Described is a technique for optimization an image for facial detection. More specifically, described is a process of predicting the location of a face within an image and adjusting image settings based on at least a portion of the predicted location of the face. An image may be adjusted based on the characteristics of a metering region, which may be selected prior to performing facial detection. For example, the metering region may be a specified shape with dimensions equal to a certain percentage of the input image and placed at a specified location. The result of using such a metering region is that the image adjustments may be based on a portion of the face, and therefore, may be optimized for facial detection.