The Critical Photographic Variables Contributing to Skull-Face Superimposition Methods to Assist Forensic Identification of Skeletons: A Review.

ABSTRACT: When an unidentified skeleton is discovered, a video superimposition (VS) of the skull and a facial photograph may be undertaken to assist identification. In the first instance, the method is fundamentally a photographic one, requiring the overlay of two 2D photographic images at transparency for comparison. Presently, mathematical and anatomical techniques used to compare skull/face anatomy dominate superimposition discussions, however, little attention has been paid to the equally fundamental photographic prerequisites that underpin these methods. This predisposes error, as the optical parameters of the two comparison photographs are (presently) rarely matched prior to, or for, comparison. In this paper, we: (1) review the basic but critical photographic prerequisites that apply to VS; (

SUBMITTER: Healy SS 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC10817695 | biostudies-literature | 2024 Jan

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature