Set up the shot
Use your usual phone camera and a simple setting. If you are photographing someone else, get their permission before taking and uploading the photo. Lucentage is not intended for children.
- Face an indirect light source, such as a window, with light reaching both sides of your face.
- Hold or place the camera near eye level. Use a timer if it helps keep the phone steady.
- Include your whole face with a little room around it. Avoid a distant full-body shot.
- Look near the camera with a relaxed expression. Keep sunglasses and other obstructions away from your eyes.
- Turn off optional beauty filters. Check that the face is sharp before uploading.
Check the image, not just the file size
A large file can still contain a small or blurry face. Open the photo and check whether the eyes and the edges of the face are clear. Enlarging a tiny face cannot recover detail that the original photo did not capture.
| What you see | What to try |
|---|---|
| Bright background and dark face | Turn toward the light or move away from the backlight. |
| Soft or smeared facial details | Clean the lens, hold steady and retake in better light. |
| Face close to the edge or partly missing | Reframe with the entire face near the center. |
| Several people in the frame | Choose a photo with only the intended person. |
Choose a supported original file
Lucentage accepts JPEG, PNG, WebP and AVIF files up to 10 MB. If your phone exports another format, save a supported copy first. Upload the image file rather than a screenshot of a messaging app.
The browser reduces large images to a maximum of 640 pixels on the longest side before sending them. There is no need to shrink a clear portrait to a tiny thumbnail yourself. Keep enough of the face in the original frame for the resized version to remain useful.
If the estimator cannot find a face
A no-face message means the service could not obtain the face it needs from that image. Try a sharper, front-facing photo with the full face visible. Repeatedly uploading the same obstructed or distant face will not fix its framing.
A busy-service or connection message is different. Follow the message and try again when the connection or service is available. You do not need to edit your portrait to solve a network problem.
Read the result with its limits in mind
A successful upload means the service returned a prediction. It does not certify your age or the quality of the photo. If a result surprises you, review the image conditions and read how the model was evaluated.