HACK ATTACK : Out of the Picture

Just divorced and looking for a way to expunge all memories of your mate without getting a lobotomy? Want him out of the picture, literally? These days, it’s possible--and safe--thanks to the fine art of digital photo editing.

Armed with sophisticated photo-retouching software, a photo editor can copy a snapshot into a PC or Mac, where pixels and colors can be manipulated until the offending object is gone. Kids and pets remain, but That Person magically disappears.

“If it’s done properly, it’s absolutely seamless,” says Bob Goldstein, co-owner of ZZYZX Visual Systems in Hollywood, one of several labs around town capable of doing such work.

But not all digital manipulations involve electronically amputating people from photos. The same technology is just as effective for adding people to snapshots. Last winter, when VIP guests failed to show for Anjelica Huston’s wedding, for example, the actress didn’t fret. She simply had them send pix, which were then electronically grafted into the final group photo by a local lab. “There are more and more inquiries about doing this all the time,” says R. Mac Holbert, co-owner of Nash Editions in Manhattan Beach.

And the cosmetic benefits are even greater than with airbrushing. Want a picture of a younger, more vibrant you atop Mt. Everest--even though you’ve never been beyond Duarte? The possibilities are endless.

Costs range from a few hundred dollars for a single photo to several thousand dollars for a complex project. “It really can put hair back on your balding head,” says Holbert. “It really can get rid of your wrinkles. It’s so convincing it’s scary.”