Trying to enhance a still picture from a license plate

[jackhandsome 0]

As it says in the subject I am trying to enhance a video and/or a picture captured from a video to get the license plate off of a car. If anyone can possibly lend me a hand in trying to make out the license plate in the attached picture or maybe name some software that does that it would be greatly appreciated.. This person stole a trailer with a 30k dollar piece of equipment on it..

[Lesst 0]

Reality is not what you see on TV, CSI, or Hollywood. You can't enhance something from nothing. All I can think of is how much more do you wish you had spent on a camera that was sharp enough to read the tag, rather than the low res camera that you have to protect $30K+ of equipment?

 

If you can't read the tags clearly every time when you install it, it won't do it when you need it. Everyone, See this as an example, if you can't do it right so it has value when you need it, don't waste your time or money installing cheap cameras, or low res CIF recorders.

 

Everyone wants security video, but I will not sell my customers something that won't do what they need it to do, which is clearly identify people and objects so it can be used by the authorities to locate and convict a criminal if necessary. I walk away from 50% of potential sales, I won't make money by doing a bad job.

[rory 0]

Will probably be impossible, but would need the other raw images.

Not sure if its a good idea to post them on an open forum though.

[jackhandsome 0]

Wow, did you really need to be such an arrogant asshole in your reply? I was merely asking a simple question. I mean if it can't be done either move on to the next post or reply with something to the effect of: "In my opinion I don't think that can be done at that resolution" or maybe "you might think of investing in better cameras and here is a couple of models you might look at". To make a statement of: Hey everyone look at what this jackass is trying to do, now everyone point and laugh at the moron. That's just ridiculously rude. If I were to act like that to someone (which I wouldn't) I would literally have trouble sleeping at night but I am different from most people in that I would actually rather help someone and not take shots at them. Now that I am done ranting I will give you a bit of my own background and perhaps clarify some things since my original post was a bit short. I am IT tech and have been for 20+ years so naturally everyone in my family comes to me for tech support which gets old but can be rewarding. When my father had bought an RV yard not so long ago his first line of security was to rent the house on the property so the renter could look after things. Then a couple of things such as boat radios and the like had been stolen. So I suggested that maybe he get some cctv cameras for a little more protection. Now not knowing anything about cctv setups I began researching and as a trial run he bought a swann 4 pack set with 2 bullets night time cameras and 2 long range cameras. Those were setup with swann dvr cards in a computer I had built for him (keep in mind this all had to be done on a budget). That worked alright for awhile but the Swann DVR program was hard for him to manage as he really has no knowledge of computers much less proprietary programs. So I then bought a qsee DVR standalone system which is what is currently in place and he can navigate through and play back video with ease so we were cruising. Not many phone calls everyday for me and he was happy. Then he had thought, maybe we need to get a camera to capture license plate images. So again I am now researching license plate cameras but he didn't like the price of the ones I wanted to get. So I finally came across one that was supposedly made by sony that would get a license plate and when we tested it it did. That was not too long ago when those were integrated into the system but have not truly got them focused to where they need to be as I haven't had a lot of time to help him lately (two person job). So then this happens the other day and we kind of got caught with our pants down. So this weekend we are going to change some things up and get it right. Also at the same time try to focus in on this particular license plate to try to make it out. So again I ask if anyone knows of software that can either enhance video or a still frame then I would love to check in to it. I have tried many many programs so far with no luck but am going to try a few more over the weekend. Thank you in advance.

 

BTW, the beginning of my post is aimed at Lesst and not you Rory.

[jackhandsome 0]

Rory, I do have the original video in .264 and .avi format. It is the source video and all that I posted was a print screen from the video. If you maybe could look at it I would greatly appreciate it. I could pm you a link or something. If you don't want to mess with it then I totally understand . Thank you for your reply.

[NotoriousBRK 0]

There is nothing you're likely to be able to done on your own with just simple enhancement tools.

 

The best service I can recommend is this guy (Doug Carner):

 

http://www.forensicprotection.com/

 

I forget the exact rates, but expect to pay a couple of hundred dollars for the service. From the still you posted, I'm guessing you might have a 50% chance of getting at least a couple of the key digits off the plate. That along with the vehicle description *might* be enough to get the interest of the local PD.

 

Lesst's post was a bit "direct" but also accurate and something you might want to think about in your camera system. From the aspect of people who deal with CCTV systems on a day to day basis, you get a lot of people with a blurry, low-res image in hand, hoping there is some "magic" process to run to reveal details that were never captured in the first place. In some rare cases you get lucky and a higher-end service can stitch together several key frames where part of an object (like a license plate) appear in detail and reveal what you're looking for. But, as a rule of thumb, if you can't read a license plate (or see some other distinguishing detail) in a video clip, there is no reliable way to create those details post-facto from the video clip.

 

Hopefully you get lucky on this one and it doesn't turn out to be just an expensive lesson to you.

[rory 0]

This is the best I can get from that image using basic tools ..

but then Im no expert on this ... looks like 18 ... but then the rest is hard to make out as that could be the curve/shadows in the lettering on the plate.

 

 

 

and then there is this ... need a better image really .. PM me what you have

[Soundy 1]

So again I am now researching license plate cameras but he didn't like the price of the ones I wanted to get.

 

Lesst may have been a little blunt, but he makes a good point, and your statement above is exactly what he's talking about: people have specific ideas about what they want their cameras to do, but they don't want to pay what it costs to do it PROPERLY.

 

It's a major frustration for the professionals here, when we try to sell customers the RIGHT solution for what they want, only to have them insist on something cheaper that we know WON'T do the job... and then come back afterward complaining that we sold them junk when it doesn't live up to expectations (Lesst is living the dream by turning those jobs down flat... we're trying to do that when possible these days, as well).

 

There's nothing like having someone come to you because they recognize you as an expert (or at least a professional), only to question why your solution costs so much more than what they see at the local Costco... and refuse to accept any explanations of WHY it costs more to do things right the first time.

 

And BTW... both the brands you mentioned - Swann and QSee - are generally regarded as bottom-of-the-barrel cheap junk around here (although QSee has added a few better products to their line lately, from what I hear). Guarantee you, nobody here is surprised that they came up short on you.

[Lesst 0]

jackhandsome I am sorry that my reply was terse, and I apologize to you, rory, and any other reader of this post may have felt that I was just flaming you or worse. It was not to demean you, I think you made that point. Now that you explained what the bigger story was, I'm sorry your timing was off and the new cameras were not focused properly. FYI, IMHO at dusk is the best time to focus your lens, as the lens (iris) is wide open and depth of field is at its narrowest. Plus you see the local viewing monitor screen to aim and focus better than in daylight. Then if the camera switches into night IR mode you can check it all during one time block.

 

Please forgive me again, as I stand by what I said in my first post, maybe not how I said it.

People are buying CCTV equipment, and coming to this wonderful forum to learn things, and I amplified a learning moment. Your story only emphasizes my point that you, for your father, are experimenting and investing in CCTV cameras and recorders to deter an act of crime or vandalism, and protect property. In this case a commercial storage facility that is paid by its customers to provide at some level a secure location to store their property. My point to others is why would you spend any money on cameras at a business if you didn't want the video to be used by the authorities to identify and convict a criminal act if necessary. Please, I'm not flaming again,

 

I too have been experimenting to find a more reasonable costing camera that can be used as a license plate reader. The key with any license reader is to be able to stop the tag from moving during the exposure. Any camera that gives you control of the shutter speed to at least 1/2,000 of a second may do the job for you. I have been using some other makes/models to do this but, I am currently checking out two new IP cameras from CNB, CNB-IGC2050F and the IGB1110NF, they are amazing for under $400 w/o lens. In an analog camera the incredible, infamous CNB Mona Lisa chip BBM-20F (less than $150. w/o lens) can capture up to 1/120K. Setting it to 1/2500 works for tags moving up to 20mph or so. You will also need IR Illumination LED Floods to light the reflective material on the tags at night, and the tags will be all you see in your LPR camera at night.

[Birdman Adam 0]

For the future I'd change the angle of viewing for the camera, that angle is not very good for catching plates.

 

If the camera had been about 4 feet off the ground, pointing down the driveway, you'd have the plate.

[thewireguys 3]

Also a progressive scan camera will make a big difference with moving objects.

[Soundy 1]

To me, the biggest problem with that image, besides the motion blur, is that the plate appears to be out of focus... which is probably a result of poor assembly practices when the camera was put together. It should be possible to tweak the focus, even on a "sealed" bullet design...

 

But yeah, that won't solve the real problem of it just not being a sufficient camera for that job. And of course, it doesn't help cleaning up the existing image.

[jackhandsome 0]

I can't tell you all how much I appreciate the kind and constructive replies I have received. Rory, thank you for trying to process the image better. NotoriousBRK, thank you for your link to the forensic place I might look into that. Lesst, I know you were just trying to give constructive criticism and I should have taken it as that so I too apologize. This week sometime me and my dad are setting aside some time to try to build something to house the license plate camera around 3-4 ft. off the ground. In other words closer to the same height as a plate would be off the ground and bit more head on. The reason they are at the current angle is because he had built and concreted in a 12' pole to house those cameras without consulting me first. Since he spent a bit of time on it I felt that maybe we could get it focused as it was. It just sucks that during all of this testing and configuring was when we really needed them. He really dropped everything he had into this RV yard financially so I really hate bringing up the need for at least another $1,000 in cameras and probably another $600 for a decent DVR. So while I know better equipment is needed at the moment it's a difficult option. So as you can see I kind of have to work with what I have at the moment. Once again I really appreciate all of the replies as they gave me much to think about.

[Soundy 1]

The DVR is really the least of your worries right now.

 

And as for the camera height, it's not so much an issue with the angle on the plate (although being more straight-on will help), but the fact that having the plate moving across the frame makes motion blur more likely, while having it head-on means the plate will move less within the frame. There is a bit of a trade-off, as there will be a narrower range where the plate is in focus...

[Birdman Adam 0]

Last four numbers are 8722.

 

Maybe the police are willing to at least see what cars end in that number/similar, then match to similar looks...?

[jhonnysentry 0]

It's really hard to figure out the exact license plate number since the picture has a very poor resolution.

[jackhandsome 0]

Thank you very much for looking into that Birdman Adam. I was thinking the last four were 3722. Thanks for the clarification.

[newbie34 0]

Hello were you able to pull the number off the plate? I actually have the same problem. I have some still photos and want to clean them up so I can get the plate off this car that the owner broke into my car. I got his car on video would like to ask for help to either get the plate or the type of car it is. have you gotten any help off this site. let me know would any information you have.

 

thank you

[Kawboy12R 0]

Post the pics and the video and see what the members can come up with. It's hard to create a good plate out of nothing but someone might be able to nail the make/model of car for you at least.

[buellwinkle 0]

This CSI method should help. Click on it to make it larger so you can follow how it's done.

 

[PokerMunkee 0]

LOL. Spit up my coke!

[Finssportsbar 0]

Did you guys ever get the tag number. I am in the same boat. I thougt I had good cameras till I needed them. Haha

[Finssportsbar 0]

I have the complete video posted on here. Its about 2 1/2 minutes in. Then about 4 more you will see the 3 people. I may not be able to do anything with this but its all I have.

[Boogieman 1]

You though you had good cameras? really? this is aweful....There is nothing that can be done...Upgrade your cameras to a high quality ip system.

[Digiscan 0]

As most of us know, the movies are rubbish, but a skilled person can clean up an image. This was a great post I saw about it--read the top-voted response:

 

http://photo.stackexchange.com/questions/17098/csi-image-resolution-enhance-how-real-is-it

 

And he has in his response some examples to work that is plausible.