Embodiments relate to obtaining head-related transfer function (HRTF) through performing simulation using images of a user's head. The geometry of the user's head is determined based in part on one or more images of the user's head. The simulation of sound propagation from an audio source to the user's head is performed based on the generated geometry. The geometry may be represented in a three-dimensional meshes or principal component analysis (PCA)-based where the user's head is represented as a combination of representative three-dimensional shapes of test subjects' heads.