Patent ID: 7912245

Claim:
A method of digital image processing using face detection to achieve desired relative positions, orientations and pose angles of two or more detected faces, comprising: identifying two or more groups of pixels that correspond to two or more faces within a digital image; identifying one or more sub-groups of pixels that correspond to one or more facial features of each of the two or more faces; determining initial values of relative positions, orientations and pose angles of pixels of the two or more groups of pixels based on values of said one or more sub-groups of pixels of said each of the two or more faces, including calculating spatial orientations of axes of ellipses fit to said groups; determining initial relative positions, orientations and pose angles of the two or more faces within the digital image based on the initial values; and determining adjusted values of pixels within the digital image for adjusting the relative positions, orientations or pose angles, or combinations thereof, respectively to the desired relative positions, orientations or pose angles.