From photo to profile reading
What a side-profile analysis adds.
The front shows width and left-to-right relationships. A side photo adds an outline of the nose, lips, chin and jaw. It still shows a surface, not everything beneath it.
TrueMax's side flow asks you to review thirteen points before using them. Several measurements share those points, so correcting a single misplaced landmark can change more than one reading. The useful question is not “How many lines can the app draw?” but “Which of these lines can this photo support?”
- A
- Nose bridge, the dip between brow and nose.
- B
- Nose base, used for other constructions.
- C
- Upper lip, at its visible fullest point.
- D
- Chin front. The H angle opens here between D→A and D→C.
What the thirteen points describe
- Upper outline
- Hairline, brow ridge and nose bridge. The bridge is the dip between brow and nose, not the prominent brow point above it.
- Nose and lips
- Nose tip, nose base, upper lip and lower lip. Review the lip outline itself rather than the teeth or the shadow between the lips.
- Chin and neck
- Chin front, chin bottom and neck point. These are three distinct positions; the under-chin/neck junction is not the lowest point of the chin.
- Jaw and ear
- Jaw corner, jaw hinge estimate and ear notch. The hinge is a surface estimate. See the jaw-landmark diagram before moving it.
Different measurements ask different questions
| Reading | Construction on the photo |
|---|---|
| Nasofrontal angle | At the nose bridge, between rays toward the brow ridge and nose tip. |
| Nasolabial angle | At the nose base, between rays toward the nose tip and upper lip. A method using surface tangents instead uses different lines. |
| Chin recession (H angle) | At the chin front, between the nose-bridge and upper-lip rays. The sign depends on which side of the bridge-to-chin line the upper lip falls. |
| Lip to E-line | Signed perpendicular distance from each lip point to the line between nose tip and chin front, expressed as a percentage of bridge-to-chin-bottom distance. |
| Gonial angle | At the visible jaw corner, between the hinge estimate and chin bottom. This is a surface proxy, not an X-ray angle. |
The current scored set has ten side measurement definitions. Not every definition produces a usable result in every photo. Research constructions such as the surface ramus-to-mandible ratio, forehead slope and neck angle are held out of scoring; the presence of a hairline or neck marker does not mean it contributes to your score.
Why units and pose matter
Angles are reported in degrees. Side projection distances are normalized to the nose-bridge-to-chin-bottom length, so a lip result of 2% means a proportion of that reference length, not 2 millimetres or a body-fat estimate. Keep the same definition when comparing an app that reports millimetres.
Use a fully side-on photo with a level head and relaxed lips. A three-quarter photo changes the visible projection; correcting a few points does not turn it into a true side view. “Face points left” and “Face points right” mean the direction of the nose in the image, not whether the landmarks are correct.
Jaw geometry, fullness and skin are separate
A jaw angle cannot diagnose facial fat, acne, scars, rosacea or wrinkles. Those require different observations, and a skin concern is not established by a geometry score. Lighting and shadow can make an outline look more defined without changing the three points used for its angle.
Do not interpret a favourable jaw measurement as proof that the whole lower face is sharply defined. Equally, an uncertain measurement is not evidence of a problem with the face. If the contour is obscured, the honest result may be “not measured.”
A useful review sequence
- Check the pose and that the nose, lips, chin and ear are visible. Use the capture guide if unsure.
- Inspect the automatic placements against their labels. Correct points that visibly missed; do not move them to pursue a preferred score.
- Check the image-facing direction. Confirm the review only after checking all points.
- Read the raw measurements, fit labels and warnings before the combined score. Keep excluded readings excluded.
Clinical research does not validate this app by association
Photo and radiographic methods can use different landmarks and serve different purposes. A study comparing clinical cephalometry and two-dimensional photographs treated them as complementary tools. It did not test TrueMax or establish a universal attractiveness scale. Read the comparison study.
Add the side when it adds usable information
You can start with the front and choose whether to add a side photo. Read how the flow works and what each plan includes.
Start a face scan