How to Capture a Good Face Reference for a Scan

Why the reference matters

The scan builds a face reference — a descriptor averaged from several frames of the same face — and matches it against every photo in the booking. One weak frame produces a descriptor that matches the wrong people or nobody, so the scanner refuses to accept anything blurry, too small, badly lit, off-centre or cut off at an edge. That is why a scan either completes in about two seconds or keeps showing a message telling the guest what to change: each message names one measurable problem, and fixing it lets the scan finish without restarting the page.

Step by step: get a clean scan

1. 1

   Open the camera

   From the booking's Scan page click Start Scan, or let the guest tap it themselves. The screen is titled Find Your Photos with Look at the camera, and an oval guide marks where the face belongs.

2. 2

   Frame the face

   Have the person look straight ahead with their whole face inside the oval — not cut off at an edge, and not tiny in the frame. If the scanner says Move a little closer to the camera..., step in until the face fills roughly a fifth of the frame width.

3. 3

   Get the angle right

   Both eyes and the nose should point at the lens. A three-quarter profile triggers Look straight at the camera..., and a face near the edge of the screen triggers Center your face in the frame... — move the phone, not just the eyes.

4. 4

   Fix the light

   Light the face, not the background: face a window or a lamp. Too dark. Please move to better light... means the face is underexposed; Too bright. Please avoid direct light on the camera... means the sun or a bulb is behind or blasting the lens; Face detected. Move a little closer and face the light... appears when the detector is only just confident.

5. 5

   Hold still for five readings

   When the checks pass, the message runs Hold still… 1/5 to 5/5 — five consistent readings of the same face. Move too much and the counter restarts, because the samples must describe the same person.

6. 6

   Wait for the result

   The screen shows Finding your photos..., then Face scan completed. and opens the results with Scanned By, Images Checked and Matches Found. If the checks fail outright, the overlay explains it and offers Try Again.

A quick checklist for guests

• Take off caps and sunglasses; lift a veil or fringe off the forehead.
• Remove a mask covering the nose and mouth — the scanner needs the whole face.
• One person only: group scans are refused with Please make sure only one face is visible.
• Indoor daylight or a front-facing lamp beats a bright window behind the person.
• Brace the elbow on something or use both hands, so the five readings are not interrupted by shake.
• The whole scan takes about 15 seconds before it times out — plenty of time to correct position.

A scan that still fails usually means the booking's photos are not uploaded yet or the plan has no scan access — check the Scan page for Scan is unavailable. The wider setup is covered in find photos with Face Scan.