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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47 Posted by mbtadina@sbcglobal.net on Thu Sep 3, 2009 7:12PM EDT Report Abuse
rubbish. math and numbers cannot "prove" beauty. go with what you have already been told and already know: "Beauty IS in the eye of the beholder; everyone is different in each others eyes. It takes the whole world to point out someone's flaws, but it takes one person to point out someone's attributes"
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48 Posted by northshore37@sbcglobal.net on Thu Sep 3, 2009 7:41PM EDT Report Abuse
I think the girls look more attractive in the "before" photos.
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49 Posted by mark.monroe@att.net on Thu Sep 3, 2009 7:07PM EDT Report Abuse
I love it! I'd pay for this option on my camara. I'm tired of the camera adding ten pounds. I've thought for years that at least digital cameras ought to be capable of taking back the ten pounds, so the least they could do is make one that gives me the option to touch up pics when I'd like. But there does seem to be a lot of people out there with issues, which is pretty funny, since most of the women presumably use makeup at times, and we all try to dress nicely for work or to impress our wife and pay photographers to take family pictures that look nicer than what we can pull off at home. But sure, this makes you feel insecure. Thanks for the laugh.
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50 Posted by gaelhound@att.net on Thu Sep 3, 2009 4:05PM EDT Report Abuse
I do think that the math part of beauty is valid. But without animation and a real living breathing human involved would anyone of us fall in love? For selling magazines this algorithim has a place, to artificially touch up my personal photos, no interest.
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51 Posted by soccerfreak1275@sbcglobal.net on Thu Sep 3, 2009 9:31PM EDT Report Abuse
I found this article very interesting! However, it definately is calling attention to the vainness of our society. Why can't people accept who they are and enjoy being alive? Life's too short to fret over a half-centimeter from you nose to your mouth that could change your appearance, and potentially "make you happier." I'd tell all those people wanting to change themselves that they will never be truly happy because there will always be something imperfect. Imperfections create character! Barbie dolls are boring.
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52 Posted by heartsong08@sbcglobal.net on Thu Sep 3, 2009 4:17PM EDT Report Abuse
What I noticed right away is that the retouched faces seem to have a more "dreamy" expression, with a softer, more receptive personality. Could this be the real reason why they seem more pleasing to many people?
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53 Posted by edwintoolis@sbcglobal.net on Thu Sep 3, 2009 3:52PM EDT Report Abuse
I think the researchers in Tel Aviv need to work on making peace with the Palestinians.
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54 Posted by heartsong08@sbcglobal.net on Thu Sep 3, 2009 4:17PM EDT Report Abuse
Maybe this is related to why the belladonna drug (which means beautiful woman) has that name, because it dilates the pupils of the eyes. If someone really likes you, their pupils dilate in your presence, and this makes them more attractive to you.
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55 Posted by jschmix@att.net on Thu Sep 3, 2009 4:42PM EDT Report Abuse
This is the stupidest thing I've ever heard! F*** that. My boyfriend is considered ugly in some peoples eyes, but you know what, I find him the most drop dead, gorgeous guy ever. I don't need some algorythmic equation to tell me that I find somebody attractive.
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56 Posted by verynawdgirl on Thu Sep 3, 2009 10:33PM EDT Report Abuse
Also, this guy is not showing you how to use a camera to make you look better or adding a program to your computer to make your pics look better. This is supposed to be a tool that you use to take to the plastic surgeon and say, "This is how my face looks now, and this is how I want it to look." They already have a program like this at my kids orthodontist. It shows pictures of him now and pictures of how he is, "supposed" to look. Then the orthodontist makes up the braces and in 2 years that's what you look like and it uses a mathmatical equation to figure it all out.
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57 Posted by caitlynpesl@sbcglobal.net on Thu Sep 3, 2009 3:16PM EDT Report Abuse
That study is absolutely ridiculous, and the time should have been spent doing something more productive to society, not something that will set society back. Even if I could somehow look more attractive, it wouldn't be ME. And people need to be happy with themselves before resulting to something so vain. If this product is ever released I think you'd be giving eating disorders to a whole nother generation, congratulations.
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58 Posted by kscoonrod on Thu Sep 3, 2009 4:54PM EDT Report Abuse
I don't think it is worth it because it is only temporary in a picutre. Even if you have a picutre and they alter it to look better, you still look like you do in real life.
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59 Posted by cathy.pearson@sbcglobal.net on Thu Sep 3, 2009 3:19PM EDT Report Abuse
Everyone was born different, but perfect and beautiful exactly the way they are and the way they were meant to be. If science, technology and society didn't brainwash people throughout their entire life of what perfect is and what beauty is, and people would quit buying into what the media, tabloids and magazines say excepting it as truth the world would be a better place.
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60 Posted by b.lemon@att.net on Thu Sep 3, 2009 3:00PM EDT Report Abuse
I looked at the before and after pics and I must say that the girls looked BETTER in the before pics. They were more natural and unique. I thought the after pics were very average and forgetable. Someone else said the AFTER pics looked better----clearly, beauty IS in the eye of the beholder.
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61 Posted by rayncatt1@sbcglobal.net on Thu Sep 3, 2009 8:31PM EDT Report Abuse
while I do agree with most of the comments postedI also think there is another side to this. What about those of us who look fine off camera but take HORRIBLE pictures? I am one of those, I look awful in 95% of the photos I take and others agree so it isnt just me! I will retouch my photos my photos at time though I wouldn't want to look nothing like myself either...there are pro's as well as cons to this...
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62 Posted by rayncatt1@sbcglobal.net on Thu Sep 3, 2009 8:31PM EDT Report Abuse
ok..I just looked at the photos...ummm personally I think the girls look better NOT retouched! Number one especiallyshe has gorgeous feathures and who the heck wants their face widen!?!?! Okkkk I stick to doing my own pictures after seeing this thanks....and yes beauty is subjective
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63 Posted by nsledbetter@sbcglobal.net on Thu Sep 3, 2009 7:41PM EDT Report Abuse
Noooo! I'm already self-conscious enough as it is. Why would I want a photograph to point out how would look if I were "really beautiful"? Perhaps it's great for models but for "regular" people - we're already trying to overcome the magazine stereotypes with which we are constantly bombarded.
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64 Posted by fbradham@sbcglobal.net on Thu Sep 3, 2009 3:59PM EDT Report Abuse
Ugh, how horrid. Of COURSE this is just fueling the obsession with beauty! It is making beauty into one generic face ... no one would be unique or beautiful because of their different and interesting features.
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65 Posted by ciwi_list on Thu Sep 3, 2009 3:25PM EDT Report Abuse
I would use it. If it can help me get an Internet date why not? It's still me, only better.
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46 Posted by joer07@att.net on Thu Sep 3, 2009 4:38PM EDT Report Abuse
Thank God that there actually women out there that think of beauty on other qualities, like personality,character, and sense of humor. Other wise I would be screw. Science is great and every body has a right to make a buck or two on what ever they can, as long as there are people willing to buy it. It's the American Way!