Patent ID: 8405736

Claim:
A method to automatically adjust an image capture metric on a camera device, comprising: receiving image information from an image capture sensor array prior to image capture; receiving orientation information from an orientation sensor prior to image capture, the orientation sensor determining orientation information relative to gravity; determining if the image information is suitable for a face detection operation; identifying an orientation for the image capture device prior to image capture, the orientation identified based on the orientation information; performing the face detection operation on the image information prior to image capture in accordance with the identified orientation after the image information was determined suitable for the face detection operation; identifying a candidate face from a plurality of faces detected by the face detection operation; terminating until image capture, further face detection operations for orientations not identified by the orientation information after at least one face has been detected in the image information; and adjusting an image capture metric in accordance with the identified candidate face; wherein performing a face detection operation on the image information prior to capture is only performed for the orientation identified by the orientation information.