A preview image presentation method by a terminal having a front camera and a screen, wherein the front camera is disposed at a same side of the terminal as the screen, and is situated below or above the screen with respect to a portrait orientation of the terminal, and wherein the screen is a touchscreen, wherein the method comprises: acquiring, by the terminal, an image of a user captured by the front camera, the terminal being held in a portrait orientation; presenting, in a display area of the screen, the first preview image generated according to the image; generating the second preview image according to the first preview image by using a downscale algorithm wherein the size of the second preview image is less than a size of the first preview image; presenting the second preview image on a preset location in the display area; the method being characterized in that it further comprises: receiving an operating instruction of a user on the second preview image; and presenting the second preview image on a target location indicated by the operating instruction in order to guide the sight line of the user in the direction of the second preview image; wherein the target location comprises a location that is in a direction having a preset angle with respect to the front camera and is spaced from the front camera by a distance less than a threshold; wherein the preset angle has its vertex at the center of the front camera and has a first side extending vertically in the direction of the screen and a second side which is at the preset angle value from the first side; wherein the preset angle is equal to 45 degrees or any angle ensuring that a photography effect of a side view of a user can be previewed when the user is watching the second preview image. acquiring, by the terminal, an image of a user captured by the front camera, the terminal being held in a portrait orientation; presenting, in a display area of the screen, the first preview image generated according to the image; generating the second preview image according to the first preview image by using a downscale algorithm wherein the size of the second preview image is less than a size of the first preview image; presenting the second preview image on a preset location in the display area; the method being characterized in that it further comprises: receiving an operating instruction of a user on the second preview image; and presenting the second preview image on a target location indicated by the operating instruction in order to guide the sight line of the user in the direction of the second preview image; wherein the target location comprises a location that is in a direction having a preset angle with respect to the front camera and is spaced from the front camera by a distance less than a threshold; wherein the preset angle has its vertex at the center of the front camera and has a first side extending vertically in the direction of the screen and a second side which is at the preset angle value from the first side; wherein the preset angle is equal to 45 degrees or any angle ensuring that a photography effect of a side view of a user can be previewed when the user is watching the second preview image. receiving an operating instruction of a user on the second preview image; and presenting the second preview image on a target location indicated by the operating instruction in order to guide the sight line of the user in the direction of the second preview image; wherein the target location comprises a location that is in a direction having a preset angle with respect to the front camera and is spaced from the front camera by a distance less than a threshold; wherein the preset angle has its vertex at the center of the front camera and has a first side extending vertically in the direction of the screen and a second side which is at the preset angle value from the first side; wherein the preset angle is equal to 45 degrees or any angle ensuring that a photography effect of a side view of a user can be previewed when the user is watching the second preview image.