Improving face recognition in iPhoto '09

Users have run into a variety of problems getting the new face detection technology in iPhoto '09 to work.

One thing to keep in mind is that manually setting faces in a picture will not help iPhoto learn and distinguish faces. When iPhoto runs the face detection routine on a photo and does not find any faces, adding one is just like labeling the picture with keywords or any other metadata, and does not change the criteria for finding faces. The face-finding technology is static, users can help it identify a face once it has already been found. Therefore, if iPhoto does not initially find a face, there is no way users will be able to get it to find a face without first editing the photo (ie: increasing contrast, colors, brightness, etc).

Once a face has been detected in a photo, many times iPhoto will have problems identifying it, especially if the photo is a profile or rear shot. Apple discusses this in a newly released Knowledge Base article. The overall gist of the article is that, in order to increase face identification, users should make an effort to have as many different angles and variations of a person's face as possible. Examples include: profile shots, shots at different ages, shots with and without makeup and jewelry, shots in different lighting and climates, with and without facial expressions, etc. Many times users will just focus on front shots with people smiling, which can limit iPhoto's recognition technologies.

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