FaceXFormer: A Unified Transformer for Facial Analysis (2403.12960v2)

Abstract: In this work, we introduce FaceXFormer, an end-to-end unified transformer model capable of performing nine facial analysis tasks including face parsing, landmark detection, head pose estimation, attribute prediction, and estimation of age, gender, race, expression, and face visibility within a single framework. Conventional methods in face analysis have often relied on task-specific designs and pre-processing techniques, which limit their scalability and integration into a unified architecture. Unlike these conventional methods, FaceXFormer leverages a transformer-based encoder-decoder architecture where each task is treated as a learnable token, enabling the seamless integration and simultaneous processing of multiple tasks within a single framework. Moreover, we propose a novel parameter-efficient decoder, FaceX, which jointly processes face and task tokens, thereby learning generalized and robust face representations across different tasks. We jointly trained FaceXFormer on nine face perception datasets and conducted experiments against specialized and multi-task models in both intra-dataset and cross-dataset evaluations across multiple benchmarks, showcasing state-of-the-art or competitive performance. Further, we performed a comprehensive analysis of different backbones for unified face task processing and evaluated our model "in-the-wild", demonstrating its robustness and generalizability. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first work to propose a single model capable of handling nine facial analysis tasks while maintaining real-time performance at 33.21 FPS.

• The paper introduces a unified transformer model that treats facial analysis tasks as learnable tokens, enabling simultaneous multi-task processing.
• It employs multi-scale feature extraction with a parameter-efficient FaceX decoder to balance task-specific accuracy and real-time efficiency.
• Comparative evaluations demonstrate that FaceXFormer generalizes well to in-the-wild images and diverse datasets, validating its robust performance.

FaceXFormer: Pioneering Unified Transformer Architecture for Comprehensive Facial Analysis

Introduction to Unified Face Analysis

Facial analysis encompasses a broad spectrum of applications, ranging from security and surveillance to entertainment and personal assistance. Task-specific algorithms have dominated the landscape, addressing challenges in face parsing, landmark detection, head pose estimation, attribute recognition, and biometric estimations like age, gender, and race. However, the inherent interconnectivity among these tasks has sparked interest in creating a overarching model capable of performing an entire gamut of facial analyses simultaneously, without the need for task-specific tailoring or preprocessing.

FaceXFormer Architecture

Enter FaceXFormer, a novel transformer-based end-to-end model designed to unify multiple facial analysis tasks within a single architecture. By treating each task as a distinct learnable token, FaceXFormer navigates the intricacies of facial analysis, ranging from detailed parsing to broader biometric estimations. The model comprises a transformer-based encoder-decoder structure, innovatively leveraging multi-scale feature extraction to ensure robust performance across all tasks. The introduction of a parameter-efficient decoder, FaceX, which processes both face and task tokens simultaneously, marks a significant advancement in learning generalized and task-specific representations efficiently.

Research Contributions

FaceXFormer's debut marks several notable contributions to the field of facial analysis:

• It pioneers a unified transformer model framework capable of concurrently addressing a spectrum of facial analysis tasks.
• The novel FaceX decoder efficiently exploits the synergy between different facial analysis tasks, fostering improved generalization and robust performance.
• Extensive experiments conducted offer comparative insights against specialized models and previous multi-task approaches across various benchmarks, showcasing the model's capability to maintain real-time performance while generalizing well to "in-the-wild" images.

Evaluations and Findings

The comprehensive evaluations of FaceXFormer reveal its efficacy in handling a wide range of facial analysis tasks efficiently. Interestingly, the model demonstrates its proficiency in learning from a diverse set of training datasets, each catering to different facial analysis tasks. It effectively balances between task-specific accuracy and the computational demands of real-time applications, achieving an impressive 37 Frames Per Second (FPS).

Comparative studies against state-of-the-art models illustrate that, while FaceXFormer does not always lead in task-specific benchmarks, its unified nature and real-time performance significantly contribute to its novelty and applicability in practical scenarios. The model particularly shines in cross-dataset evaluations, an essential measure of generalizability and robustness in real-world applications.

Theoretical Implications and Future Directions

The advent of FaceXFormer not only addresses existing challenges in unified facial analysis but also opens new avenues for future research. Its transformer-based architecture, capable of processing multiple facial analysis tasks simultaneously, sets a precedent for integrating more complex tasks and exploring deeper synergies between them.

Future developments may see enhancements in interactive capabilities, allowing the model to adapt dynamically to specific task requirements or incorporate additional tasks without significant redesign. Moreover, optimizing its architecture for even greater efficiency could pave the way for deploying sophisticated facial analysis systems on resource-constrained platforms.

Conclusion

FaceXFormer represents a significant leap towards achieving a comprehensive, efficient, and unified framework for facial analysis tasks. Its innovative approach in treating facial analysis tasks as learnable tokens within a transformer-based architecture establishes a robust foundation for future advancements in the field. Through extensive evaluations and comparative analyses, FaceXFormer not only demonstrates its mettle against specialized and multi-task models but also highlights its potential in shaping the future of facial analysis technologies.