Digital Analysis of Bitemark Evidence Using Adope Photoshop [includes Diskette]

This book is the first practical step-by-step description of digital methods necessary to control and analyze physical forensic evidence. Digital imaging is becoming commonplace in our world today and Forensic Dentistry and its allied disciplines are no exception. Bite marks are now being photographed digitally, digitally scanned from photographs, sent via electronic mail, and copied onto floppy, zip, and compact disks. These same applications are used in firearms, ballistics, fingerprints, and toolmark investigation.

It is becoming essential for the Forensic Examiner to be able to work with these digital images when asked to investigate cases. Adobe(r) Photoshop(r) is a powerful software tool that allows for imaging, enhancing, and resizing of the original evidence photographs. Photoshop(r) is also ideal for fabrication of suspect dentition overlays and other forensic exemplars used in physical comparisons.

Topics include scanning of bite mark photographs, enhancement and resizing these images, photographic distortion control, scanning two and three dimensional evidence, fabrication of overlays, and physical comparison techniques within Photoshop(r).

Practice image files that are used throughout the book are included on a 3.5 inch, high-density 1.44MB floppy disk.

Raymond J. Johansen is a practicing dentist in Santa Barbara, California. He is a forensic consultant to the Santa Barbara Coroner' Office.

C. Michael Bowers is a practicing dentist and attorney in Ventura, California. He is a Deputy Medical Examiner for the Ventura County Medical Examiner's Office. He is a Diplomate of the American Board of Forensic Odontology, IAI Senior Crime Scene analyst and a Fellow of the American Academy of Forensic Sciences.