Face Control plug-in for Windows

Redfield describes its Face Control plug-in for Adobe Photoshop as a precision tool for facial expression synthesis. It applies highly controlled distortions to images, especially faces, to achieve subtle or dramatic effects. It can alter the Mona Lisa's famously enigmatic smile or turn the most charming movie star into a leering, sneering villain. It's optimized for facial close-ups, but it works on any image in Photoshop. It's freeware that downloads with both 32-bit and 64-bit versions.

Installing Face Control isn't quite like installing an ordinary app since you must browse to Photoshop's plug-in folder. Not to worry if you can't find it: Just save Face Control to a folder in a memorable spot (like the desktop). Click Photoshop's Edit menu and select "Preferences"/"Plug-Ins." Select the check box for "Additional Plug-In Folders" and browse to the folder you created. When you restart Photoshop, Redfield's plug-ins should be at the bottom of the Filter menu. Click "Redfield" and "Select Face Control II." If there's an image open in Photoshop, it will appear in the main window of Face Control's separate interface. To the right is a preview pane with a mask inclusion slider for selecting parts of the image and a variety of similar tools for Skew, Angle, Shift, and Deformation distortions. There's a neat, little menu of preset expressions like frown, mincing, and sideways, and the Help page is packed with examples.

But the best way to learn how to use Face Control is to just start using it. Since Face Control had Sean Connery's James Bond as a sample image, we turned to his "Goldfinger" nemesis -- awesome British actress Honor Blackman. We know it's practically impossible to improve on the withering looks she gave 007, but Face Control pulls it off. "You look worried, Mr. Bond!" Take our advice, Photoshop users, and add Face Control to your arsenal.