Using Face Detection

AutoCollage face detection helps select images for Collages. When AutoCollage detects a face in an image, it makes a note of the face size and location.

Face detection is an active research area. The face detector used in AutoCollage is good, but not perfect. In some cases you may wish to preview detected faces, and to change the results.

Once face detection display options have been enabled via the Input Options dialog, detected faces are shown in each image in the Image Preview Pane, surrounded by a yellow rectangle.

AutoCollage prefers images with faces when selecting pictures for inclusion in collages. It also prefers not to obscure detected faces in collages. Note that the yellow rectangle is only shown in the image preview pane, not in the final collage.

If Enable manual face detection is enabled in Input Options, you can force AutoCollage to ignore automatically detected faces in a given image. You can also draw a rectangle containing any faces in the image, replacing automatic face detection results.

To instruct AutoCollage to ignore faces detected in an image:

Select an image in the Image Preview Pane, and wait until it's fully zoomed.
Hold down the Ctrl key and right-click on the zoomed image, then release the Ctrl key.

Any yellow rectangles on the image disappear, and AutoCollage treats the image as if it contains no faces.

To draw a manual face detection rectangle:

Select an image in the Image Preview Pane, and wait until it's fully zoomed.
Hold down the Ctrl key and then press and hold the left mouse button at one corner of the face. You may release the Ctrl key any time after clicking down the left mouse button.
While continuing to hold down the left mouse button, drag the mouse to the opposite corner of the face.
Release the left mouse button. If you're not satisfied with the result, draw a new rectangle, or Ctrl right-click to remove it.

In the image below, the user identifies the dragon's face by holding down the Ctrl key and left-clicking at the upper left of the dragon's face, releasing the Ctrl key, dragging the mouse to the lower right corner of the dragon's face, and then releasing the left mouse button.

If you create a collage and find features you want shown are being obscured, return to the image browser view of the folder and use manual face detection to make this less likely.

Press Esc to return to the image browser view
Zoom the desired image
Draw a face recognition rectangle containing the obscured feature
Select Create to create a new AutoCollage with the same settings.

Manual face detection is an advanced feature, and has several restrictions.

A manual face detection rectangle removes any previous face detection rectangles - automatic or manual - for that image.
An image may have multiple automatically detected face rectangles, but only one manual face detection rectangle.
Face detection rectangles for each image are only retained until you close AutoCollage or browse to a different image folder.
You can draw a face rectangle anywhere inside an image. For best blending results, leave a margin of 1/8 of the image size or greater around all four edges of the image.