I read somewhere that if you get these 6 points placed properly, the rest of the portrait will fall into place. Off hand, I don’t think I necessarily agree that this is all you need… but I think it goes a little deeper.

Six points:

  • pupils (2)
  • nostrils (2)
  • corners of mouth (2)

I think that’s crap. I did a bunch of research for this blog entry and nothing was very conclusive. Though I can tell you by looking at caricatures that those six points aren’t right. You can also tell because a simple mask around the eyes can fool you. I made some rounds to some pretty intense stuff: facial recognition algorithms, art books, plastic surgery sites, and some other stuff that I’m sure I’m forgetting.

Nobody has any answers. Nobody that can prove it, anyway. I thought I had it in the facial recognition software algorithms but it turns out that they have a really low success rate and there are several competing algorithms/methodologies being used. Bother.
Then I used good ‘ol epidemiological evidence: I looked at people. I looked up close. I looked from afar. I looked at old, fuzzy photographs. What I figured out is that the general shadowy shape of your face is really the key. I can show you in a drawing of myself from a photo: you can’t see my pupils, nostrils, or the corners of my mouth, but you can tell it’s me. heck, most of the picture is the back of my head! But you can still tell it’s me.

picture of me

I would really like to believe that it’s as easy as those 6 points. And, certainly, if you get them way off, the portrait won’t look right. But that doesn’t mean they are the 6 points for a likeness. Instead, I think the underlying bone structure has more to do with it.

The shadow under the brow is very telling for male/female and it’s also very distinctive for race. I think it’s also very unique to the person, therefore essential for a likeness.

The shadow around and under the nose is also very distinctive and also can determine gender and race. My nose is most definitely very “me” and can probably distinguish me from a mile away. But not necessarily the location of my nostrils – more like the way the light falls across my nose.

Finally, the shape of the shadow under the top lip and under the bottom lip are very distinguishable.

Of course, the face has many other bony structures and many other shadows, and you can be bottom-lit as well, but the same general bony and fleshy structures casting shadows around the eyes, nose, and mouth will be very apparent.

Try this: take a picture of yourself where you can’t see the 6 points. Take a picture at a really extreme angle that barely captures your face at all. Then go further and use The GIMP or Photoshop to reduce the colors to only a few – or 2 (black and white). I’ll be you can STILL make out the likeness.

Here’s another experiment: find some old pictures in a photo album where all the facial detail is obscured and you can only see shadows across the face – can you still make out Grandma Jean? Yup, sure as heck, you can.

Keep these things in mind as you try to get a likeness. Watch out for the bigger shapes and get those right – and the details will take care of themselves.