Prototyping and Transforming Facial Textures for Perception Research

Facial perception research has benefited from the use of computer graphic methods, such as facial image prototyping and transformation. This paper describes new methods for improved prototyping and transformation of skin textures including wrinkles and stubble. We use a biologically inspired wavelet transform to capture the textural detail in different facial regions at multiple spatial scales and orientations. This information is then used to amplify or smooth an image's edges appropriately when constructing a prototype or transformed face image. We validate the new methods using perceptual ratings of prototype faces and age-transformed faces.