When using photos in the Face room to create custom 3D heads from existing images/photographs, follow these basic steps:

1. Use optimal photos for best results.
2. Try manipulating the front view (optional).
3. Place feature points in the front view.
4. Rotate the front view (optional).
5. Place feature points in the side view.
6. Rotate side view (optional).
7. Adjust the outlines

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Let's discuss each of these steps in further detail:

The Face room does allow you to use less than optimal photos to create custom heads. However, for best results, Curious Labs recommends using photos that meet the following criteria:

• The subject should have a neutral facial expression.
• The mouth should be closed in both front and side views.
• The ears should be clearly visible. If possible, have the subject comb or style hair away from the ears.
• Glasses should be removed.
• Use uniform white illumination for maximum color fidelity.
• For the front view, the subject should be directly facing the camera.
• For the side view, the subject should be facing 90 degrees from the camera.
• Both the center of the head and the center of the camera should be at equal height.
• The camera should be close enough to capture plenty of detail yet far enough to see the entire head.
• Both views should be taken from the same distance for optimum scaling.

No person's head is symmetrical when viewed from the front. This can potentially make lining up photos a little more difficult. If you are familiar with photo editing software such as Adobe Photoshop(r), you can try manipulating the front image as follows:

1. Launch Photoshop and open your image.
2. Cut the image in half from top to bottom.
3. Copy either half of the image and paste it into a new layer.
4. Flip the pasted half and line it up.

This creates a symmetrical view of the subject's face. You can always use deformers (morph targets, magnets, etc.) to reintroduce asymmetry later if desired. This step is entirely optional and you can obtain excellent results without it, however advanced users might want to keep this in mind.

Curious Labs recommends that you place front view feature points in the following order:

1. Top, bottom, left, right
2. Jaw, forehead
3. Eyes
4. Mouth
5. Nose

• Place the green feature points directly above the underlying features without worrying about the red outlines. Don't move a feature point to an extreme position to adjust an outline.
• For the jaw, be sure to maintain the relative distances of the jaw feature points. In other words, keep all adjacent feature points along the lower jaw at roughly the same distance from left to right.
• For the forehead, maintain the relative distances of the forehead feature points. All adjacent feature points along the top "semicircle" (left, top, right) should be roughly the same distance from each other.
• Be sure to carefully match the eye points. Adjust the top head feature point to obtain the best eye outline. When in doubt, matching the eyes correctly creates better results than focusing on the entire head.

Improper rotation may cause unsatisfactory photo lineup results. Ideally, the head will not be rotated relative to the camera. However, many photos show the head slightly rotated about the x-axis (up and down), the y-axis (looking left to right), or the z-axis (tilting left to right). The Face room automatically detects and compensates for some rotation, but you may still need to perform additional manual adjustments for best results.

The Face room automatically compensates for rotation about the z-axis. You will need to check whether the head is rotated about the x- or y-axes. Do this by looking at the nose and at the ears. Clearly visible nostrils indicate rotation about the x-axis. One ear more visible than the other ear indicates probable y-axis rotation.

Use the Rotation tool on the left side of the image window to rotate the head:

• To rotate in the x-axis, click and drag the mouse horizontally while pressing [SHIFT].
• To rotate in the y-axis, click and drag the mouse horizontally while pressing [OPT]/[ALT].
• To rotate in the z-axis, click and drag the mouse horizontally without pressing any keys.

When lining up feature points in the side view, use the following order:

1. Top, back, nose tip
2. Eye, nose top, forehead
3. Nose bottom, mouth, chin top
4. Cheek, neck, jaw
5. Ear

Also, keep the following tips in mind:

• Place the green feature points directly above the underlying features without worrying about the red outlines. Don't move a feature point to an extreme position to adjust an outline.
• There is no one correct position for the back feature point. You may encounter a situation where either the back of the head or the neck matches but not both. In this case, use the best possible compromise.
• Be sure to match the eye correctly. Do this by adjusting the top head feature point such that the eye outline has the best possible match. Correctly matching the eyes is the most important part of obtaining a good likeness.
• When lining up the cheek and jaw, it can be difficult to identify the corresponding features in the photo. If this happens:
• The cheek feature point should be at the same approximate height as the tip of the nose and at the same approximate width as the eyes.
• If the feature point is already on the corresponding outline, do nothing.
• If the feature point is not on the corresponding outline, move the feature point in the middle of the corresponding outline. Use slight adjustments.

In the side view, the Face room automatically compensates for x-axis rotation. Though generally not required, you may use the rotation tool on the left side of the image window to make adjustments if necessary. Adjust the x-axis rotation by clicking and dragging the mouse horizontally.

Step Seven: Adjust the outlines

Now that you have aligned the feature points, look at the red outlines and do some fine tuning. Check for regions where the outlines do not correctly match the photo. If you see such an area, slightly(!) adjust the corresponding feature points. For example, check if moving the feature points at the back of the head (side view) gives better results. Also, double-check the cheeks and jaw in the Face Shaping Tool window and adjust the outlines in the side view as necessary.

If you have correctly matched the feature points, you should only have to perform minimal adjustments at this point.