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Capture and upload

In this section, you will learn how to capture an image and upload it to the platform. These two steps happen at the same time.

You will perform this task after creating the patient, and in every visit afterward.

Steps​

1. Position the patient​

Position the patient comfortably and ensure they remain still during the image capture process.

Ask the patient to kindly sit down. Having the patient sit down will increase their comfort and make the process easier. It will also help you capture consistent images of both sides of the face.

To take the images, please use a neutral, non-reflective background to reduce distractions and reduce artifacts or shadows.

The location should be well-lit for all images. Proper lighting is essential to ensure image clarity and quality. You can use natural light or artificial light sources to illuminate the area. This includes the flash of the smartphone camera, which can be used to enhance the image quality.

2. Click on Upload photo​

You can open the sidebar by clicking on the three horizontal lines on the top left corner of the screen. Click on Upload photo on the left sidebar.

Medical Research

Profile Picture

There, you will be able to select the patient and start the photo capture process.

3. Select the patient​

Select the patient from the dropdown menu. You can search for the patient by typing their subject number.

Start typing

You need to start typing the subject number to search for the patient. Just clicking on the drop-down does not display all patients; you need to start typing.

After selecting the patient, click on the green button Upload photo. This will open a pop-up window where you can upload the images, which comprises three steps.

  1. Condition: In this section, you will need to select the condition of the images you are about to upload. In this case, you will select Acne. This should be the only option from the dropdown.
  2. Instructions: You will see a reminder of the instructions to capture the images. This is a reminder of the steps you need to follow to capture the images correctly.
  3. Upload photo: This is the section where you will upload the images. You can upload the images by clicking on the button Select files or by dragging and dropping the images into the box.
Ignore the visit identifier field

In the first step, where you select the condition, you can also declare the visit identifier. You can leave this field empty, as the study will automatically consider the date of the report.

4. Capture the two images of the face​

Finally, you will need to capture two perspectives of the face: left diagonal and right diagonal. This will allow the AI algorithm to assess acne severity across both sides of the face.

You must click on each of the two boxes and capture the respective image.

Capture angle

Following the Hayashi Criterion, images should be taken at approximately 70-degree angles to capture the face from the left and right diagonal perspectives. This ensures that the majority of the facial area affected by acne is visible.

Capture the affected area

Ensure the images capture at least two-thirds of the face from each side. Maintain a consistent distance from the camera to the face (approximately 30-40 cm or 12-16 inches).

Other considerations​

The most important aspect of the image capture is to ensure that images are consistent across all visits. This will allow for accurate comparisons between the images taken at different time points.

Please consider the following:

  • Makeup: Patients should remove any foundation, concealer, or other cosmetics that might cover acne lesions before the photo is taken.
  • Hair: Patients should pull their hair back so that it does not cover the face, especially the forehead, cheeks, and jawline.
  • Glasses: Patients should remove glasses before taking the photo.
  • Facial hair: If the subject has facial hair, we highly recommend keeping it consistent throughout the study to minimize variability between visits.
  • Lighting: Ensure consistent lighting conditions across all visits. Avoid harsh shadows or overly bright light that could obscure lesion details.

Having said that, it is important to maintain consistency in the image capture process to ensure accurate monitoring of acne severity over time.

Troubleshooting​

Repeating an image capture​

You can re-upload images if there is an issue. Even if you already sent the images to the algorithm, you can still re-upload the images. The platform will automatically replace the old images with new ones. However, they should always be the full set of two photographs.

In other words: if multiple sets of 2 photographs are captured during a single visit, only the latest submission will be considered. Only the most recent set of 2 images taken on the same day will be used as the official study visit images of this day.