Does 3D Face Refine reshape or smooth my face?

No. It performs no geometric warp and no blur. It changes only a few luminance levels inside compact verified facial-plane masks, leaving the original texture and every unmasked pixel intact.

Why can 3D Face Refine refuse a photo?

It stops when the complete face mesh or one of the depth regions is clipped or disagrees with the independently detected facial features. This prevents guessed lighting from spilling onto eyes, hair, clothing, or background.

3D Face Refine applied to the same source image — The same source image before and after applying 3D Face Refine.

Original source image before 3D Face Refine — The same source image before and after applying 3D Face Refine.

3D Face Refine — Add Local Depth Contrast Only Online

Add restrained depth contrast to verified facial planes without reshaping, smoothing, recoloring, or regenerating the portrait.

Upload a photo for the 3D Face Refine effect

Upload an image

Drop a file here, or click to browse

Supported formats include JPG, PNG, GIF, WebP, SVG, HEIC, AVIF, TIFF, RAW, PSD. Maximum file size: 11 MB.

What you can do with the 3D Face Refine effect

Review the available effect capabilities before you begin.

Apply the 3D Face Refine effect to any photo
Fine-tune the effect strength to taste
Preview your photo live as you edit
Download your edited photo in high quality
Apply 3D Face Refine to many photos at once

Use this effect

About the 3D Face Refine effect

3D Face Refine cross-checks a 478-point face mesh against independently detected eyes, nose, and mouth. Compact feathered fields add a few luminance levels to the center forehead, nose bridge, upper cheeks, and chin while gently deepening the lower-cheek planes. The adjustment changes LAB luminance only, samples no neighboring texture, and reaches exactly zero before the eyes, lips, hair, clothing, or background. It does not reshape the face or invent highlights, freckles, pores, or shadows outside those verified regions.

How to use 3D Face Refine

Upload a photo, adjust the 3D Face Refine intensity, compare its processed preview with the source, and download the finished result.

Why use the 3D Face Refine effect?

3D Face Refine, tuned to your photo

Use the intensity control to balance the 3D Face Refine treatment with the detail and character of your original photo.

A fast 3D Face Refine workflow

A reduced 3D Face Refine preview keeps adjustments responsive. Free downloads are clean and web-size; Premium or a credit unlocks the original resolution.

Secure 3D Face Refine processing

3D Face Refine uploads are processed on secure servers and automatically removed under the normal Pixoate retention policy.

How it works

Processing

3D Face Refine uses an AI action. Any separate allowance is shown before this effect starts processing.

Best for

sharp front-facing portraits where the full forehead, both eyes, cheeks, nose, mouth, jaw, and chin are visible.

Less suited to: side profiles, clipped facial planes, strong colored stage lighting, hard cast shadows, motion blur, and group photos with very small faces.

Ways to use 3D Face Refine

Give a flatly lit portrait slightly clearer facial depth without changing identity or geometry.
Refine facial planes while preserving original pores, beard detail, makeup, expression, hair, clothing, and background.
Apply the same conservative luminance-only depth treatment independently to multiple clear faces.

3D Face Refine questions

Does 3D Face Refine reshape or smooth my face?: No. It performs no geometric warp and no blur. It changes only a few luminance levels inside compact verified facial-plane masks, leaving the original texture and every unmasked pixel intact.
Why can 3D Face Refine refuse a photo?: It stops when the complete face mesh or one of the depth regions is clipped or disagrees with the independently detected facial features. This prevents guessed lighting from spilling onto eyes, hair, clothing, or background.