We propose an efficient multi-scale residual network that integrates 3D face alignment with head pose estimation from an RGB image. Existing methods excel in performing each task independently but often fail to acknowledge the interdependence between them. Additionally, these approaches lack a progressive fine-tuning process for 3D face alignment, which could otherwise require excessive computational resources and memory. To address these limitations, we introduce a hierarchical network that incorporates a frontal face constraint, significantly enhancing the accuracy of both tasks. Moreover, we implement a multi-scale residual merging process that allows for multi-stage refinement without compromising the efficiency of the model. Our experimental results demonstrate the superiority of our method compared to state-of-the-art approaches.
Jing Zhang, Yijie Tong, "Integrating 3D Face Alignment with Head Pose Estimation" in Journal of Imaging Science and Technology, 2025, pp 1 - 11, https://doi.org/10.2352/J.ImagingSci.Technol.2025.69.6.060402