Security Footage Enhancement Help

[MarkG3]

I hate to be "that guy" but I need some help. I have been trying to enhance a screen shot of some VERY grainy security feeds to make signage legible on the side of a semi truck. I'm my searches of techniques to do this...I stumbled upon your community over here.

I have watched too many cop drama's that take a photo, plug them into a super computer program and suddenly they are as crisp and clear. I don't expect that kind of magic to happen but I need a name...numbers...pretty much anything at all that could identify one of these trucks I have shots of. Anybody bored and up for the task? Fair warning though...the pictures are rough.

Unfortunately I don't have anything to give in return other than a big thank you but I promise to do that in a big bold font.

Let me know if anybody is up for the task. And mods...if this kind of request is completely taboo over here, feel free to just delete the thread. Thank you in advance. -Mark

[mistermonday]

Mark, welcome to RetouchPro. I have moved your thread to the Image Help Forum. I suggest you attach a sample using the Manage Attachments button. You can edit your orig post to attach one or add a reply and attach it there.
Regards, Murray

[MarkG3]

No problem. Here is one of the originals and a full screen cap version of the video feed. Can anybody tell me if its even possible to pull this off? I tried to actually attach the file but the file size is too large.


Original: http://img121.imageshack.us/img121/1...1018201041.png

Full screen: http://img28.imageshack.us/img28/139...1018201041.png

I have a total of six different shots but none of them are much different from this one. Different trucks basically. Let me know what you think! thanks!!

[mistermonday]

It appears like the markings on the passenger door have a logo of a man facing toward the rear of the truck, the kind of logo you see on roadwork signs. But that may be my imagination. Perhaps you recognize it?
Regards, Murray

[mistermonday]

The more I looked at it, it looks like the front of a transport truck facing you and the figure of a man beside it on the viewers left.
Notsure if that helps you at all - it may be all in my imagination.
Reagrds, Murray

[Steve13]

With a sleeper that large, probably a long haul interstate company. The stripes are pretty distinctive on the cab. I tried a few google image searches but no luck. Keep an eye out around town in case another one shows up. Most of the photo enhancement you see on crime shows is fiction.

[Steve13]

Definitely looks like a cartoon man with sunglasses and a yellow hat, maybe backwards, carrying something.

[mistermonday]

Well I was able to get a clear view by resizing the image. Attached is a B&W and a color version.
Regards, Murray

[MarkG3]

I greatly appreciate all of the help. I'll pass along the notes. I know they were living in a dream world when they gave me the video thinking somehow i could enhance it so they could actually read the sign....i took one look at it and said it wouldn't happen but I wanted to talk with someone who knew that more definitively.

Thank you for the help and hopefully it will turn up good for them. Guess they've lost a TON of money in stolen fuel because of this guy. Would have been cheaper to upgrade the cameras!

THANKS!! (told you i'd do it in bold )

[MarkG3]

Originally Posted by Steve13

With a sleeper that large, probably a long haul interstate company. The stripes are pretty distinctive on the cab. I tried a few google image searches but no luck. Keep an eye out around town in case another one shows up. Most of the photo enhancement you see on crime shows is fiction.

haha...ya, I had a feeling that was the case.

[MarkG3]

here's another truck that MIGHT be easier. Different logo but they think he's driving for the same company.

http://img838.imageshack.us/img838/1...1018201041.png

[MarkG3]

Update: They caught another truck from the same company doing it again yesterday. Trucker is in jail, truck has been impounded. Now they want me to try to make the logo's at least somewhat visible for prosecution. Might be time for them to hire a pro because I'm having no luck!

[mistermonday]

I suggest you use a reverse approach here. The video is of extremely low resolution and if you consider the size of the detail in relation to the available pixels, the fine detail would be equivalent to less than a pixel. However, you do have some gross detail / shape. I would recommend you take a photo of the impounded truck and down sample it until it is a bad a quality as the video and you should get a pretty good match.
As for enhancinging the quality of the video image, you might have better luck if you fed the video signal directly from the camera tape or drive and reprocessed it in a video processor much like Camera Raw would do to a Raw file.
Regards, Murray

[adubbz]

Just tap random keys on the keyboard and say 'enhance'. It works in all the movies i've seen. /jokes.