mrhankey 0 Posted December 23, 2010 hi, i have had my car vandalised in the past month now on 4 occassions. last night i caught them on a cctv camera i setup and i am able to identify the colour and make of the car however i would love to be able to somehow get the license plate. it reflects so is very difficult to make out but i was wondering if there was a way to buy some software or download for free that will allow me to manipulate it and try get more info. the file was recorded to an avi file on my computer. hope someone can help asap as i want to get them once and for all. thanks Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
SEANHAWG 1 Posted December 23, 2010 There is unfortunately not much you can do if it was really washed out. I dont know of any software that will take care of that problem. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
D.V.S. 0 Posted December 23, 2010 You can try this free (trial) program. Not the best but give it a shot. Adobe Photoshop has more user options which results in a better picture than Topaz moment. And I agree with SEANHAWG. http://download.cnet.com/Topaz-Moment/3000-13633_4-10326822.html Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
cglaeser 0 Posted December 23, 2010 i have had my car vandalised in the past month now on 4 occassions. If you car is parked in your driveway or in a location that gets very little activity at night, I recommend an outdoor PIR with remote alarm in your bedroom so that you are immediately notified when someone comes near your vehicle during the night. If the alarm sounds at 2 am, you can check the monitor and call the police while they are still in the neighborhood. Best, Christopher Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
tomcctv 190 Posted December 23, 2010 hi, i have had my car vandalised in the past month now on 4 occassions. last night i caught them on a cctv camera i setup and i am able to identify the colour and make of the car however i would love to be able to somehow get the license plate. it reflects so is very difficult to make out but i was wondering if there was a way to buy some software or download for free that will allow me to manipulate it and try get more info. the file was recorded to an avi file on my computer. hope someone can help asap as i want to get them once and for all. thanks i know that Abby can do it. but before you call her . take a look at the video Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
mrhankey 0 Posted December 23, 2010 hi, it is not a bad image just could do with sharpening and playing around with lighting. what is best playback to alter settings etc? thanks again Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
mrhankey 0 Posted December 23, 2010 parked on driveway, they drive past and throw bricks from a car and i called police last night when it happened when i heard it and rather than going round the streets like i asked they came to house and spen half an hour taking a statement. nightmare, need to catch them. i have the files so just need to somehow get the image of their car imposed or something. many thanks Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
cglaeser 0 Posted December 23, 2010 they drive past and throw bricks from a car Wow, that's a tough one. A license plate camera would significantly improve your odds of solving this, but they are more expensive than CCTV cameras and therefore often not an option. Best, Christopher Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
tomcctv 190 Posted December 23, 2010 parked on driveway, they drive past and throw bricks from a car and i called police last night when it happened when i heard it and rather than going round the streets like i asked they came to house and spen half an hour taking a statement. nightmare, need to catch them. i have the files so just need to somehow get the image of their car imposed or something. many thanks can you post an image of what you have. so we can see how bad your footage is Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Scruit 0 Posted December 25, 2010 Is there somewhere else you can park your car? Capturing license plates is unlikley to be successful by accident. I have 3 cameras set up for license plate capture and all 3 are zoomed in so much that the plate takes up about 1/4 of the width of the screen. If you want to capture a license plate, you have to set out with that goal in mind. Add an extra camera that is set at the right angle to read the rear plate. (Headlights make front plate capture difficult) Could you post a diagram of, or google maps link to, the location being monitored. We could advise on placement. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Soundy 1 Posted December 27, 2010 If you want to capture a license plate, you have to set out with that goal in mind. Add an extra camera that is set at the right angle to read the rear plate. (Headlights make front plate capture difficult) Add to that, several jurisdictions don't require a front plate. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Scruit 0 Posted December 27, 2010 If you want to capture a license plate, you have to set out with that goal in mind. Add an extra camera that is set at the right angle to read the rear plate. (Headlights make front plate capture difficult) Add to that, several jurisdictions don't require a front plate. And even in those that *do* require a front plate (ohio) the police often don't enforce it for reasons ranging from "I only saw the front and assumed his was from a one-plate-state" to "You want me to write plate tickets rather than catch DUIs?" Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
bryceb 0 Posted December 28, 2010 Is there somewhere else you can park your car? I happen to believe the saying that "an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure," so if you have another place to park your car, I'd try that first. Next up, I'd try to find out if they are following a pattern. Same Time? Same Day Of The Week? Same Direction? Same Brand of Brick? etc. Hopefully they won't give you any more chances to profile them though. But if they do, you could be prepared for future encounters. Maybe hide a camera near the street with a nice angle on the back license plate. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites