Huang Zhikun, developer of the automatic make-up system and a second-year postgraduate student at Hangzhou Dianzi University [Photo/hangzhou.com.cn]

A system developed by a college student from Hangzhou that can automatically spruce up ID photos with make-up recently went viral on the internet, local media reported on Aug 5.

Huang Zhikun, the developer of the system, is a second-year postgraduate student at Hangzhou Dianzi University. He said the system was designed to retain people's facial features and only lightly touch up photos by adding lipstick and foundation.

"My system does not change the facial outline. People can use it to take photos of themselves and then click the 'make-up' button to automatically add make-up," Huang said. "Users can choose their preferred style and the lightness of the make-up."

Huang said he was inspired to develop the system after learning that many people longed for a more beautiful ID photo that real make-up can't achieve. It took him almost one year to design and develop the system.

"It's a balance between practicality and aesthetics," Huang said.

"The system is of both academic and commercial value," commented Yan Chenggang, Huang's tutor.

Huang's essay about the system was also published at the International Joint Conference on Artificial Intelligence (IJCAI), an organization made up of artificial intelligence experts.