Pose Profile Selector
Different photography styles require different pose standards. The Pose Profile Selector lets you choose the right analysis criteria for your specific shoot type.
What Are Pose Profiles?
Pose profiles define how strictly the AI judges head tilt, shoulder angles, and body positioning. Each profile is optimized for a specific photography style:
- Traditional Portrait: Yearbooks, ID photos (very straight, formal poses)
- Professional Headshot: Business photos, LinkedIn (slight angles, professional)
- Casual Portrait: Team photos, events (relaxed, natural poses)
- Artistic Portrait: Senior portraits, creative sessions (dynamic angles, freedom)
Why Profiles Matter: A 15° head tilt might score poorly for a yearbook photo but perfectly for an artistic senior portrait. Profiles ensure ratings match your photography context.
The 4 Profiles Explained
Traditional Portrait (Default)
Best for: School yearbooks, employee IDs, passport photos
| Head Angle | 3-10° from center |
| Shoulder Turn | 5-15° |
| Strictness | HIGH (very formal) |
| Example Use | Classic yearbook headshot, straight-on and formal |
Professional Headshot
Best for: LinkedIn, corporate headshots, business directories
| Head Angle | 8-15° turn allowed |
| Shoulder Turn | 15-25° |
| Strictness | MEDIUM (professional but natural) |
| Example Use | Corporate headshot with slight angle for visual interest |
Casual Portrait
Best for: School events, team photos, candid shots
| Head Angle | 5-20° relaxed positioning |
| Shoulder Turn | 10-30° natural turn |
| Strictness | LOW (forgiving, natural) |
| Example Use | Sports team photo, casual group shots, event photography |
Artistic Portrait
Best for: Senior portraits, creative sessions, fashion photography
| Head Angle | 15-35° creative angles |
| Shoulder Turn | 25-45° dynamic poses |
| Strictness | LOW (maximum creative freedom) |
| Example Use | Senior portrait with artistic, dynamic pose |
[IMAGE: Pose Profile Comparison]
Side-by-side examples of different profiles
How to Switch Profiles
Switching between pose profiles is instant and does not require restarting the application:
- Navigate to the Images view
- Look for the Pose Profile dropdown in the top toolbar
- Click the dropdown to see all 4 available profiles
- Select your desired profile
- The profile switches immediately
- Important: Only new photos rated after this point will use the selected profile
[IMAGE: Pose Profile Dropdown]
Dropdown showing all 4 profiles
Profile Persistence: Your selected profile is saved and remains active even after restarting the application. Each photo's detail view shows which profile was used for its analysis.
Understanding Pose Scores
Pose Score Scale (0.0 - 1.0)
- 0.9 - 1.0: Excellent pose, perfect angles for the selected profile
- 0.7 - 0.89: Good pose, minor improvements possible
- 0.5 - 0.69: Fair pose, noticeable angle issues
- < 0.5: Poor pose, significant corrections needed
Penalty System
Pose penalties (0.0 - 4.0 points) are deducted from the overall quality rating based on how far the pose deviates from the profile's ideal:
- Higher penalty = worse pose for the selected profile
- Penalty depends on profile strictness
- Same photo can have different penalties with different profiles
Example Comparison
Scenario: Senior portrait with 15° head angle and 20° shoulder turn
With Traditional Portrait profile:
- Head Angle: 15° (too much for strict yearbook standards)
- Shoulder Angle: 20° (exceeds 5-15° guideline)
- Pose Score: 0.65 (fair)
- Penalty: -1.5 points from quality rating
- Recommendation: "Turn subject's head to 5-10°"
With Artistic Portrait profile:
- Head Angle: 15° (perfect for creative work)
- Shoulder Angle: 20° (ideal for artistic poses)
- Pose Score: 0.95 (excellent)
- Penalty: -0.2 points
- Recommendation: None needed
Pose Feedback Messages
When pose issues are detected, the application provides specific, actionable feedback:
| Condition | Issue Detected | Feedback Message |
|---|---|---|
shoulder_angle < 8° | Shoulders too straight | "Turn shoulders left (subject's right)" |
shoulder_angle > 25° | Shoulders turned too much | "Turn shoulders back toward camera" |
head_angle < 3° | Head straight-on | "Tilt head slightly (3-10 degrees)" |
head_angle > 25° | Head turned too much | "Face camera more directly" |
When multiple issues exist, feedback is combined into a single message:
"Shoulders too straight, head straight-on. Turn shoulders left (subject's right). Tilt head slightly (3-10 degrees)."
How Pose Detection Works
The application uses advanced pose detection technology to identify body landmarks and calculate accurate angles for shoulders and head tilt.
Shoulder Angle Detection
Shoulder angle is calculated using tilt-based detection:
- Measures the angle of the shoulder line relative to horizontal
- When shoulders are turned, one appears higher than the other
- More reliable for cropped portraits where the full body isn't visible
| Shoulder Tilt | Interpreted Turn |
|---|---|
| 0-5° | Square shoulders (0° turn) |
| 5-15° | Slight turn (0-10°) |
| 15-30° | Moderate turn (10-25°) |
Head Angle Detection
Head angle is calculated using ear visibility asymmetry:
- When the head is turned, one ear becomes more visible (closer to the nose)
- The system measures the distance from nose to each ear
- Also considers ear line tilt for detecting head tilt vs. head turn
Cropped Portrait Support: The detection system includes sanity checks for tightly cropped headshots where full body landmarks may not be visible. In these cases, the system gracefully falls back to assume standard positioning.
Direction Terminology
Feedback directions are given from the photographer's perspective:
- "Turn left" means the subject should rotate toward the photographer's left (subject's right)
- "Turn right" means the subject should rotate toward the photographer's right (subject's left)
Note: The pose detection system uses the subject's perspective for landmark identification (e.g., "left shoulder" refers to the subject's left shoulder, which appears on the right side of the image). The feedback system automatically converts these to photographer-friendly directions.
Re-rating With Different Profiles
If you've already rated photos with one profile and want to see how they score with a different profile, you have options:
Future Feature (Coming in v0.10.0)
A "Re-rate All Images" feature will allow bulk re-analysis:
- Switch to your desired new profile
- Click "Re-rate All Images" button
- Confirm the re-rating operation
- Wait while the app re-analyzes (approximately 1-2 minutes for 100 photos)
- All ratings update with the new profile's standards
Current Workaround (v0.9.0)
To re-rate existing photos with a different profile:
- Switch to your desired profile
- Re-import the photos (copy to hot folder or manually rate again)
- New ratings will use the currently selected profile
Tip: Choose the right profile before rating large batches to avoid needing to re-rate later. If unsure, start with Traditional Portrait (strictest) and switch to more relaxed profiles if scores are too harsh.
Next Steps
- Settings & Thresholds - Customize pose profile scoring weights
- Rating Workflow - Learn the complete photo rating process
- Dashboard & Analytics - View pose statistics across your portfolio