Premium Resources

Facial Action Coding System (FACS) & Facial Anatomy

Face Tracking & Lipsync Technology

Mixed Posts: From FACS to Wrinkles & Eye Blinks

Advanced facial expression tips, research, instructional guides, and commentary.

woman raising her top lips with drawovers

action units (FACS AUs)

Upper Lip Raiser vs. Nasolabial Furrow Deepener

stylizing facial expressions in animated characters

action units (FACS AUs)

Stylized Facial Expression Design

frontalis and occipitalis - video

art

Forehead Dynamics – Frontalis vs. Occipitalis

AU24 - lip presser shape

action units (FACS AUs)

Lip Tightener vs. Lip Presser

stylized eyebrows

action units (FACS AUs)

Eyebrow Shapes and Character Design

sticky lids, blinkles, and rolling lids - new terms for vfx - animation

facial expressions

Advanced Blend Shape Tips For Blinks

eye blink - Melinda Ozel design

behavior

Hot Tips For Animating Blinks

upper lid raiser - levator palpebrae superioris - eye bulge - anatomy

action units (FACS AUs)

All About Upper Lid Raiser – AU5

color of emotion - mapping hotspots - sadness - sadness blushing - blood flow

behavior

Colors of Sadness

zygomaticus major dimple

action units (FACS AUs)

Leveraging Facial Muscle Variation

bifid zygomaticus major

facial expressions

Zygomaticus Major Variations & the Dimple

frontalis shapes illustration

action units (FACS AUs)

Frontalis Variation: Why Wrinkle Patterns Differ

inner brow raiser wrong

AR/VR

Inner Brow Raiser: Deep Dive

Wrinkle Tips For Character Artists, Part II: Static Forms

action units (FACS AUs)

A Wrinkle In Time, Part I: How to Build Characters With Real Story Lines

action units (FACS AUs)

Building Smiles – The Right Way

nose wrinkler, brow furrow, upper lid raiser

action units (FACS AUs)

Bypassing VR Headset Occlusion in Face Tracking

action units (FACS AUs)

Breaking Down Nose Wrinkler (AU9)

woman performing FACS-based lip tightener expression

action units (FACS AUs)

Lip Tightener (AU23) and Why Everyone Gets It Wrong

"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."
Eric Drobile | Technical Animator

"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."
Paul Liaw | Principal Character Artist

"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."
Ioana Alexandra Pirvu | Lead Artist: Blendshapes @ Rockstar Games

"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."
Giovanni Nakpil | Senior Creative 3D Evangelist @ Adobe

"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!"
Frank Gravatt | Facial Modeler @ Cloud Chamber