Knowledge Base

Up and Running Quickly

This Quick Start Guide guides you through the main steps to analyze facial expressions with FaceReader. Only the most basic features are addressed. Inevitably, some features that may be vital to your application are not discussed. You can find additional information in the FaceReader Help.

General Information

The first part of the Quick Start Guide contains general information on using FaceReader. Follow the instructions to set up your system, install FaceReader and to analyze the facial expressions. The second part of this Quick Start Guide describes the Project Analysis functions. The Project Analysis functionality allows you to create groups of participants based on independent variable values like age and gender, and to analyze average expression values per group. In addition to this, you can view the stimulus video together with the video of the test participant's face and the FaceReader analysis.

You can extend your FaceReader license with a number of modules.

Other Modules

FaceReader also has the following other modules:

Action Unit Analysis Module

To analyze a set of 20 action units of the Facial Action Coding System (FACS). These are the action units that are most commonly used.

The Action Unit Analysis interface displays action unit intensities across multiple levels: Not Active, Trace, Slight, Pronounced, Severe, and Max. Each action unit is identified by a number and description. Examples of tracked action units include: Inner Brow Raiser, Outer Brow Raiser, Brow Lowerer, Upper Lid Raiser, Cheek Raiser, Lid Tightener, Nose Wrinkler, Upper Lip Raiser, Lip Corner Puller, Dimpler, Lip Corner Depressor, Chin Raiser, Lip Puckerer, Lip Stretcher, Lip Tightener, Lip Pressor, Lips Part, Jaw Drop, Mouth Stretch, and Eye Closure. The Analysis Visualization panel overlays detected action unit labels directly on the participant's face video in real time.

Vital Signs Module

To estimate the heart rate, heart rate variability, and breathing rate of the subject in front of the camera. Heart rate and heart rate variability are measured by means of remote photoplethysmography (RPPG). This is a method based on the fact that changes in blood volume due to pressure pulses cause small changes in the reflectance of the skin. Breathing rate is measured by detecting upper-body movement associated with respiration.

The Vital Signs panel displays the following measurements in real time:

• Heart rate (BPM) with confidence indicator
• Breathing rate (BPM) with confidence indicator
• Heart rate variability RMSSD (ms)
• Heart rate variability SDNN (ms)

Consumption Behavior Module

To analyze consumption behaviors like Intake event and Chewing. If you have the Consumption Behavior Module and want to use this in the analysis, you have to enable this analysis (File - Settings - Analysis Options - Optional Classifications).

Voice Analysis Module

With this module FaceReader can recognize emotions in the voice (Neutral, Happy, Sad and Angry) and Valence and Arousal in the voice.

Advanced Research Module

The Advanced Research Module allows you to analyze multiple faces in a video simultaneously. With this module you can also track the test participant's gaze when you present stimuli using the Stimulus Presentation Tool, view the gaze overlay on the stimuli when you analyze the data and make heatmaps.

More Information

See the FaceReader Help that opens when you press F1 in the program. It can also be accessed in the Windows apps screen, and can be downloaded from the MyNoldus portal. From the Help menu select Noldus Online and then Customer Support Center to access the MyNoldus portal.

Support

If you encounter problems, see the Support section on the MyNoldus portal or a help desk in your area. From the Help menu select Noldus Online and then Contact Help Desk to access the MyNoldus portal.

Note that if you send us videos showing people's faces, you should have permission from those people that you can use the video for that purpose and you may need to sign a form granting consent for us to use those videos.

Source: FaceReader 10 Quick Start Guide, Noldus Information Technology