Detection of Face Direction by Implementing Face Edge Patterns

In this paper, a method for detecting the direction of a human face is developed; regardless of its age or sex. The method involves creating a set of five face patterns representing the front, up, down, left, and right directions of a face. The face patterns are produced by applying Cannys edge detection algorithm on some face files. The direction of the input face is found by first applying the above algorithm on the input file and comparing it with the five face patterns. The face pattern that gives minimum difference will represent the direction of the input face. Excellent results were reported when applied on images with relatively clear background and the head were centered at the image area.