Training courses

Tier 2: Imaging & variability

Image processing & analysis for forensic face identification

What you will learn

This two-day in-person course provides an in-depth understanding of how image capture and processing affect facial appearance, and how these changes influence the reliability of facial comparison in practice.

The course focuses on how image quality and processing techniques impact the interpretation of facial features, particularly under real-world conditions where imagery is often uncontrolled.

Participants will develop:

  • Understanding of digital image capture and processing techniques

  • Awareness of common compression algorithms, interpolation methods, proprietary formats, and lighting conditions

  • Knowledge of how resolution, aspect ratio, lighting, blur, compression, and noise affect facial feature detail

  • Understanding of how image processing can alter or distort morphological information

Participants will also develop practical skills in:

  • Assessing image suitability for facial comparison based on quality factors

  • Determining parameters of common image file formats

  • Applying image processing techniques in a controlled and lossless manner

  • Interpreting processed imagery and understanding its limitations in comparison tasks

Diagram showing the process of creating a digital portrait from a sketch, including steps such as compression, tonal mapping, sharpening, noise reduction, demosaicing, analog to digital conversion, and photon capture.

Content

The course is delivered in person over two days and combines taught content with practical exercises using operational-style imagery.

The focus is on understanding how image processing affects the interpretation of facial features, and how this influences decision-making in real-world facial comparison tasks.

Prerequisites

Attendees should be confident in applying morphological analysis and comparison to uncontrolled facial imagery.

Attendees will require a laptop with software for viewing, comparing, and processing facial imagery.

Please get in touch for a quote.