There are three methods used by law enforcement agencies to create likenesses: composite art, mechanical feature assembly composites, and computer-generated composites. Composite art is produced by a police artist, drawing freehand based on a witness's verbal description of the suspect's facial shape and features, including scars, marks, and tattoos, as well as unusual somatic features. While color sketches are best for television broadcast, black-and-white drawings are more often preferred and are better suited for photocopying and use in newspapers. Mechanical feature assembly kits, including Identi-Kit and Photo-fit, are often helpful in reproducing composite drawings quickly. However, no standard kit can ever include every type of feature and often the police artist must compromise the witness's description. This obstacle is overcome by computer-generated composites, which offer a nearly infinite array of subtle variety and facial details. In addition, these software packages include aging features, which are particularly useful in projecting how kidnapped children would appear several years after their disappearance. 4 figures