Reader Raymond Brown has written in with another approach to looking at facial asymmetry. (This follows up on my left face/right face experiments.) He explains his technique this way:

Your experiments with facial asymmetry reminded me of some experiments of my own. What I did was impose an averaging symmetry on asymmetrical faces using a morphing program and a single photo with its mirrored version (see attachment). I find the results a little creepy, the celebrity instantly recognizable, but . . . a sort of hyper-idealized version of reality. De Niro’s rumpled face is symmetrically rumpled! And he’s staring you down as well! Anyway, hope you enjoy it!

I’ve quoted from his e-mail with his generous permission. Here is an example of his work (I’ve adjusted the tones slightly and reduced the size to fit my window).

averaged morphed image of de niro

I like this approach. Whereas my approach spun new versions off from the center, emphasizing (and exaggerating) the differences between the two sides of a face, this technique elides the differences to produce a new middle out of bookends created by mirroring the initial image.

LINK: more examples