The good news about the Jawline sub-score: a huge chunk of it is technique, not bones. Below are five very small adjustments that, in our internal tests, moved most players’ Jawline score by 5–10 points instantly.
1. Camera at eye level or slightly above
If your laptop is on a desk and you’re looking down at it, you’re shooting yourself with a shadow under your chin and the jawline lost to compression. Raise the camera to eye level or 5–10° above. A stack of books works.
2. Chin down, not up
The classic Instagram "chin slightly down toward the chest" works because it stretches the jaw landmarks downward, increasing the apparent gonial angle. Don’t over-do it — you want your eyes still relaxed and looking forward.
3. Light from above, not below
A window above and in front of you is ideal. Light from below erases jaw shadows; light from above accentuates the line between cheek and jaw, which is exactly what the model picks up.
4. Background contrast
A medium-bright wall behind you helps the face-mesh more cleanly separate your face contour from the background. Bright back-light (a window behind you) is the worst case — the model is fine, but the score gets noisy.
5. Don’t hunch
Hunching collapses the neck and dumps everything forward. Sit upright, shoulders back, slight chin down. This single change is worth more than any filter.
Re-scan after each adjustment
Re-run The Lab after each tweak — you’ll see the Jawline bar move in real time.