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How do I expand my FaceReader setup?

Want to get more out of FaceReader? Several add-on modules expand FaceReader software to meet your research needs.

Don't need an entire FaceReader setup? Baby FaceReader and FaceReader Online are also available as stand-alone products.

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People working in an office setting with FaceReader

FaceReader Online

Mother and child reading on the bed

Want to invite people from all over the world? FaceReader Online allows you to quickly test a large group of participants—from any location.

Measure genuine responses

FaceReader Online is perfect for when you want to study participants in their natural environment. For example, you can measure the impact of products and websites or study emotional responses in parent-child interactions.

How do I get FaceReader Online?

To get started with FaceReader Online, create an account in the FaceReader Online section of your FaceReaderTM software. You can also contact us for a free FaceReader Online trial!

Get my free trial

Baby FaceReader

Baby FaceReader Action Units

Baby FaceReader is a tool for automated facial expression analysis for infants between 6 and 24 months old. It's based on the Baby Facial Action Coding System (Baby FACS) and includes 14 Action Units that are specific for infants.

Study infant emotions

Use Baby FaceReader to study responses to sensory stimuli, parent-child interactions, cognitive information processing, expressive behaviors in different situations, and more.

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FaceReader modules

Project Analysis Module

For advanced analysis of facial expression data, the Project Analysis Module should be part of your software.

  • Compare different groups of participants
  • Personalized data selection and overview
  • Analyze facial expressions even while recording

Learn more

Action Unit Module

Action Unit classification adds valuable information to facial expressions recorded by FaceReader.

  • Automatically analyze 25 common Action Units
  • Design your own expressions to study specific mental states
  • Analyze facial muscle movements on the left and right side of the face separately

Explore Action Units

Measure heartrate and HRV with a webcam

The Photoplethysmography (PPG) technique measures small changes in facial color and blood volume under the skin.

  • Measure heart rate and heart rate variability remotely
  • Additional indicator of arousal - perfect for participants who show little variation in facial expressions
  • No need for additional hardware, all you need is your camera

More about RPPG

Consumption Behavior Module

Understand how people interact with food products by analyzing eating and drinking behaviors.

  • Analyze chewing, biting, or sipping behaviors
  • Gain insights into emotional responses to food
  • Available on experimental basis in FaceReader

More info

Choose the license that works for you

License structure

For maximum flexibility, you can use FaceReader with a digital software license key.

To activate the software license key, you need an internet connection. Upon activating you can choose between:

  • Fixed license - Use the software on a single designated computer. The license is connected to your computer and can be used without an internet connection.
  • Floating license - Install the software on multiple computers and easily switch between work locations. Keep in mind that you'll need an internet connection.
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Why should I use FaceReader?

FaceReader is fast, flexible, objective, accurate, and easy to use. Want to learn more about the benefits for your research project? Discover why professionals from over 1,000 universities, research, and companies choose FaceReader.

Benefits

What can I use FaceReader for?

From consumer and psychology research to usability studies and neuroscience - FaceReader will help you gain accurate facial expression data for your project. Learn more about how to apply FaceReader in your research.

Applications

How do I use FaceReader?

Learn more about the different ways to use FaceReader, as well as the best ways to set up your system. For example, you can work with different input sources, create your own expressions, and choose the license that works for you.

System setup

Learn more about FaceReader

Discover in-depth information about how to use FaceReader and learn how others benefit from the software. You'll also find relevant publications, as well as product overviews for specific research areas and markets.

Resources

Facial Action Units

Below you can see the 20 Action Units offered in FaceReader as well as some frequently occurring or difficult Action Unit combinations.

Some images have been zoomed in on the area of interest to explicitly show what muscle movement corresponds to the specific Action Unit.

AU 1. Inner Brow Raiser

Contributes to sadness, surprise, and fear. Muscular basis: frontalis (pars medialis).

AU 2. Outer Brow Raiser

Contributes to surprise and fear. Muscular basis: frontalis (pars lateralis).

AU 4. Brow Lowerer

Contributes to sadness, fear, and anger. Muscular basis: depressor glabellae, depressor supercilii, corrugator supercilii.

AU 5. Upper Lid Raiser

Contributes to surprise, fear, and anger. Muscular basis: levator palpebrae superioris, superior tarsal muscle.

AU 6. Cheek Raiser

Contributes to happiness. Muscular basis: orbicularis oculi (pars orbitalis).

AU 7. Lid Tightener

Contributes to fear and anger. Muscular basis: orbicularis oculi (pars palpebralis).

AU 9. Nose Wrinkler

Contributes to disgust. Muscular basis: levator labii superioris alaeque nasi.

AU 10. Upper Lip Raiser

Muscular basis: levator labii superioris, caput infraorbitalis.

AU 12. Lip Corner Puller

Contributes to happiness and contempt. Muscular basis: zygomaticus major.

AU 14. Dimpler

Contributes to contempt and boredom. Muscular basis: buccinator.

AU 15. Lip Corner Depressor

Contributes to sadness and disgust. Muscular basis: depressor anguli oris.

AU 17. Chin Raiser

This Action Unit contributes to the affective attitudes interest and confusion. The underlying facial muscle is mentalis.

AU 18. Lip Pucker

The underlying facial muscles are incisivii labii superioris and incisivii labii inferioris.

AU 20. Lip Stretcher

Contributes to the emotion fear. The underlying facial muscle is risorius w/ platysma.

AU 23. Lip Tightener

Contributes to the emotion anger, and to the affective attitudes confusion and boredom. Muscular basis: orbicularis oris.

AU 24. Lip Pressor

This Action Unit contributes to the affective attitude boredom. The underlying facial muscle is orbicularis oris.

AU 25. Lips Part

The muscular basis consists of depressor labii inferioris, or relaxation of mentalis or orbicularis oris.

AU 26. Jaw Drop

Contributes to the emotions surprise and fear. Muscular basis: masseter; relaxed temporalis and internal pterygoid.

AU 27. Mouth Stretch

The underlying facial muscles are pterygoids and digastric.

AU 43. Eyes Closed

Contributes to the affective attitude boredom. The muscular basis consists of relaxation of Levator palpebrae superioris.

Combinations of Action Units

AU 1 - 2 - 4

Contributes to the emotions fear and can be recognized by the wavy pattern of the wrinkles across the forehead.

AU 1 - 2

Contributes to the emotion surprise and can be recognized by a smooth line formed by the wrinkles across the forehead.

AU 1 - 4

Contributes to sadness. Recognizable by a wavy pattern of the wrinkles in the center of the forehead. Eye-brows come together and up.

AU 4 - 5

Contributes to the emotion anger.

AU 6 - 12

Contributes to happiness. Notice the wrinkles around the eyes caused by cheek raising, also known as the "Duchenne Marker".

AU 10 - 25

Contributes to the emotion disgust. When AU 10 is activated intensely, it causes the lips to part as the upper lip raises.

AU 18 - 23

Often confused as solely AU 18. Notice the lips almost appear to be pulled by a single string outward (AU 18) and then tightened (AU 23).

AU 23 - 24

The AUs marking lip movements are often the hardest to code. The lips are being pushed together (AU 24) and tightened (AU 23).