Harmony & facial ratios
Face shape: the seven measurements
8 min read · Updated November 1, 2026
Seven measurements describe the overall shape of the face: how wide it is against how tall, how the temples compare with the cheeks, where the cheekbones sit, how compact the midface is, and how far the ears stand out.
How these fit together
Width is always taken at the cheekbones, the widest point of the face, so cheekbone width is the yardstick for most of this group. That is why head turn matters here more than anywhere else: a turned head shortens the apparent width and moves every ratio at once. If two of these move together between photos, suspect the photo before the face.
A worked example
Face width to height compares the width at the cheekbones with the distance from the brow line to the cupid's bow. On a face 560 px wide across the cheekbones, with 270 px between the brow line and the cupid's bow, the ratio is 560 ÷ 270 = 2.07.
| Quantity | Value |
|---|---|
| Cheekbone width | 560 px |
| Brow line to cupid's bow | 270 px |
| Face width to height ratio | 2.07 |
Illustrative numbers, not a real person.
Face Width to Height Ratio
Cheekbone width divided by the height from the brow line to the upper lip (fWHR).
What it is
Facial width-to-height ratio, usually written fWHR, compares how wide the face is across the cheekbones with how tall the upper face is. A higher value means a wider, shorter-looking face; a lower value means a narrower, longer one.
How it's measured
Width is the distance between the two cheek points. Height runs from the brow line down to the top of the upper lip, so the forehead and chin are not part of it. Both come from landmarks in a levelled frame.
Definition: cheekbone width, divided by the vertical distance from the brow line down to the cupid's bow.
How it's read
Values from about 1.7 to 2.1 cover most adult faces, with men a little higher on average. There is no single ideal: a wider ratio reads strong and masculine, a narrower one softer and more delicate. Ranges are set per sex.
What affects it
fWHR is sensitive to lens and distance. A close selfie on a wide-angle camera bulges the centre of the face and changes the ratio, so shoot from about 1.5 metres with a normal lens. Expression changes the height too: a big smile shortens the upper face.
For more detail, see the full guide: Facial width-to-height ratio.
Bitemporal Width
The width across your temples compared with the width across your cheekbones.
What it is
Bitemporal width is the distance between the two sides of the forehead at temple level, shown as a percentage of cheekbone width. It describes how the upper face tapers into the cheeks.
How it's measured
The two temple points and the two cheek points are landmarks. The temple distance is divided by the cheek distance and multiplied by 100, all in a levelled frame.
Definition: width across the temples, divided by cheekbone width, × 100.
How it's read
Temples a little narrower than the cheekbones give the face a gentle taper and are the usual reading of a balanced upper face. Temples nearly as wide as the cheeks give a boxier outline; much narrower temples can make the forehead look pinched.
What affects it
Hair covering the temples doesn't change the measurement, which is taken from landmarks on the face, but harsh side lighting can make landmark placement wander slightly. Soft, even front light gives the cleanest result.
Total Facial Width to Height Ratio
Total face height, hairline to chin, relative to face width; a measure of how long or round the face is.
What it is
This is the overall proportion of the whole face: how tall it is compared with how wide. The app reports it as total height divided by width, so a higher number means a longer, narrower face and a lower one a rounder, wider face.
How it's measured
Height runs from the hairline to the bottom of the chin, with the hairline estimated from landmarks and combined with a hairline-free height taken from the brow so a fringe or hat can't throw it off. Width is cheekbone width. Both are taken in a levelled frame.
Definition: face height, divided by cheekbone width. Height runs from the hairline to the chin and is averaged with a hairline-free estimate taken from the brow, so a fringe or a hat can't throw it off.
How it's read
Adult faces most often fall between roughly 1.3 and 1.5, meaning the face is a third to a half taller than it is wide. Ranges are set separately for men and women and overlap heavily.
What affects it
Because the hairline is part of the height, a very high or very low hairline can nudge this ratio. Camera tilt matters again: shoot level and straight on so height and width are compared fairly.
Cheekbone Height
How high the cheekbones sit on the face, from the upper lip toward the pupils.
What it is
Cheekbone height describes where the widest point of the cheekbones sits vertically. Higher-set cheekbones sit closer to the eyes and create a lifted midface; lower-set ones sit nearer the mouth.
How it's measured
The two cheek points are compared with the upper lip and the pupil line: the percentage is how far up the line from lip to pupils the cheek points sit. Everything is taken in a levelled frame.
Definition: how far the cheek points sit above the cupid's bow, as a percentage of the distance from the cupid's bow up to the pupil line.
How it's read
A higher value reads as high, prominent cheekbones, which are widely viewed as attractive. A low value means the cheek width sits lower on the face.
What affects it
This measures bone position, not how much cheek tissue you carry. Leanness and good lighting change how prominent the cheekbones look, which is scored separately under Angularity as cheekbone prominence and cheek leanness.
Midface Ratio
The distance between your pupils compared with the height from the pupil line to the top of the upper lip.
What it is
The midface ratio compares the width between the eyes with the height of the middle of the face. The classic reference is about 1:1: the pupils are as far apart as the gap from the pupil line down to the upper lip.
How it's measured
Pupil distance and the pupil-to-upper-lip height come from landmarks. The ratio is pupil distance divided by that height. Above 1 means a short, compact midface; below 1 means a longer one.
Definition: the distance between the pupils, divided by the vertical distance from the pupil line to the top of the upper lip.
How it's read
A compact midface close to 1:1 is a long-standing marker of a youthful, balanced face. A noticeably longer midface can make the face and nose look elongated. Ranges are set separately for men and women.
What affects it
Pitching your head up or down changes how tall the midface looks in the photo, so a level head is essential. Smiling lifts the upper lip and also changes the height measured.
Ear Protrusion Ratio
How far your ears stick out past the sides of your face, as a percentage of face width.
What it is
This describes how much ear shows beyond the outline of the face in a front view. A lower figure means ears that sit close to the head, and a higher figure means ears that stand out more.
How it's measured
The face landmarks have no points on the ears, so a second on-device model labels the skin and hair in the photo, and the outer edge of each ear is read from the skin. The gap from the cheek point to that edge is averaged over both sides and divided by face width.
Definition: the horizontal gap from the cheek point to the outer edge of the ear, averaged over both sides, divided by face width, × 100.
How it's read
A moderate figure reads as ears in proportion to the face. Very flat ears barely show from the front, and ears that stand out a lot draw attention to the sides of the head. The same range is used for men and women.
What affects it
This row only appears when both ears can be read, so hair over the ears removes it. A slightly turned head makes one ear look bigger than the other, and a close camera changes how much of the ears shows at all. Tuck your hair back and face the camera squarely from a normal distance.
Ear Protrusion Angle
The angle at which the outer edge of your ears sits away from the side of your face.
What it is
This is the angular version of ear protrusion. It describes how far the ear leans out from the side of the face, seen from the front. A larger angle means ears that stand out more.
How it's measured
On each side, a line runs from a vertical through the cheek point, at mouth level, up to the outer edge of the ear. The angle between that line and the vertical is averaged over both sides.
Definition: the angle, in degrees, between the vertical through the cheek point and the line from that vertical at mouth level out to the outer edge of the ear, averaged over both sides.
How it's read
It is read alongside the ear protrusion ratio, since both describe the same feature in different terms. A moderate angle reads as ears in proportion to the face. The same range is used for men and women.
What affects it
As with the ratio, the row needs both ears visible. Head pitch matters here too, because lifting or lowering your chin moves the ears against the mouth line. Keep your head level, with your hair behind your ears.
See it on a full report
Open the sample report to see every measurement, score and highlight on a real example.