Digital face beautification

[Bart_van_der_Wolf]

I'm not sure whether to start this thead here or in the 'provocative thoughts' section, but I'd like to provoke some opinions on the direction this software (http://www.cs.tau.ac.il/~tommer/beautification/) is taking us anyway.

Is it the direction we're ultimately going? What is beauty? How much software assistence beyond blemish removal is tolerable? Do you currently in practice move eyebrows, re-angle eyes, change the shape of heads, etc., etc., ...

Bart

[Asher Kelman]

Bart,

We're there already!

All we're talking about here is the ability to do it fast and with economy.

Such software, however, makes a huge difference to the economy of altering thousands of sequential images in videos, although the software works here on frontal images. I expect other software right now is or will be capable of doing that once the whole head is first digitzed from multiple angles.

In dating services the pictures posted are mostly retouched. That of course is rather dishonest. But so is makeup! Worse, lip enhancement, breast surgery and other beautification is all a fraud to attact a mate.

For movie stars, that's just part of the job! We expect to see our heroes in near perfection!

What is really unfair is when a marriage is "arranged". The young people have to rely on the choices of the parents. This may involve other side deals or be related to settling an old debt or rivalry. The girl may be covered up until after the marriage!

The guy is expecting an especially attractive match and when the veil is lifted for the first time, it's too late to back out!!

Asher

[Ivan Garcia]

The guy is expecting an especially attractive match and when the veil is lifted for the first time, it's too late to back out!!


Mmm... I find that a couple of beers does wonders. Several and you will find a gorilla attractive I wonder if that is the reason they serve large glasses of wine at every art gallery. Lol (obviously joking)

[Tim Armes]

Interesting find Bart,

I'm impressed by the consistency of the results from purely automated software.

[Ray West]

Its not very clear how much of it is automated, it seems to merely shift facial features to preferred locations, based on training of pre-selected ideals. There have been many attempts before. They will probably get it right at about the same time all models are computer generated. Now, if it were incoporated into the fuji camera, which touts its 'face detection technology', then it may be another camera selling gimmick.

Best wishes,

Ray

[Kevin Bjorke]

I know these guys a wee bit, since I was their host/emcee during siggraph 2006 and a member of the committee that brought them to Boston to show this technology.

There are plenty of restrictions to the method, particularly the dependance on a head-on-view. They caught a lot of initial politico-flak for only using female models as the initial database.

The process is more expensive than beer, which in adequate supply beautifies from all angles (did I say that?).

Truthfully, I expect such tech to show up in ID photos, perhaps as a value-add ("do you want the regular driver's license, or for $5 extra you can have the prettified one?"). A fascinating aspect of what they have done, and one that I think is somewhat overlooked, is that in many cases, maybe most cases, the "beautified" image is still recognizable as the same person. The implications for the study of recognition, and the study of the psychological idealization of our viewing of others, are broad. For an image of someone we like or love, often the ideal beautified face is the one we have in our mind's eye anyway. Why pooh-pooh the ability to more-easily make this a concrete realization?

--

As an aside, I have pestered them to "mis-apply" their datasets to other sorts of faces, such as cartoon characters or dogs. So far no luck

[Asher Kelman]

So where are we up to in skin beautification. What software do you use and what are your sources for tips and tools?

Asher

[Michael Fontana]

Well - we had a similar discussion a while ago:

No wonder our perception of beauty is distorted (http://www.campaignforrealbeauty.com/home_films_evolution_v2.swf)

[Asher Kelman]

Well - we had a similar discussion a while ago:

No wonder our perception of beauty is distorted (http://www.campaignforrealbeauty.com/home_films_evolution_v2.swf)
Yes, Michael,

I remember that! It's so impressive. Very talented team! For sure, it's not without social and moral regrets! BTW, Dove™ is rather hypocritical since it shows young beautiful women with flawless skin who use their products. Putting all that aside, still we'd really like to see sources for those secrets of high end retouching.

Asher