FBI photo enhancing programs? Real?

Nikon AF-S Nikkor 16-35 f/4 ED VR

05/10/2007 03:04:21 PM · #1

Ok well you know on like CSI or w/e they have programs that zoom into a still picture to see a licence plate and stuff. Are these programs real or is it all hollywood? I want to find something similar for a photo i have, im not looking for photo quality, i just need to see what i can get out of it. Also, kinda similar situation, how could these results have been obtained?

Original

Edited version:

You can see that the quality sucks, but you can clearly make out his face and everything. How could this have be done? What steps might have been taken?

Message edited by author 2007-05-10 15:05:44.

darnok

Nikon D850

05/10/2007 03:10:22 PM · #2

You cannot create detail that does not exist. You can enhance a picture to a certain extent, sharpening or shadow/highlight to bring out detail, but you cannot just create information.

Nikon AF-S Nikkor 16-35 f/4 ED VR

05/10/2007 03:11:39 PM · #3

lol i know that, but look that the examples.. How did they get to that point? They brought out alot of detail in the face.

darnok

Nikon D850

05/10/2007 03:14:43 PM · #4

You will not get that detail from the first JPEG. If you had a RAW file you would be able to recover a lot of information in the shadows.

kirbic

Canon EOS R5

Canon RF 24-70mm f/2.8 L IS

05/10/2007 03:15:13 PM · #5

Al lot of what you see on shows like CSI is pure hollywood. that's not to say that there aren't powerful tools for reconstructing as much as possible out of poor data... but there has to be data there to begin with.
In your example, the "original" is probably a highly-compressed and size-reduced version of what they had to work with. It also looks like it's part of some video footage. Assuming that, it's no surprise that frames can be averaged to get better data.
Mostly, what's been done to get the face to show is to boost the levels, but probably some more sophisticated processing as well, perhaps including deconvolution and/or averaging multiple video frames.

RainMotorsports

Nikon D60

Nikon AF-S DX Zoom Nikkor 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6G VR

05/10/2007 03:16:43 PM · #6

Originally posted by Raziel:

You cannot create detail that does not exist. You can enhance a picture to a certain extent, sharpening or shadow/highlight to bring out detail, but you cannot just create information.

Most TV shows take a good image and make it bad and then fake it good.

But you can take what information you have use it to create a model and overlay a texture on it then merge it back with the photo. Esentially looks fake but you get what i mean.

darnok

Nikon D850

Nikon AF-S Nikkor 16-35 f/4 ED VR

05/10/2007 03:19:06 PM · #7

Hollywood does have a history of pushing the limitations of believability.

Gringo

Nikon D2X

Nikon AF-S Zoom-Nikkor 28-70mm f/2.8D IF-ED

05/10/2007 03:26:48 PM · #8

I think it's real.

Man_Called_Horse

Canon EOS-300D Rebel

05/10/2007 03:28:05 PM · #9

Originally posted by Raziel:

Hollywood does have a history of pushing the limitations of believability.

I used to work on "Crossing Jordon".

In that show, there are some amazing tool sets just like in the CSI's and the others.

The tools do exist. Hollywood just doesn't come up with an idea, usually, and call it a forensic tool.

The reality of these tools, even though available, also cost big bucks. So, the average police department, or coroners office, or investigative office prolly won't have all the high tech tools seen on television.

Just to rent these tools to showcase on a television show cost big money.

So yes, Hollywood does embellish for fictional sake, but the tools do exist. Who has them? That's another thread.

jaysonmc

Nikon D200

Nikon MF 105mm f/2.5 AIS

05/10/2007 03:32:26 PM · #10

You can not RESTORE data that isn't there as some stated.
You CAN approximate what data MAY be there, by using algorithms. These would be specific to certain things. Faces are an example, by analyzing the bone visible bone structure and facial features and what is known about human anatomy you can make a digital reconstruction which is an approximation. The little details are the things you wouldn't get (a mole, freckles, etc...)

RainMotorsports

Nikon D60

Nikon AF-S DX Zoom Nikkor 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6G VR

05/10/2007 03:37:07 PM · #11

Originally posted by jaysonmc:

Basicly what i was going into. But kept it short look up.

On the Real World end of things its not admissible in court unfortunatly. BUT it is useful in figuyring out who your looking for you just will have to present other evidence in court.

Canon EF 70-200mm f/2.8L IS USM

05/10/2007 03:46:12 PM · #12

sorry my mistake, this was the original picture

and from it, a guy got this after some extensive work:

He didn't have a Raw file, this is the picture used. If someone needs the website i can give it but its not useful, this is a still shot from the last episode of LOST btw. Forget the FBI thing, im asking about these 2 pictures, how did he get from the original to the finished picture? No i cant ask him either, no name was given for the person who did it.

theSaj

Canon EOS-20D

05/10/2007 03:46:35 PM · #13

Originally posted by kawana:

You can see that the quality sucks, but you can clearly make out his face and everything. How could this have be done? What steps might have been taken?

As I understand, the pixelization enhancement isn't real. But for darkness and getting the face you have. I've found that if you are using a CMYK image instead of RGB that you can do some AMAZING THINGS.

A friend had a black photo on his camera. Except for a small white blotch. It was an early digital camera P&S shoot and used a CMYK format.

Well, I adjusted it in Corel Photopaint. We were both amazed as I discovered it was a photo of lightning. After enhancing once could clearly make out a house and a car as well. I was blown away by how much we were able to enhance it.

I've never been able to accomplish that level of adjustment with an RGB file.

Gringo

Nikon D2X

Nikon AF-S Zoom-Nikkor 28-70mm f/2.8D IF-ED

05/10/2007 03:50:16 PM · #14

I did a work-up on it.

It's Willie.