---
title: "24mm Selfie Distortion: Why Your Nose Looks Bigger | CEVO"
canonical_url: https://cevolab.com/research/24mm-selfie-distortion-study
markdown_url: https://cevolab.com/research/24mm-selfie-distortion-study.md
publisher: CEVO (cevolab.com)
method: 478-point MediaPipe face map · 11.7 mm iris ruler · too-close photos are retaken, never edited
last_verified: 2026-10-27
ai_summary: "At arm's length (about 30 cm), a phone's wide front camera makes the nose look about 4 to 5% wider and the jaw about 3% narrower than a photo from 1.5 m, because the nose wings sit about 2 cm behind the tip of the nose and the jaw corners about 7.5 cm behind it. Ward et al. (2018) calculated the nose base about 30% wider relative to the cheekbone width at 12 inches than at 5 feet. From about 1.5 m with the 2x or 3x zoom, the nose barely changes, so a mirror is closer to your real proportions than a close selfie. CEVO's free scan reads iris size (about 11.7 mm in adults) to tell how close the camera was and asks for a retake if it was too close; from one good selfie it gives your face shape in everyday words, your strengths and your first tips, plus a count of the further tips a report unlocks."
---

# Why selfies make your nose look bigger. And how to take a photo that looks like you.

> **AI & Retrieval Summary (`ai-summary`):** At arm's length (about 30 cm), a phone's wide front camera makes the nose look about 4 to 5% wider and the jaw about 3% narrower than a photo from 1.5 m, because the nose wings sit about 2 cm behind the tip of the nose and the jaw corners about 7.5 cm behind it. Ward et al. (2018) calculated the nose base about 30% wider relative to the cheekbone width at 12 inches than at 5 feet. From about 1.5 m with the 2x or 3x zoom, the nose barely changes, so a mirror is closer to your real proportions than a close selfie. CEVO's free scan reads iris size (about 11.7 mm in adults) to tell how close the camera was and asks for a retake if it was too close; from one good selfie it gives your face shape in everyday words, your strengths and your first tips, plus a count of the further tips a report unlocks.

- **Canonical HTML Route:** [https://cevolab.com/research/24mm-selfie-distortion-study](https://cevolab.com/research/24mm-selfie-distortion-study)
- **Machine-Readable Markdown Twin:** [https://cevolab.com/research/24mm-selfie-distortion-study.md](https://cevolab.com/research/24mm-selfie-distortion-study.md)
- **Free scan from one front photo:** [https://cevolab.com/start](https://cevolab.com/start?utm_source=seo&utm_medium=markdown&utm_campaign=24mm-selfie-distortion-study)
- **Meta Description:** Why a phone held at arm's length makes your nose look a little wider and your jaw slightly narrower, how far back to stand, and how to take a photo that looks like you.

Held at arm's length, your phone's front camera makes your nose look a little wider and your jaw slightly narrower than they are.

## Same face, two distances

- **Arm's length, 30 cm** Nose a little wider **1.5 m away** True proportions
- **Arm's length, 30 cm** Jaw slightly narrower **1.5 m away** True proportions

Left in each pair: as an arm's-length phone sees it.

Real widthWhat the camera shows

- **Your nose looks wider.** It's closest to the phone: about 4 to 5% wider at arm's length.
- **Your jaw looks narrower.** It sits further back from the lens: about 3% narrower.
- **Your mirror is closer to the truth.** It shows you from twice as far as you stand.

## How much wider your nose looks, by phone distance

Most of the change happens in the first metre.

## Try it: move your phone back

Drag the slider from a close selfie to across the room.

Wide front camera, 30 cm away

How far the phone is from your face

See your face shape and what suits you

Free from one selfie. Too close, and CEVO asks for a retake.

## How to take a photo that looks like you

- **Stand about 1.5 m back:** Prop the phone on a shelf and use the timer, or ask a friend.
- **Use the 2x or 3x zoom:** Switch to the back camera and zoom in until your face fills the frame. The front camera is too wide.
- **Keep the camera at eye level:** Held low, it makes your jaw look heavier; held high, it shrinks your chin.

## What CEVO gives you. From one selfie.

- **A 478-point face scan:** Every point of your face mapped from one selfie, plus a side photo for your profile.
- **169 tests, region by region:** Twelve regions of your face measured, from brows to jawline, plus the age your face reads as.
- **A natural glow-up on your own face:** Hair, brows and skin changed on your photo. Your bone structure stays as it is.
- **Hairstyles on your own face:** The cuts that suit your face shape, side by side.
- **Brows, beard and makeup:** Brow shape, beard length and makeup picked for your features.
- **A 90-day routine:** Hair, skin and grooming steps to follow for 90 days, made for your face.

- $29 **Basic Readout:**
  - Up to 10 front-view tests
  - Your facial balance breakdown, feature by feature
- $59 Recommended **Complete Clinical Dossier:**
  - Front and side: all 169 tests
  - Glow-up and up to 3 hairstyles on your own face
  - 90-day routine and your facial age
- $119 **Master Suite, the surgery pack:**
  - Surgical simulation with a millimetre change map
  - Surgeon-ready PDF and up to 10 hairstyles
  - 4 re-scans over a year

One payment, no subscription. Every report is checked by our team and ready within 24 hours.

## How the free scan works

1. **Take a selfie:** Prop your phone at eye level, about 1.5 m away. Too close, and CEVO asks for another photo.
2. **See your face shape and what suits you:** Free: your face shape, your strengths and your first tips, in plain words.
3. **Decide if you want more:** See how many more tips are waiting for you. Unlock them only if you want them.

Your face shape and what suits you, free.

## Share the comparison

Free to share. Just link back to cevolab.com.

## Questions

### Why does my nose look bigger in selfies?

It's closest to the phone, so at arm's length (about 30 cm) the camera draws it a little wider: about 4 to 5%.

### Is the mirror or the camera more accurate?

The mirror. Standing 75 cm from it, the light travels 150 cm to your eyes, like a photo from 1.5 m.

### How far away should I hold my phone?

About 1.5 m (5 ft), with the 2x or 3x zoom.

### How does CEVO know if my photo was taken too close?

It reads your iris size: adult irises are all about 12 mm wide. Too close, and it asks for a new photo. CEVO never edits your face.

## The detail behind these numbers

### The detail behind these numbers The full distance table, the geometry, what it does to face-ratio readings, and our sources.

### **The short answer:**

**Why your nose looks wider and your jaw narrower:** When you hold a phone `12 inches` (`30 cm`) from your face, your nose is closer to the lens than your cheeks or ears. Close things are drawn bigger, so the wide front camera makes your nose look about 4 to 5% wider (5 to 6% at `25 cm`), makes the sides of your face look a little narrower, and tucks your jaw corners behind your cheeks so your jaw looks about 3% narrower. It is a small change, but a face test that reads the photo counts it as part of your face.

**Why selfies can mislead a face test:** Any face test that reads an arm's-length selfie is reading the camera's stretch as well as your face. CEVO's scan reads your iris size (adult irises are about `11.7 mm ± 0.4 mm` wide) to tell how close the camera was, and asks for a retake if the photo was taken too close.

**The 3-step fix:** You don't need a studio camera to see your real face in photos. (1) Stand 5 feet (`150 cm`) back instead of holding the phone at arm's length, (2) tap the `2x` or `3x` zoom (or use your back camera with a timer), and (3) hold the phone level with your eyes.

### **The distance table:**

These are the rounded outputs of the camera model behind the chart and the simulator, averaged over four example faces, for six phone distances measured from the phone to the tip of your nose: from a `10-inch` (`25 cm`) close selfie in bed to a `6-foot` (`180 cm`) photo across the room. Each width is compared with the same width in a photo from `1.5 m`, with the eye line kept the same size. They are not measurements of real people. Notice how the nose widening and jaw narrowing fade once the camera is `4 to 5 feet` (`120–150 cm`) away:

| Phone distance (d0) | How you hold the phone | Nose looks wider by | Jaw looks narrower by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 25 cm (10 in) | Very close selfie in bed / couch | +5% to +6% | −3% to −4% |
| 30–38 cm (12–15 in) | Everyday arm's-length selfie | +3% to +5% | −2% to −3% |
| 50 cm (20 in) | Fully stretched arm / selfie grip | +2% | −2% |
| 75 cm (30 in / 2.5 ft) | Laptop webcam | +1% | −1% |
| 120 cm (47 in / 4 ft) | Phone propped on shelf / 2x zoom | under 1% | under 1% |
| 150–180 cm (5–6 ft) | Real mirror reflection / 3x zoom | Real size | Real width |

### **How the simulator draws each distance:**

The photos and the slider use a pinhole camera: a point on the face that sits z cm behind the tip of the nose is drawn at a size proportional to 1 ÷ (D + z), where D is the distance from the phone to the tip of the nose. The depth of each of the face's 468 points comes from MediaPipe's metric canonical face model (in centimetres), scaled to each example face with its `11.7 mm` iris as the ruler. On these faces the nose wings sit about `2.0 cm` behind the nose tip, the eye corners `3.8 cm`, the jaw corners `7.5 cm` and the face's edge by the ears `9.2 cm`.

Each point of the photo, taken as a photo from `1.5 m`, is moved to where a camera at D would draw it, with the eye line kept the same size, the way you would line two photos up side by side. The photo is then reshaped triangle by triangle over MediaPipe's 898-triangle face mesh. Outside the face outline the head is taken to curve about `3 cm` further back, and the edges of the photo stay where they are. Parts of the face that turn away behind nearer parts are hidden, so the jaw width is read at the face outline you actually see, on the highest row that stays clear of the lower lip at every distance on the slider (about 1 cm under it). The simulator's numbers come from the lines drawn on the face you picked. At `30 cm` the nose reads 4 to 5% wider on the four example faces, and the jaw 1 to 4% narrower: the jaw outline narrows more higher up, so the number depends on how far under the lips it can be read on each face.

Ward et al. (2018) calculated that a photo from `12 inches` (`30 cm`) makes the nose base look about `30%` wider, relative to the width between the cheekbones, than a photo from `5 feet`. Measured the same way (nose width divided by the visible cheekbone width), this model gives about `13%` at `30 cm`: Ward's head was built from average head measurements, this one from MediaPipe's face model. MediaPipe's face puts the cheekbones less far behind the nose than Ward's average head, so it gives the smaller, more cautious number. The simulator's numbers are smaller again because it compares each width with itself, not the nose with the cheekbones.

### **Why a close camera changes your face:**

People often blame "cheap glass" in their phone for bad selfies, but the real culprit is how close the camera is to your nose compared to your ears. Because your face is three-dimensional, not a flat sheet of paper, holding a wide-angle lens right in front of your nose puts it much closer to the lens than the rest of your face (Δz vs. camera distance d0):

#### **Why your nose looks wider while your jaw looks narrower:**

Touch the tip of your nose, then touch the back corner of your jaw below your ears. On the example faces (MediaPipe's face model, scaled by each iris), your nose wings sit about `2.0 cm` behind the tip of your nose, your eye corners about `3.8 cm` and your jaw corners about `7.5 cm`. When you stand `2.5 feet` (`75 cm`) from a bathroom mirror, the light travels `5 feet` (`150 cm`) round-trip, so those few centimetres barely change how big each part looks.

A camera draws each point in proportion to 1 ÷ its distance

Phone 30 cm from the tip of your nose: nose wings 30 + 2.0 = 32.0 cm away, jaw corners 30 + 7.5 = 37.5 cm away

Nose size compared with jaw = 37.5 cm32.0 cm = 1.17

From 1.5 m: 157.5 ÷ 152.0 = 1.04

Next to the jaw, the nose is drawn about 13% larger than in a photo from 1.5 m

This two-point sum only shows why the effect happens. The chart, the simulator and the distance table move every one of the face's 468 points and read the jaw on the face outline you actually see, just under the lower lip, where the jaw sits nearer the lens than its back corners. That is why each width on its own changes by less (nose about 4 to 5% wider, jaw about 3% narrower at 30 cm).

#### **How CEVO spots a too-close selfie (11.7 mm iris ruler):**

Any face test that reads an arm's-length selfie is reading the camera's stretch as well as your face. CEVO reads your iris size first, so it knows how close the camera was.

First, find camera distance using your 11.7 mm eye iris

d0,est = fpx · 11.7 mmpiris,px · cos θyaw

Adult iris width stays close to 11.7 mm ± 0.4 mm (Rüfer et al., 2005), so the iris works as a built-in millimetre ruler. CEVO's scan reads your iris size to tell how close the camera was (d0), and asks for a retake if the photo was taken too close. Try it at [cevolab.com/start](https://cevolab.com/start?utm_source=seo&utm_medium=research&utm_campaign=24mm-selfie-distortion-study&utm_content=fold-iris).

### **What it does to face-ratio readings:**

The same close photos also change numbers that face tests read. Your facial width-to-height ratio (FWHR) reads lower than it really is, because the edges of your cheeks and jaw sit further from the lens than the middle of your face, so a close camera draws your face narrower for its height.

Eye corner tilt (canthal tilt) can shift too, and a camera pointed up from your chest changes how the eye corners line up again. Read both from a level photo taken from about 1.5 m.

### **The photo setup in detail:**

#### **Stand 5 feet (150 cm) back:**

Never take a close-up at `12 inches` (`30 cm`). Prop your phone on a shelf, window ledge, or coffee mug `4 to 5 feet` (`120 cm to 150 cm`) away and turn on the 3-second timer, or ask a friend to take two steps back. From `150 cm`, the 4 to 5% nose widening of an arm's-length selfie is gone.

#### **Switch to the 2x or 3x zoom lens:**

Your phone's default `1x` camera is a wide-angle `24 mm` lens built for landscapes, not faces. Once your phone is `5 feet` (`150 cm`) away, tap the 2x (`50 mm`) or 3x (`77–85 mm`) telephoto button so your head fills the frame cleanly without wide-angle stretching.

#### **Hold the phone level with your eyes (0° tilt):**

Pointing the camera up from your chest makes your jaw look heavy and changes how your eye corners seem to tilt, while holding it high above your forehead shrinks your chin. Keep the lens level with your eyes and relax your jaw.

### **Sources:**

1. Ward B, Ward M, Fried O, Paskhover B (2018). *Nasal Distortion in Short-Distance Photographs: The Selfie Effect.* JAMA Facial Plastic Surgery, 20(4), 333–335. [DOI: 10.1001/jamafacial.2018.0009](https://doi.org/10.1001/jamafacial.2018.0009)
2. Třebický V, Fialová J, Kleisner K, Havlíček J (2016). *Focal Length Affects Depicted Shape and Perception of Facial Images.* PLoS ONE, 11(2), e0149313. [DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0149313](https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0149313)
3. Farkas LG, Katic MJ, Forrest CR (2005). *International anthropometric study of facial morphology in various ethnic groups/races.* Journal of Craniofacial Surgery, 16(4), 615–646. [DOI: 10.1097/01.scs.0000171847.58031.9e](https://doi.org/10.1097/01.scs.0000171847.58031.9e)
4. Rüfer F, Schröder A, Erb C (2005). *White-to-white corneal diameter: normal values in healthy humans obtained with the Orbscan II topography system.* Cornea, 24(3), 259–261. [DOI: 10.1097/01.ico.0000148312.01805.53](https://doi.org/10.1097/01.ico.0000148312.01805.53)
5. Bryan R, Perona P, Adolphs R (2012). *Perspective distortion from interpersonal distance is an implicit visual cue for social judgments of faces.* PLoS ONE, 7(9), e45301. [DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0045301](https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0045301)

The charts and share cards on this page are free to reuse under CC-BY 4.0, with a link to cevolab.com.

## More tools and guides

- [Face width guide: Haircuts for your face width](https://cevolab.com/guides/facial-width-to-height-ratio-fwhr-guide)
- [Face shape detector: Your shape and its haircuts](https://cevolab.com/tools/face-shape-detector)
- [CEVO vs. Qoves Studio: Price, wait and photo rules](https://cevolab.com/vs/qoves-studio-alternative)

## See what suits your face. Free, from one selfie.

Your face shape, your strengths and your first tips, free from one selfie. A report unlocks the rest.

---
## CEVO reports and prices

| Tier | Price | Delivery | What you get |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Free scan | $0 | A few minutes | One front photo: your face shape, your strengths and your first tips in plain words, plus a count of the tips your report unlocks ([cevolab.com/start](https://cevolab.com/start)) |
| Basic Readout | $29 | Within 24 hours after the photo is accepted | Up to 10 front tests and a facial balance breakdown, feature by feature (front photo only) |
| Complete Clinical Dossier | $59 | Within 24 hours after the photos are accepted | A side photo and the 169-test analysis, your facial age, a natural glow-up on your own face, up to 3 hairstyle renders, brow, makeup or beard previews and a 90-day routine |
| Master Suite (the surgery pack) | $119 | Within 24 hours after the photos are accepted | Everything in the $59 report plus the surgical simulation, up to 10 hairstyle renders, a surgeon PDF and quarterly re-scans |

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