• DJKJuicy@sh.itjust.works
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    30 minutes ago

    This mirrored/asymmetrical stuff is mostly wrong. It can definitely cause an “uncanny” vibe but doesn’t explain why you’re a 7/10 in the mirror and a 3/10 in a photo.

    You look different in the mirror versus photos because of the different focal length, different depth of field, and different angle.

    I look pretty good to my own eye in the mirror but look like an absolute blumpkin in photos. However, you can take a pretty good selfie that looks like what you see in the mirror by placing the camera about 4 feet away from you and at a slightly elevated angle.

  • Kairos@lemmy.today
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    7 hours ago

    The amount of people in the comments who don’t immediately know this is because our faces are slightly asymmetrical and we’re used to seeing them in the mirror is concerning.

    Other people get the same effect when they see your face mirrored.

    • HonoraryMancunian@lemmy.world
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      12 hours ago

      In addition to this (the effects of which are far more pronounced than the ‘mirror image’ theory btw — flipping a camera shot doesn’t tend to make a strong difference after all), a photo is just, well, a snapshot. It can’t pick up the subtle movements in expressions that add to your visual personality. If we all went about with a static photo expression on our faces, we’d look weird as fuck.

      • CheeseNoodle@lemmy.world
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        13 hours ago

        Helps if you angle the camera down slightly, actually funny story about AI… There was this site a few years ago that would give you a masculine/femanine score based on a selfie, I discovered all it was really checking was the angle of the face because men tend to take photos straight on and women know to take the photo with your face at an angle. (But NEVER an upward angle)

    • Omega@discuss.online
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      12 hours ago

      Confirmed, fixes the issue

      I’m 99% sure it’s me noticing flaws because I recognise it’s mine but it’s very different due to mirroring

      Like, damn, my face is slanted as fuck when mirrored…

      • slaacaa@lemmy.world
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        8 hours ago

        Not really, it’s the distance, mirror doubles it. Selfies of most people look horrible, even if flipped, due to the camera’s distortion from the short distance.

        Any time I had professional photos taken for work, the photographer stood at least 3 meters (10 feet) away, maybe even more.

        • cornshark@lemmy.world
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          7 hours ago

          Aw, does this mean that spy satellites exist to create the sexiest possible pictures of everyone on earth? Thank you Big Brother

  • ch00f@lemmy.world
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    16 hours ago

    You’re used to seeing your mirror image. You aren’t perfectly symmetrical, so your reflection looks slightly different than your image in a camera.

    • steeznson@lemmy.world
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      14 hours ago

      I remember seeing a study saying the most attractive people had somewhat asymmetrical faces but there’s a sweet spot for it. Attractiveness reduces again if the face is too asymmetrical.

      • Boxscape@lemmy.sdf.org
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        12 hours ago

        Are you sure it said asymmetrical?

        I read something on the topic (though, awhile ago now) and it talked about symmetry being attractive, and even gave Denzel Washington as an example because he had a remarkably symmetrical face.

        Wud be really interesting if asymmetry is found attractive now!

        • Sirence@feddit.org
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          8 hours ago

          Slightly asymmetrical, with emphasis on the slightly. Which is the reason women often drew fake moles on their cheeks in the past, or drew over existing ones to make them bigger (eg Monroe). It’s kinda making a comeback lately, I’ve seen some “influencers” picking the habit back up.

          • edric@lemm.ee
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            8 hours ago

            I noticed kpop idols put on fake moles as part of their look for performances.

  • Boxscape@lemmy.sdf.org
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    13 hours ago

    Lmaoa, I remember reading about this.

    If I recall correctly, a picture shows how you appear to others whereas the mirror shows you a ‘mirrored’ image of yourself (e.g., your left side is the reflection’s right side).

    We are used to seeing our reflection, which then makes pictures of ourselves look strange.

    I think selfie cameras intentionally take a mirrored image to avoid this effect. But I’ve never taken one because I hate looking at myself.

    There’s a similar phenomenon with hearing ourselves in recordings vs. as we speak.

    Edit: as @ch00f@lemmy.world already explained!