Make a Face 1.3.0

Make a Face® is advanced photography software designed to generate unique, animated composite images and videos of human faces. It offers users the ability to capture self-portraits—on their best days—and to craft engaging photos and animations of friends' and family members' faces. The software enables a diverse range of perspectives, from the artistic and sublime to the whimsical and humorous.

Enhanced versions with a broader array of features are also available for Mac desktop and laptop computers. These include tools for creating vibrant portraits, analyzing facial symmetry, producing multi-colored videos of stylized faces, and generating innovative, high-quality movies.

At its core, Make a Face® processes photographs by dividing facial images into quadrants centered on the tip of the nose. These quadrants are then recombined into an animated display that produces smoothly aligned videos with distinct yet recognizable facial features from multiple sources.

Beyond its technical capabilities, Make a Face® functions as an engaging social networking platform. It allows users—be they friends, family, or enthusiasts worldwide—to combine facial images into countless animated sequences. The software is versatile enough to incorporate images of historical figures or well-known personalities, providing unique perspectives on familiar faces.

The process fosters a novel approach to visualizing human facial characteristics for purposes of entertainment, social interaction, and even physiological study. To achieve optimal results, use photographs taken against neutral backgrounds with subjects facing directly forward. Encourage subjects to display gentle, medium smiles. The inclusion of suitable facial graphics sourced from online repositories can enhance creative possibilities.

To import an image, click the "+ Camera" button, crop the photo to include only the face from the top of the head to just below the chin (excluding the neck), position the crosshairs on the nose tip, and confirm with Done. Consistent framing across images ensures superior alignment during animation. If necessary, select a photo thumbnail for editing adjustments.

Users can assign images to specific quadrants by dragging and dropping between the Library and Active thumbnails. Double-clicking a thumbnail displays the face in detail. Placing images into quadrants automatically aligns facial sections based on shared landmarks—predominantly at the nose tip—resulting in symmetrical blends that reveal fascinating insights into varied facial features across individuals and ethnicities.

The software also invites experimentation through deliberate lopsided placements to produce amusing, bizarre, or exaggerated effects—guiding users toward creative exploration.

Pressing the play button initiates an automatic sequence where faces are randomly mixed, creating dynamic, animated composite images. Clicking again halts the sequence at any desired combination. Users can refine their results by manually adjusting which faces occupy specific quadrants during playback.

For those seeking expanded creative options, an enhanced version of Make a Face® offering hundreds of styles for composite images and animations is available on the Mac OS X App Store.