Age Progression

Age progression, carried out either by hand or computer-generated, can roughly determine what a person may look like years on based on an earlier photography or drawing. This technique is often used in the search for wanted criminals, as well as the search fro missing persons. In some situations the only photographs of suspects or victims available are old and outdated, so of course the person in question will be different in appearance. And so age progression can assist.

The artist doing this first collects information on the person’s lifestyle, occupation, genetics, and such. With this information, it is possible to determine what the person may look like now. With specialised computer programs, it is also possible to add the likes of sunglasses, hats and facial hair to an image.

Composite Drawings

These drawings are one of the most common tasks carried out by a forensic artist. The main purpose of such drawings are to identify unknown suspects, for example working from eyewitness accounts at a crime scene. They are also useful to eliminate suspects. Composite drawings are quite often put out to the public, involving them and giving the chance for people to offer any information should they recognise the person in the drawing.

Facial Reconstruction

When skeletal remains are found one of the first things to be done are to identify the person. Though this can be done anthropologically, forms of facial reconstruction can be used to create a 3D image of the person.

One method of human identification is video-superimposition. This is laying a radiograph of the skull over a photograph of a person to see if it is a match. This is simply one form of identifying a person, though this method is still being developed.

Cranio-facial reconstruction is quickly becoming an indispensable tool to forensic scientists trying to identify a person. This technique produces a three-dimensional model of the head and face from the skull. The face created can then be used to identify skeletal remains. The face can be used in comparison to other pictures or descriptions of a missing person, therefore establishing who the skeleton once was. It is a very complex technique that requires both great knowledge and skill to carry out.

At the moment most cranio-facial reconstruction has been directed towards history. Historians use the technique to create the face of an historical character whose features are not known. Despite its current uses, cranio-facial reconstruction is still a valuable tool to forensic scientists.