Auto Face Crop
Drop in portraits and get consistent, centered headshots in seconds. Faces are detected automatically on your device, then each photo is cropped to the same aspect ratio, face size and eye-line position, which is ideal for team pages, staff directories, ID badges and profile pictures.
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Add one or more photos. Each detected face becomes a centered headshot at the ratio and padding you choose; adjust any crop by hand with Adjust.
How to use the Auto Face Crop
- Add photos by dropping them on the box. Faces are detected automatically and each photo gets a crop card.
- Choose the ratio and output size, for example 1:1 at 1080 px for profile pictures.
- Set Face size and Face position; the framing preview shows how much space appears around the head.
- Check the cards and press Adjust on any crop to drag the frame or change its size.
- Download single headshots or press Download all as ZIP.
How the crop is calculated
Every headshot is framed with the same three rules, which is why a whole batch comes out consistent even when the original photos were shot at different distances:
| Value | Formula | Example (face box 300 px tall, 1:1, 38%, 42%) |
|---|---|---|
| Crop height | face box height ÷ Face size | 300 ÷ 0.38 ≈ 789 px |
| Crop width | crop height × aspect ratio | 789 × 1 = 789 px |
| Horizontal position | face center − crop width ÷ 2 | face centered left to right |
| Vertical position | face center − Face position × crop height | face center 331 px below the top edge |
| Output size | longest side scaled to the chosen pixels | 789 × 789 → 1080 × 1080 |
Recommended settings by use
| Use | Ratio | Face size | Face position | Output |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Profile picture / avatar | 1:1, circle | 45–55% | 45–50% | 600–1080 px |
| Team page / staff directory | 1:1 or 4:5 | 32–40% | 40–44% | 1080 px |
| ID badge | 3:4 | 40–45% | 42% | 600 px |
| Print portrait | 2:3 or 5:7 | 25–35% | 38–42% | 2048 px |
| Social story / vertical video cover | 9:16 | 20–28% | 35–40% | 1080 px |
Tips for consistent headshots
- Use the same settings for the whole set: identical face size and position make a grid of team photos look professional even if the originals differ.
- Start from the highest resolution you have: tight crops from small photos are upscaled, and the card shows "upscaled" when that happens.
- Leave room above the head: the detector's box ends at the forehead, so a face size of 50% or more may cut off hair; lower it or move the face down.
- Use circle crops for avatars: the PNG has a transparent background, so it looks right on any page color.
- Check group photos by hand: use Adjust for anyone partly hidden or turned to the side.
Frequently asked questions
How does the automatic face crop work?
Each photo is scaled down to 1280 pixels and passed to the MediaPipe BlazeFace short-range detector, a small neural network that returns a box around every face from the forehead to the chin. The crop height is then the face box height divided by your Face size percentage, the width follows from the aspect ratio, and the frame is placed so the center of the face sits at your chosen distance from the top.
Are my photos uploaded for face detection?
No. The detector's code and model file are downloaded once from public CDNs, then the detection, cropping and image encoding all run on your device. Your photos are never sent anywhere.
What Face size should I use for headshots?
For a classic head-and-shoulders headshot use about 30 to 40 percent. For tight profile pictures and avatars try 45 to 55 percent; for a looser upper-body crop use 20 to 25 percent. Passport and visa photos have strict official rules, so use a dedicated passport photo tool for those.
Why was no face found in my photo?
The short-range model is made for faces that fill a reasonable part of the picture, like selfies and portraits. Very small faces in wide group shots, faces in profile, heavily shadowed faces, sunglasses and masks can be missed. The photo is then center-cropped and marked, and you can frame it yourself with Adjust.
What happens when the face is close to the edge of the photo?
With Shrink and shift to fit, the frame is made smaller and moved so it stays inside the photo, which keeps every pixel real but can put the face slightly off center. With Keep face centered, fill with color, the frame keeps its size and position and any area outside the photo is filled with the color you pick.
Can I crop several faces from one group photo?
Yes. Set Faces per photo to Every face and the tool creates one headshot per detected face, named face1, face2 and so on. Faces much smaller than the largest one (less than 30 percent of its height) are ignored to avoid background people and false detections.
What if face detection does not load?
If the detector is blocked by a network filter or you are offline, the tool still works: every photo gets a centered crop at your chosen ratio, and you can move and resize each frame with Adjust before downloading.
Are all the tools on FreeToolCabin tested for quality and accuracy?
Yes! Every tool on our site undergoes automated Q/A testing in real browser environments to ensure high precision, correct output, and zero errors. If you happen to spot a bug or have a suggestion, please contact us at [email protected] and our team will review it right away.