NCJ Number
134454
Journal
Journal of Forensic Sciences Volume: 37 Issue: 1 Dated: (January 1992) Pages: 155-162
Date Published
1992
Length
8 pages
Annotation
Electronic imaging equipment originally developed to illustrate the aging of missing persons has been used in facial reproduction from skeletal remains.
Abstract
The computer system consists of a collection of proprietary software and associated hardware including an IBM personal computer, data tablet, color display monitor, and video camera with lights. The system offers sophisticated photocomposing and retouching capabilities which allow it to produce electronically altered images and perform such functions as the substitution of clothing and hair styles or the removal or addition of facial features. The technique produces rapid, economical, and realistic facial images in a way that eliminates the need for photography and maximizes interaction and communication between the artist and the anthropologist. Other advantages of the computer-assisted reproduction approach are also noted: it allows components to be added directly to cranial features; the cutaway aspect allows the underlying skeletal structure to be viewed below the soft tissue reproduction to check its accuracy; the size and proportion of the reproduction can be adjusted electronically; various versions can easily be stored and reproduced for comparison; and the soft tissue reproduction can be partially removed at various points to view its matching with the skeletal structure. 37 references and 1 figure (Author abstract modified)