Blink-Free Photo Calculator

Your details

Total number of subjects in the photo, including yourself if you are in the shot.
Good light allows a faster shutter (1/100 s) which freezes blinks more effectively. Low light forces a slower shutter (1/30 s) which increases the chance of catching a blink mid-frame.
The probability that at least one of your shots will be completely blink-free. 99% is the standard used in the original research.
Photos to takeEasy: just a few shots
3shots

Minimum frames needed to reach your chosen confidence level

Chance any single photo is blink-free80.13%
Chance one person blinks per frame4.33%
Rule-of-thumb estimate2shots
80.13% %
Very unlikely<20Unlikely20-50Possible50-75Good chance75-90Near certain90+

Take 3 photos for a 99% chance of a perfect shot.

  • In good-light conditions, each person has a 4.33% chance of blinking in any single frame.
  • With 5 people, the chance a single photo is completely blink-free is 80.13%.
  • A quick countdown ("3, 2, 1") and asking subjects to open their eyes wider than normal just before you press the shutter will improve your odds further.
  • Good lighting is the single biggest improvement you can make - moving outdoors or adding a fill light can cut the required shots nearly in half.

Next stepTake 3 frames in quick succession - the first few seconds while subjects are still posed and attentive give the best results.

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