How to take a photo for a face rating test

Start with a clear, ordinary portrait.

The best input for a face rating test is a photo where the features are easy to locate. Use one adult face, looking straight at the camera, with the eyes, forehead, cheeks and chin visible. A relaxed expression is easier to compare across photos than a squint or a broad smile.

You do not need to prepare a more flattering version of yourself. Filters, retouching and changes in expression can move the very features the tool is measuring. A representative, unfiltered photo gives the result a clearer meaning.

Keep the camera level and give yourself some distance.

Place the camera near eye level, face it directly and keep your head level. Avoid shooting from below the chin or from high above the forehead. A timer or steady support can make this easier than holding the phone at an awkward angle.

Avoid pressing a wide-angle camera very close to your face. Step back enough to frame your head comfortably and crop only if needed, keeping the whole face. Use roughly the same setup for later comparison photos. There is no single distance that removes distortion for every camera.

Make the feature boundaries easy to see.

Use even light across both sides of the face. Facing a broad light source can be a simple starting point; check the photo itself for harsh shadows, clipped highlights or one eye disappearing into darkness. A bright background does not help if the face is underexposed.

Keep hair away from the eye corners and jaw outline where possible. Glasses can cover landmarks or add reflections. If you are comfortable removing them, take the scan photo without them and use the report to explore eyewear styling later. Do not use a photo of someone else without permission.

Choose a supported file and run the free test.

FaceRater accepts JPG, PNG and WebP files up to 12 MB. If your phone saves HEIC, export or convert the image to JPG first. Use a clear source rather than a tiny screenshot: the scanner requires image dimensions of at least 320 × 320 pixels.

After selecting the photo, confirm that you are an adult and have permission to use it, then start the scan. The free landmark analysis runs on your device. Your selected photo is not uploaded for the free rating. Saving measured results by email and ordering paid AI processing are separate choices.

Check the map before trusting the measurement.

Open the Symmetry, Eyes and Proportions groups after the scan. Look at the eye-corner lines, the face outline and the central landmarks. If a line lands on hair, a frame or a shadow instead of the feature, try a clearer photo.

Read any photo-quality note beside your result. A strong head turn, multiple faces or a face that is too small may prevent a useful scan. Some problems produce a warning instead of blocking the result, so a completed scan is not a guarantee that every point is placed correctly.

• One adult face, straight on, with the full outline visible.
• Level camera, relaxed expression and even light.
• JPG, PNG or WebP, up to 12 MB, at least 320 × 320 pixels.
• Check the overlay and any photo note before comparing results.