup record
Copy this table into a note after you accept your photos. This is a practical worksheet, not a tested scoring protocol.
| Field | Your record |
|---|---|
| Date | |
| Phone and camera used | |
| Phone position or measured distance | |
| Where you stood or sat | |
| Light source and direction | |
| Head angle, including which side | |
| Expression |
For your next photo session, read the record before you start. Use the same phone and camera where possible. Put the phone and yourself in the recorded positions. Match the light, head angle, side, and expression.
If you cannot match a setting, note the difference beside the new date. Keep the original photos so you can check their setup later.
Hypothetical example: Your first photo is taken close to the camera under a ceiling light. Your next photo is taken farther away, facing a window. A different-looking nose or jaw in those images cannot establish that a routine changed that feature. The setup changed too.
Use the record to check for differences in how the photos were taken. It does not remove model error or prove that a routine caused a change. Scores are app outputs, not medical diagnoses or objective measures of your worth.
Use your photos in LooksLab
You can try the same front photo in the golden ratio face calculator, the PSL scale test or any of the free face tools. All of them run in your browser. If you are taking baseline photos for a routine, the softmaxxing guide has a 12-week plan with photo checkpoints.
You can also learn about LooksLab, then get started with LooksLab if it suits your needs. The privacy policy explains its data practices.