There is no definitive answer to this question, as everyone perceives themselves differently. However, so far we've found that people generally perceive themselves as looking more like themselves in photographs than in mirrors.
Summary. Mirror images provide a more accurate perception of self due to the mere exposure effect, while camera images show how others see us. Selfies offer a unique perspective but can be distorted and less accurate than mirror selfies.
The mirror is a reflection.
It's a reflection, so it shows how we look like in reverse. Because we're so used to seeing the reverse version of ourselves, seeing how we look in pictures can be jarring. And unless you're blessed with a perfectly symmetrical face, the photo version of yourself can be even more wonky.
When you look in a mirror, what you're actually seeing is a reversed image of yourself. As you're hanging out with friends or walking down the street, people see your image un-flipped. So that mole that you're used to seeing on your right cheek is actually on your left to the person facing you.
Those dots together create your image, and 1 individual dot of light is a pixel. Since the back facing camera has 12 megapixels, and the front has 7 megapixels, there is almost twice the image quality in the back facing camera. The more pixel data you have, the better quality image you'll be able to produce.
A Complete Reflection
Hold two hand mirrors in front of you with their edges touching and a right angle between them like the two covers of a book when you're reading. With a little adjustment you can get a complete reflection of your face as others see it.
This may be because when we look in a mirror, our image is reversed left to right, which can make us look different than we expect. In photographs, however, our image is not reversed, so we are likely to perceive ourselves as looking more like we do in reality.
Taking a photograph with the front camera (like a selfie) from too close a distance will distort your face (ending up with a slightly enlarged nose, for example). That's one of the reasons that people use those horrid selfie sticks, but it does move the camera far enough away that your face won't be distorted.
Even if you have a chiselled jaw or strong cheekbones in real life, they can appear disproportionate in the photos. If you are too close or too far from the camera, it can make a big difference to the photo. For example, if you take a close-up photo, your forehead or nose might appear too big or wider than real.
If you don't wear clothes that flatter your body, you likely won't look good in photos. Choose styles and cuts that work for your body and colours that work for your complexion. The most important thing is to feel confident in whatever you're wearing, it's sure to shine through! Makeup can make or break your photo.
Do you see yourself uglier or prettier? In a series of studies, Epley and Whitchurch showed that we see ourselves as better looking than we actually are. The researchers took pictures of study participants and, using a computerized procedure, produced more attractive and less attractive versions of those pictures.
A new study shows that 20% of people see you as more attractive than you do.
The camera lens is not the human eye
It's called lens distortion and it can render your nose, eyes, hips, head, chest, thighs and all the rest of it marginally bigger, smaller, wider or narrower than they really are.
The Ruler Test. The mirror needs to be not only thick and secure but also straight. If you're shopping in person (or once your mirror arrives), you can do the ruler test to make sure. Just place “a long metal ruler perpendicular to the mirror to check if the wood panel is straight or not,” Mannino says.
In Snapchat, however, the picture stays the same as it looks before you take it. It leaves the picture in the same way and as humans we are used to seeing ourselves dozens of times a day in a mirror. We are so used to how we look like in the mirror that a picture which resembles a mirror image is more appealing to us.
Reflection in the mirror is the best example of a virtual image. By the intersecting rays, the real images are produced, and by diverging rays, the virtual images are produced. On-screen real images projected while virtual images cannot—two opposite lenses convex and concave from the real images.
It is important to understand that pictures are a 2-D version of real life. This simply means that photos tend to flatten your features or distort them due to certain angles. Also, since photos store everything, any awkward movement which goes unnoticed in real life is captured for everyone to see.
In a series of studies, Epley and Whitchurch showed that we see ourselves as better looking than we actually are.
Spherical concave mirrors
Concave mirrors, on the other hand, can have real images. If the object is further away from the mirror than the focal point, the image will be upside-down and real---meaning that the image appears on the same side of the mirror as the object.
A convex and a plane mirror always form virtual images. Only a concave mirror can form a real image.
There's a difference between your image in the mirror and in photos. The image you see in the mirror is reversed compared to the image that others see face-to-face with you. Your friends are familiar with your non-reversed image, while you are familiar with your reversed image in a regular mirror.
The subject in a self-taken photograph is not reflected in any way. If we ignore other aspects like lenses and lighting, a camera will be able to record what you and your loved ones see every day. In looking at an image of yourself, you are presented with a different version of yourself.
We have spent our lives seeing our faces in the mirror, and we have become used to seeing our face that way round. So when we reverse that image, it doesn't look right. No one has a perfectly symmetrical face. Most people part their hair on one side rather than the other.
The answer is complicated. While mirrors can provide an accurate reflection of our physical features, they can also distort our appearance in subtle ways. Factors such as lighting conditions and the angle of reflection can also affect how we look in the mirror.
When what we see in the mirror is flipped, it looks alarming because we're seeing rearranged halves of what are two very different faces. Your features don't line up, curve, or tilt the way you're used to viewing them.