Enum: DefacingToolEnum

Software tools and pipelines used for pixel-level de-identification of head imaging and photographs, with their supported modalities, method and licensing. Metadata-only anonymizers are included for completeness because they are commonly paired with defacing tools, but they do not remove facial features.

URI: valuesets:DefacingToolEnum

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Permissible Values

Value	Title	Description	License	Method	Modality	Url
PYDEFACE	PyDeface	Aligns a T1-weighted MRI to a template with FSL FLIRT and zeros out voxels in a predefined facial mask	BSD	template-based masking	MRI (T1w)	https://github.com/poldracklab/pydeface
FREESURFER_MRI_DEFACE	FreeSurfer mri_deface	Template mask defacing using affine registration to fit a generic face mask, distributed with FreeSurfer	FreeSurfer	template-based masking	MRI (T1w)
AFNI_REFACER	AFNI @afni_refacer_run	AFNI template-based defacing and refacing tool, often combined with skull stripping	AFNI (open source)	refacing	MRI (T1w)
QUICKSHEAR	QuickShear	Computes a shearing plane through the head and removes the front of the head	open source	shearing plane	MRI (T1w)
DEEPDEFACER	DeepDefacer	3D U-Net trained to generate a facial mask from T1 MRI scans	open source	deep learning segmentation	MRI (T1w, T2w)
ASAN_DEFACER	Asan Defacer	3D U-Net that segments eyes, ears and nose and masks them, applicable to MRI and CT	open source	deep learning segmentation	MRI, CT
MYDEFACE	mydeface	Defacing utility similar to PyDeface using an FSL FLIRT-registered mask	BSD	template-based masking	MRI (T1w, FLAIR)	https://github.com/neurolabusc/mydeface
MASK_FACE	mask_face	Surface blurring tool from Milchenko and Marcus that obscures surface anatomy in volumetric data	open source	surface blurring	MRI, CT
FSL_BET	FSL BET	FMRIB Software Library Brain Extraction Tool; removes all non-brain tissue	FSL (open source)	skull stripping	MRI, CT, PET
AFNI_3DSKULLSTRIP	AFNI 3dSkullStrip	AFNI brain extraction program; removes all non-brain tissue	AFNI (open source)	skull stripping	MRI, CT, PET
ITK_SNAP	ITK-SNAP	Interactive segmentation tool used to manually paint or erode a face mask in any 3D volume	GPL	manual masking	any 3D volume
SLICER_3D	3D Slicer	Image computing platform used to manually paint a face mask over a region of interest	BSD-style	manual masking	any 3D volume
IMAGEJ_FIJI	ImageJ / Fiji	General image analysis tools used to manually blur or crop the face region in 2D or 3D images	open source	manual crop or blur	2D and 3D images
OPENCV	OpenCV	Computer vision library used for face detection (for example Haar cascades) followed by blurring or pixelation in video and 2D images	Apache-2.0	face detection and blurring	video, 2D images
OSIRIX_HOROS_PLUGIN	OsiriX / Horos plugin	Viewer plugins offering built-in anonymization with face removal options for multi-modality DICOM	commercial / free	template-based masking	DICOM (multi-modality)
PIXELMED_DICOM_ANONYMIZER	PixelMed DICOM Anonymizer	Metadata anonymization only; does not mask faces	BSD	metadata anonymization	DICOM files
MANUAL_PHOTO_VIDEO_EDITING	Manual photo or video editing	Cropping or blurring faces in photographs and videos with general-purpose editors		manual crop or blur	photographs, video

Slots

Name	Description
defacing_tool	The software tool used to remove facial features from image pixel data

Identifier and Mapping Information

Schema Source

from schema: https://w3id.org/valuesets

LinkML Source

name: DefacingToolEnum
instantiates:
- valuesets_meta:ValueSetEnumDefinition
description: Software tools and pipelines used for pixel-level de-identification of
  head imaging and photographs, with their supported modalities, method and licensing.
  Metadata-only anonymizers are included for completeness because they are commonly
  paired with defacing tools, but they do not remove facial features.
title: Defacing Tool
from_schema: https://w3id.org/valuesets
contributors:
- orcid:0000-0002-6601-2165
- https://github.com/anthropics/claude-code
status: DRAFT
rank: 1000
permissible_values:
  PYDEFACE:
    text: PYDEFACE
    description: Aligns a T1-weighted MRI to a template with FSL FLIRT and zeros out
      voxels in a predefined facial mask
    annotations:
      modality:
        tag: modality
        value: MRI (T1w)
      method:
        tag: method
        value: template-based masking
      license:
        tag: license
        value: BSD
      url:
        tag: url
        value: https://github.com/poldracklab/pydeface
    title: PyDeface
  FREESURFER_MRI_DEFACE:
    text: FREESURFER_MRI_DEFACE
    description: Template mask defacing using affine registration to fit a generic
      face mask, distributed with FreeSurfer
    annotations:
      modality:
        tag: modality
        value: MRI (T1w)
      method:
        tag: method
        value: template-based masking
      license:
        tag: license
        value: FreeSurfer
    title: FreeSurfer mri_deface
  AFNI_REFACER:
    text: AFNI_REFACER
    description: AFNI template-based defacing and refacing tool, often combined with
      skull stripping
    annotations:
      modality:
        tag: modality
        value: MRI (T1w)
      method:
        tag: method
        value: refacing
      license:
        tag: license
        value: AFNI (open source)
    title: AFNI @afni_refacer_run
  QUICKSHEAR:
    text: QUICKSHEAR
    description: Computes a shearing plane through the head and removes the front
      of the head
    annotations:
      modality:
        tag: modality
        value: MRI (T1w)
      method:
        tag: method
        value: shearing plane
      license:
        tag: license
        value: open source
    title: QuickShear
  DEEPDEFACER:
    text: DEEPDEFACER
    description: 3D U-Net trained to generate a facial mask from T1 MRI scans
    annotations:
      modality:
        tag: modality
        value: MRI (T1w, T2w)
      method:
        tag: method
        value: deep learning segmentation
      license:
        tag: license
        value: open source
    title: DeepDefacer
  ASAN_DEFACER:
    text: ASAN_DEFACER
    description: 3D U-Net that segments eyes, ears and nose and masks them, applicable
      to MRI and CT
    annotations:
      modality:
        tag: modality
        value: MRI, CT
      method:
        tag: method
        value: deep learning segmentation
      license:
        tag: license
        value: open source
    title: Asan Defacer
  MYDEFACE:
    text: MYDEFACE
    description: Defacing utility similar to PyDeface using an FSL FLIRT-registered
      mask
    annotations:
      modality:
        tag: modality
        value: MRI (T1w, FLAIR)
      method:
        tag: method
        value: template-based masking
      license:
        tag: license
        value: BSD
      url:
        tag: url
        value: https://github.com/neurolabusc/mydeface
    title: mydeface
  MASK_FACE:
    text: MASK_FACE
    description: Surface blurring tool from Milchenko and Marcus that obscures surface
      anatomy in volumetric data
    annotations:
      modality:
        tag: modality
        value: MRI, CT
      method:
        tag: method
        value: surface blurring
      license:
        tag: license
        value: open source
    title: mask_face
  FSL_BET:
    text: FSL_BET
    description: FMRIB Software Library Brain Extraction Tool; removes all non-brain
      tissue
    annotations:
      modality:
        tag: modality
        value: MRI, CT, PET
      method:
        tag: method
        value: skull stripping
      license:
        tag: license
        value: FSL (open source)
    title: FSL BET
  AFNI_3DSKULLSTRIP:
    text: AFNI_3DSKULLSTRIP
    description: AFNI brain extraction program; removes all non-brain tissue
    annotations:
      modality:
        tag: modality
        value: MRI, CT, PET
      method:
        tag: method
        value: skull stripping
      license:
        tag: license
        value: AFNI (open source)
    title: AFNI 3dSkullStrip
  ITK_SNAP:
    text: ITK_SNAP
    description: Interactive segmentation tool used to manually paint or erode a face
      mask in any 3D volume
    annotations:
      modality:
        tag: modality
        value: any 3D volume
      method:
        tag: method
        value: manual masking
      license:
        tag: license
        value: GPL
    title: ITK-SNAP
  SLICER_3D:
    text: SLICER_3D
    description: Image computing platform used to manually paint a face mask over
      a region of interest
    annotations:
      modality:
        tag: modality
        value: any 3D volume
      method:
        tag: method
        value: manual masking
      license:
        tag: license
        value: BSD-style
    title: 3D Slicer
  IMAGEJ_FIJI:
    text: IMAGEJ_FIJI
    description: General image analysis tools used to manually blur or crop the face
      region in 2D or 3D images
    annotations:
      modality:
        tag: modality
        value: 2D and 3D images
      method:
        tag: method
        value: manual crop or blur
      license:
        tag: license
        value: open source
    title: ImageJ / Fiji
  OPENCV:
    text: OPENCV
    description: Computer vision library used for face detection (for example Haar
      cascades) followed by blurring or pixelation in video and 2D images
    annotations:
      modality:
        tag: modality
        value: video, 2D images
      method:
        tag: method
        value: face detection and blurring
      license:
        tag: license
        value: Apache-2.0
    title: OpenCV
  OSIRIX_HOROS_PLUGIN:
    text: OSIRIX_HOROS_PLUGIN
    description: Viewer plugins offering built-in anonymization with face removal
      options for multi-modality DICOM
    annotations:
      modality:
        tag: modality
        value: DICOM (multi-modality)
      method:
        tag: method
        value: template-based masking
      license:
        tag: license
        value: commercial / free
    title: OsiriX / Horos plugin
  PIXELMED_DICOM_ANONYMIZER:
    text: PIXELMED_DICOM_ANONYMIZER
    description: Metadata anonymization only; does not mask faces
    annotations:
      modality:
        tag: modality
        value: DICOM files
      method:
        tag: method
        value: metadata anonymization
      license:
        tag: license
        value: BSD
    title: PixelMed DICOM Anonymizer
  MANUAL_PHOTO_VIDEO_EDITING:
    text: MANUAL_PHOTO_VIDEO_EDITING
    description: Cropping or blurring faces in photographs and videos with general-purpose
      editors
    annotations:
      modality:
        tag: modality
        value: photographs, video
      method:
        tag: method
        value: manual crop or blur
    title: Manual photo or video editing