Fix your head tilted down in a photo
Chin down and looking up at the camera, so you look tired or moody? Lift your chin a little in the photo you already have. Your face, hair and background stay the same.
Before
AfterTo fix a photo where your head is tilted down, check a Live Photo or a burst for a frame where your chin came up. If there isn't one, lift your chin slightly with the Chin dial in Glowly's web editor. It turns your head a few degrees and leaves your face shape, hair and background as they were.
When your chin drops, you end up looking up at the camera from under your brows. Your eyes look smaller, the whites below them show, and shadows gather under your eyes and jaw. People read it as tired, bored or upset, even if you were in a good mood. It happens a lot in selfies held too low and in photos where someone is standing above you.
Free options first
- Live Photo or burst. Look for a frame a moment later, when people usually lift their heads.
- Retake it. If you can, hold the camera at eye level or slightly above, push your face a little toward the camera and lift your chin slightly.
- Crop. A tighter crop can hide some of the angle, though it won't change how your eyes look.
How to fix it with Glowly
- Open the web editor in any phone or computer browser and choose the photo.
- Tap More, then Chin, and turn the dial toward Up a little at a time.
- If your eyes still look heavy, tap Eyes and open them slightly. A touch of Smile can help if the face looks stern.
- Press and hold the photo to compare with the original, then save.
The Chin dial is in the web editor; it isn't in the iPhone app yet.
Getting it to look right
- A few degrees is enough. Lifting your chin too far makes the photo look like it was taken from below, which has its own problems.
- Watch your neck and hairline. Turning the head changes how much neck and forehead show. Zoom in at full size before you save.
- Fix the angle, not the face. Glowly doesn't slim your jaw or reshape anything. It only changes the angle and expression you choose.
Why do I look tired when my chin is down in photos?
Looking up from a lowered head shows more of the white under your eyes and casts shadows under them and your jaw. It reads as tired or moody even when you aren't.
Does it change my face shape?
No. The Chin dial turns your head slightly. It doesn't slim, smooth or reshape your face, and you compare with the original before you save.
Can I do this on iPhone?
Not yet. The Chin dial is in the web editor at app.glow.ly, which works in Safari on iPhone too.
How much does it cost?
Glowly is free to preview. In the web editor there's nothing to install and no account needed to try; 3 full-size saves cost $1.99.
What happens to my photo?
Your original is never changed. Originals and unsaved edits are deleted from our servers after 7 days. See the privacy policy.
Read more
- Why do I look different in photos than in the mirror?The mirror flips you, phone cameras stretch faces up close, and light and timing do the rest. What's really going on, and what to do about it.
- How to take a good selfie: light, angle and a real expressionA good selfie is mostly light, distance and timing. Here is how to take one that looks like you on a good day, with the phone you already have.
- How to look natural in photos when you feel awkward on cameraWhy you look stiff in photos even when you feel fine, and practical ways to look relaxed and like yourself, from posture and hands to where to look.
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