Face the FACS

Facial Expressions in Art, Science, & Technology

emoji FACS!

emoji FACS !

An interpretation of Emoji facial expressions and their correspondence to Facial Action Coding System action units & facial muscles. Learn more about Emoji design here.

FACS name

muscle name

expression reference

AU1 – inner brow raiser

frontalis (the medial portion)

AU2 – outer brow raiser

frontalis (the lateral portion)

AU4 – brow lowerer

corrugator supercilii, depressor supercilii, and/or procerus

AU5 – upper lid raiser

levator palpebrae superioris

AU6 – cheek raiser

orbicularis oculi (orbital portion)

AU7 – lid tightener***

orbicularis oculi (palpebral portion)***

***Due to the simplicity of Emoji design, the flat-bottom eyes shown here, in the AU7 – lid tightener, can also function as AU6 – cheek raiser depending on the context. Learn more about cheek raiser vs. lid tightener.

AU9 – nose wrinkler***

levator labii superioris alaeque nasi***

***There are currently no noses in the smiley set (EXCEPT for “lying face” and “disguised face”). Instead, Emoji representing facial expressions typically involving AU9 – nose wrinkler rely on prop imagery (e.g. facial tissue & vomit) to compensate for their lack of noses. Learn more about nose wrinkler here.

AU10 – upper lip raiser***

levator labii superioris

***There are three main facial actions that drive upper teeth exposure via upper lip elevation: nose wrinkler, upper lip raiser, and nasolabial furrow deepener. The square-like shape in this Emoji expression most closely matches the features of upper lip raiser.

AU12 – lip corner puller

zygomaticus major

About Melinda

I'm an expression researcher who used to work on face tracking tech at Meta and Affectiva. Now I use my expertise to help teams build expressive characters. Learn more here.

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Eric DrobileAnimator, Artist, Mentor
Melinda Ozel's resources on face anatomy, motion, and FACS are industry standard. During my time working on The Last of Us Part II (and other unannounced Playstation titles) I referred to it almost exclusively on a regular basis. The free material is great but the pay material is worth the cost.

Paul LiawSenior Character Artist

If your work involves putting a face on a screen Melinda’s website is here to save your life. Her site is a crucial knowledge hub to all sectors of entertainment including film anim game tech etc. If you are here you know FACS exist. For most people learning traditional FACS is not feasible. It requires very costly specialized degrees and years long commitment. And the half century old research with fuzzy photos was not made for artists.What Melinda has done for our industry is take the dense scientific information and streamlined it into very easy to digest entries and videos catered to artists. In my opinion her work surpasses the inventors of FACS by vastly expanding on the original content by filling in numerous gaps of information. with modern medical research, breakdowns of facial genetic variation, applying the information to animals and stylized characters. Instead of combing the whole internet or getting a phd on the subject you can just subscribe to this one stop shop.

Ioana Alexandra PirvuBlendshape Artist at Rockstar

I can't imagine working without Melinda Ozel's FACS research. I've been working as a Facial Blendshape Artist across film and gaming and have watched the quality of my work improve exponentially since I've had access to this wealth of knowledge that Melinda has so thoughtfully put together. Her documentation is clear, appealing, and comprehensive. If Paul Ekman is the father of FACS, Melinda has become the cool aunt. She swoops in out of nowhere and teaches us all about FACS using any tools at her disposal; including rap! I highly recommend her as a primary resource for any budding (or experienced) blendshape artist, facial sculptor, facial animator or just about anyone who is interested in faces!

Thank you Melinda, couldn't have done it without you.

Giovanni NakpilArt Director
Having worked in the industry for more than 20 years, I've always searched for the best resource on anything related to the complexities of the human face. Face the FACS in my opinion is bar-none, the best resource out there for any artist and company dealing with facial animation. The way in which Melinda delivers knowledge is detailed, but fun and compelling enough to make you want to keep learning. For a topic that could have easily been boring, she inspired me to keep learning. And learned I have. I've learned so much from Melinda and it's great to see her share all her knowledge to everyone through this treasure of a site.

Frank GravattCreature and Facial Modeler
If you're doing AU's (action units), this is the site you're going to need to bookmark. Melinda has gone above and beyond to create what I feel is the ultimate resource guide for AU's. Each AU explained , annotated and demonstrated with extreme clarity. You'll experience plenty of "aha!!" moments using Melinda's work as your guide! Again, amazing work Melinda!

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