age-progressionAge progression has been around for a long time as a tool for guessing or predicting what children (or even older suspects) would look like after a long time has passed.  Over on BoingBoing they talk to Glen Miller from the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children about how they use Adobe Photoshop to “Age” photos.

We use Adobe Photoshop CS4 to manipulate the photos. We stretch the face to approximate growth, blend it with parental photos, and put a hairstyle on each child. The clothes are transformed to be more appropriate for that age. We use powerful Macs with lots of memory and speed, and drawing tablets instead of mouses. With this technology, we can complete one age progression in about three hours.

We build faces in virtual environments for people to recognize, but the only way we really know we’re successful is by having results. We can compliment each other on how great an age progressed image is, but the public is the true test of success. To say we love feedback is an understatement. We crave it. It encourages parents of long term missing kids that there’s hope, and that’s one of the most important things about what we do. We’re giving people their identity back.

via How forensics use Photoshop to find missing children – Boing Boing.