Researchers develop one-click "Beauty Machine"

Fri Nov 7, 2008 1:49PM EST

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How would you like to transform yourself into someone worthy of being on the cover of "Vogue" magazine with a simple click of a button? Researchers out of Tel Aviv University have developed a mathematical algorithm that can instantly beautify any man or woman, according to LiveScience.

Lead researcher Daniel Cohen-Or of the Blavatnik School of Computer Sciences at Tel Aviv University developed the algorithm by asking 68 men and women, ages 25-40, to rank the beauty of 93 different men's and women's facial features. Each person was rated on a scale of 1 to 7, and then the results were compiled in a database that distinguished 250 different facial features and measurements.

Check out sample before and after photos over at LiveScience's image gallery. 

"Beauty, contrary to what most people think, is not simply in the eye of the beholder," said Cohen-Or. "Beauty can be quantified by mathematical measurements and ratios. It can be defined as average distances between features, which a majority of people agree are the most beautiful," he said. "I don't claim to know much about beauty. For us, every picture in this research project is just a collection of numbers."

There are industries where this software would be a hit, obviously. For instance, air-brushing celebrities after a cover shoot would merely take seconds, or the algorithm could be incorporated into digital cameras for an instant beautifying effect. 

However, the software oddly doesn't seem to work very well with celebrities. Cohen-Or believes that the general public is already used to seeing a celebrity in a certain, specific way, whereas an unfamiliar face always yielded positive results.

If a one-click beautifying-effect was available as a feature on a future digicam, would you go out of your way to purchase it? Or do you believe technology like this is just fueling an obsession with beauty?

Let me know what you think in the comments below.

LiveScience -  New Beauty Machine Makes Everyone Gorgeous

 

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  • 26 Posted by klein4392@sbcglobal.net on Thu Sep 3, 2009 4:52PM EDT Report Abuse

    They did a study a few years ago where they sat a baby in front of a television screen. They flashed pictures on the screen of beautiful people with perfect faces, their eyes set just the right space apart , nose that fitted the face...and in general the face was WELL proportioned.....then showed the babies less attractive faces. The Babies always looked at the attractive faces longer and even smiled at them. , .....hmmmmmmmmm

  • 27 Posted by cootsj on Thu Sep 3, 2009 3:29PM EDT Report Abuse

    our standard of beauty is different that that of say africas, or spains, its been conditioned into us, like everything else we have an opinion of, or think we know. whats beautiful is taught to us, like fear is taught to us. pavlovs dog does not justify your work.

  • 28 Posted by dstm82@sbcglobal.net on Thu Sep 3, 2009 3:49PM EDT Report Abuse

    My mother taught her children beauty is only skin deep!!! And we wonder why we have so many eating disorders. What happened to loving yourself for who you are ??This a false reflection of ones self. If my daughter even considered this ridiculous camera idea, I would sma----- in a million pieces no matter how much it cost!! You people need to spend your time researching more important things and stop wasting your minds and money.

  • 29 Posted by cootsj on Thu Sep 3, 2009 3:29PM EDT Report Abuse

    you see, what we have here is a few college kids who wanted to change the world, but at one point realized that it really does take genius to cure diseases, so they settle with this experiment because its right in front of them... i can just see them in their eureka moment, theyre sitting in their dorn thinking about the hotties they attend class with....'but whyyyyyy' !

  • 30 Posted by cootsj on Thu Sep 3, 2009 3:29PM EDT Report Abuse

    i figured it out...money.

  • 31 Posted by leptir@sbcglobal.net on Thu Sep 3, 2009 6:49PM EDT Report Abuse

    While I don't agree that people should try to alter the way they look just to try to appear mathematically pleasing; I do agree that those few who are actually very well proportioned do tend to look more conventionally beautiful. But moving on from the debate of what is right or wrong, I was just wondering if any research has been done which looks into why this phenomenon (trick of the mind) even exists? For example: do well spaced out features actually point to any sort of evolutionary advantage (not just aesthetically)?

  • 32 Posted by leptir@sbcglobal.net on Thu Sep 3, 2009 6:49PM EDT Report Abuse

    While I don't agree that people should try to alter the way they look just to try to appear mathematically pleasing; I do agree that those few who are actually very well proportioned do tend to look more conventionally beautiful. But moving on from the debate of what is right or wrong, I was just wondering if any research has been done which looks into why this phenomenon (trick of the mind) even exists? For example: do well spaced out features actually point to any sort of evolutionary advantage (not just aesthetically)?

  • 33 Posted by tomruggiero@sbcglobal.net on Thu Sep 3, 2009 10:16PM EDT Report Abuse

    OMG - Are you kidding with this? As others have stated, beauty IS subjective and in the eye of the beholder. Someone's face is only PART of the entire package, and unless you are going to spend gobs of $$$$ at a plastic surgeon for your entire life, it is subject to change. Thank goodness a lot of us in this world are matematically challenged in the beauty area or it would be a very boring place with the same faces everywhere. I think you math wizards need to find something more redeeming to focus your efforts on.

  • 34 Posted by garyconkle@sbcglobal.net on Thu Sep 3, 2009 4:06PM EDT Report Abuse

    The day I reduce beauty to a number, put me in my casket and bury me. My wise old mother taught me that all women are beautiful. You just may have to look a little harder for some. Physical features are only a small part of what makes a woman beautiful. Much more important is attitude, confidence, an undefinable sense of sensuality and how they carry themselves. You can keep your runway models and celebrities. Give me a cute woman who knows she is a Woman and knows how to use the charms that she was blessed with any day of the week. As the old song says: Thank Heaven for little girls, they grow up in the most delightful way.

  • 35 Posted by donna.marino@att.net on Thu Sep 3, 2009 3:46PM EDT Report Abuse

    What a Hoot! Today I am getting ready to meet with Mothers and Daughters to conduct a Workshop on Real Beauty and Self-Esteem....the timing of this ridiculous article is uncanny. Real Beauty...scientifically based? If that was the case we'd be able to quantify 'chemistry' when it comes to meeting people and who knows what's next??? Beauty is made up of a multitude of characteristics, personality, spirituality, emotionality, intellectuality, caring, kindness, love, affection....we may be able to develop a mathematical equation to determine what the majority finds physically appealing as far as facial features but to suggest that as BEAUTY is beyond appalling!....It is utter absurdity!!

  • 36 Posted by ntharper@sbcglobal.net on Thu Sep 3, 2009 7:42PM EDT Report Abuse

    i went to the LiveScience's image gallery to see the pictures and honestly, i liked the real images of the girls better than i liked the retouched images. Their real pictures had more personality and strength and character. The other pictures were pretty, but i prefered the unaltered images.

  • 37 Posted by power-eq@sbcglobal.net on Thu Sep 3, 2009 8:17PM EDT Report Abuse

    Why would you want to doctor up a photo. Especialy on of your self. Photos are supposed to be real.

  • 38 Posted by lmford62@swbell.net on Thu Sep 3, 2009 6:55PM EDT Report Abuse

    This is one of the dumbest things I've seen. I want my photos to show reality, thank you. I wouldn't bother with this feature on a camera even if it were free!

  • 39 Posted by gwhill25@sbcglobal.net on Thu Sep 3, 2009 4:15PM EDT Report Abuse

    Are they honestly using the opinions of 68 men and women as a basis for what the other billions of people on Earth may think? How foolish. I can't agree more that beauty is subjective, otherwise why would someone like Heidi Klum be with someone like Seal? That's the most obvious example I can think of. I'm sure there are millions more. This is nothing but a predecessor for a well thought-out marketing scheme; just some researcher looking to justify his or her sorry existence. Keep trying, but for now obviously WE'RE NOT FOOLED.

  • 40 Posted by neil1992@att.net on Thu Sep 3, 2009 7:35PM EDT Report Abuse

    Excuse my language, but this is a load of pure, unadulterated bull. What most people consider "beautiful" is primarily based on the standards set by the Europeans long ago. Now everyone's under pressure to look like them! Everyone's getting nosejobs because they just gotta have that thin nose, and there are Latinas all over Hollywood having their faces cut over and over again in hopes that one day they'll be able to pass for white. This mess is insane. They should delete each and every copy of this "beauty program".

  • 41 Posted by saraheberhart on Thu Sep 3, 2009 9:04PM EDT Report Abuse

    Unfortunately, a lot of people look great untilthey open their mouths.Sometimes an ugly personality can erase any pleasant beauty features. Beauty comes from the inside.

  • 42 Posted by lstrodtbeck@sbcglobal.net on Thu Sep 3, 2009 6:58PM EDT Report Abuse

    I've known beautiful people that were unattractive because of the way they act and I've known rather unattractive people that were a joy to be around....you never noticed their flaws because you were too busy enjoying their company. Maybe people should concentrate on building their character and personality and not worry so much on whether someone likes the shape of their nose or the set of their eyes. The bottom line is that with age looks change and if when you get older you haven't got the personality that people enjoy being around you may find yourself very alone

  • 43 Posted by leaann.pry@swbell.net on Thu Sep 3, 2009 4:58PM EDT Report Abuse

    uhm gee did anyone look at the before and after pictures? I could not really tell any difference. If my face was going to be in a magazine, they are going to airbrush and make look like they want anyway. If I take a picture of my family or friends, I want them to look just the way they are!! I don't take many pictures of myself, must be an age thing. Us 40 somethings don't post to Facebook much. This is silly in this old lady's opinion.

  • 44 Posted by mrs.toxik@sbcglobal.net on Thu Sep 3, 2009 7:28PM EDT Report Abuse

    Wow... Although I believe there are certain features that most people agree are pretty, I don't think you can say that there is a mathematical equation to beauty. There are alot of people that wouldn't agree with these features, and many people who look better with their nature features. Even the thought of a camera thant "enhances your beauty" is absurd. Why would you want to make yourself appear differently than you are really are?

  • 45 Posted by emily.walsh87@sbcglobal.net on Thu Sep 3, 2009 3:54PM EDT Report Abuse

    I would absolutely not buy anything that supports this. Why would anyone want to show people (and themselves) pictures that are not really them? This is just one more way to make people feel horrible about themselves. I'm sure we all have moments looking at the mirror where we wish we would alter some small feature of ourselves, but this is ridiculous. What a boring place this world would be if we didn't have the little quirks that make us...us.

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