The two looks compared on the four structural inputs that decide the read. The scan tells you which category your eyes sit in and the exact numbers behind the label.
Neither category is universally preferred. Different contexts reward different reads; the binary label is shorthand for a cluster of four real metrics.
4-metric read · 17 metrics total · Free · No signup
Free score · $14.99 unlocks the explicit category label + all four eye-metric numbers
Hunter and prey are shorthand for a cluster of four metrics that tend to co-vary. Canthal tilt is the eye-corner angle: positive tilt pulls toward hunter, neutral or negative tilt pulls toward prey. Brow-eye distance is the vertical space between the upper lid and the brow: small distance pulls toward hunter (compressed, intense read), large distance pulls toward prey (open, surprised read).
Lid exposure is how much upper lid is visible above the iris: low exposure (hooded) pulls toward hunter; high exposure (open, lifted) pulls toward prey. Eye aperture aspect ratio is how round versus narrow the eye is from upper to lower lid: narrow pulls toward hunter, round pulls toward prey. Most faces are clearly in one cluster or the other; a meaningful minority sit in the mixed middle band and the binary label is least useful for them.
The 17-metric scan returns each of the four inputs as a percentile against the population distribution. The composite of all four is what the looksmax discourse compresses into the hunter vs prey label. The free report flags the strongest and weakest of your 17 metrics; the paid $14.99 report adds the explicit category and the four percentile numbers underneath it.
Positive tilt, typically above 3 degrees. Outer corner sits noticeably above the inner corner. Drives the dominance and alertness read documented in Said and Todorov 2011.
Neutral to slightly negative tilt, typically between 0 and -2 degrees. Outer corner sits at or just below the inner corner. Drives the warmth and approachability read.
Small vertical distance from upper lid to brow. The brow ridge sits close to the lid; the compressed band reads as intense and focused.
Larger vertical distance from upper lid to brow. The open band reads as surprised, alert, or wide-eyed depending on the rest of the face context.
Hooded upper lid; the lid covers more of the upper iris and the lid crease sits closer to the lash line. Reads as deep-set and predatory.
Open upper lid; the lid crease sits higher, exposing more lid above the iris. Reads as bright-eyed and lifted.
Narrower aperture (more horizontal than tall). The eye opening is elongated and the read is sharp, intense, and focused.
Rounder aperture (closer to a circle). The eye opening is more open from top to bottom and the read is softer, gentler, and more youthful.
Hunter geometry photographs well in editorial styles, authority-driven headshots, and dating-app contexts where the audience self-selects for the dominance signal. Prey geometry photographs well in personality-driven content, service-industry headshots, and dating-app contexts where the audience self-selects for warmth. The lazy framing that hunter is always better is wrong; both clusters carry signal advantages depending on the use case.
Lighting can shift the perceived category by a small margin without changing the underlying geometry. Overhead lighting deepens the lid hood and pushes the read toward hunter; even diffuse front light flattens the hood and pushes toward prey. The structural read is fixed; the photographed read has 5 to 10 percent of perceptual variance available from lighting choices alone.
Explicit category label + all 4 eye-metric numbers + asymmetry check.
The $14.99 Looksmax Report names the explicit category, shows all four eye-region metric numbers, flags any left-right asymmetry, and writes the softmax plan for the levers that shift the photographed read.
Free, instant, private. Composite flags strongest and weakest eye metrics; paid report adds the explicit category label.
17 metrics · Photos auto-deleted · Re-scan unlimited
All free. All private. All instant.
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