There is a lot of debate online regarding number plate blur. Some feel that number plates are already on display in public, so there's no need to blur them in the pictures. While some think it is needed for online protection. Well, market experts and authorities advise you to blur number plate when posting a picture of a vehicle online, in order to safeguard yourself from stalkers and thieves.
Why Blur License Plates?
You must be thinking, why are license plates are blurred, and what can someone do with a picture of your license plate? A lot actually! There are data security and identity theft concerns related to posting images of unmasked car number plates on the internet. Here are the primary reasons why you should blur license plate in photo and videos:
Vehicles being stolen: This is especially true for high-end vehicles. When You list your vehicle for sale online, you give all details of the car. With the number plate on display, your address becomes vulnerable to anyone with little motivation to find it.
Identity theft: A hacker can easily access your personal information through your car number plate, and then you risk having your identity stolen.
Stalkers: They are motivated enough to use your number plate from a car listing to find your address and pay you a visit there.
Remaining anonymous online: If you don’t want to share your identity online, you must definitely blur out your license plate. Not doing so is like giving your identifier to everyone.
Features of Number plate Blur
License plate blur cover many features. Number Plate masking is a technique that is often used for privacy and security reasons. It can easily blur license plates Here are some common considerations when implementing a number plate blur image.
- 1. Selective masking
The area where the license plate can be seen will be blurred. The rest of the image remains unaffected and clear. This helps in keeping the context of the image and, at the same time keeping sensitive information protected. - 2. Degree of blur
The amount of blur in an image can vary. Light blur can make the words less readable, while strong blur can completely obscure a number plate. Thus, a degree of blur can be managed easily according to requirements. - 3. Anonymity
The main intent of number plate masking is to protect the identity of people, locations, and vehicles. Some people will try using the internet to deblur number plate online but this is not an easy task. Therefore number plate masking can successfully keep the anonymity of original characters. - 4. Automated blur
Nowadays, number plate blur apps have automated detection that can easily detect number plates in an image and apply blur on them according to the requirements. This reduces the need for manual intervention and gives a consistent workflow. - 5. Real-time masking
Blur can now be applied on real-time feeds too. For example, a surveillance camera uses real-time masking to protect privacy in a dynamic environment. - 6. Image quality
One of the main features of number plate blur is that it can easily manage the image's original quality.
What is a Number Plate Inlay?
Number Plate Inlay is a software-based solution that uses artificial intelligence to enhance the appearance of number plates in car photography by adjusting the angle, placement, and clarity of the inlays to make the plate visually appealing and consistent. This also improves marketing capture and reinforces brand recognition by showcasing vehicles in stylish lighting. It is the best tool for auto businesses to enhance their online presence.
Tips for Automatic Third-Party License Plates Inlay
Here are some additional tips for implementing automated car number plate inlay or license entry, going beyond the basics:
1) Selective inlay: Look for software that allows selective inlay. This means that you can choose to enable specific permissions.
2) Batch processing: If you’re dealing with large numbers of images, look for inlay software with batch-processing capabilities. This can save you a great deal of time by applying consistent inlays to multiple models at once.
3) Customization options: Look for software that offers customization options or inlay custom branding beyond basic integration.
4) Plugins and Integration: Check if the Automatic third-party license plates inlays software integrates with your existing image editing workflow.
5) Transparency: Where the inlay drastically changes the appearance of the license plate, consider adding a simple statement to your marketing materials by using image editing technology.
Methods of Number Plate Masking
Now you must be thinking about how to blur license plate, and for that, there are several methods. Some of them include pixelation and the Gaussian blur technique. Here are some common methods used while masking number plate
- 1. Manual image editingSoftware like Adobe Photoshop and GIMP allows users to manually add blur effects over a specific area using tools like brush, blur tool, or pixelation.
- 2. PixelationThrough this method, one just has to reduce the resolution of one specific area. This will make that specific area unrecognizable and blurry.
- 3. Gaussian blurApplying Gaussian blur to a number plate will average the pixel values, resulting in a smoothed, blurred look.
- 4. SmudgingThis blur effect will distort the number plates while maintaining the overall shape.
- 5. Deep learning AIOne method is to develop deep learning models that can automatically detect license plates in images and blur license plates.
- 6. Anonymization SoftwareThere are many software developed for the anonymization of data. This eventually keeps the data secret by automated blur of sensitive information.
Limitations of Number Plate Masking
Some of the common limitations that can be in number plate masking are:
1. Occasionally, you can look at the plate area and recognize the inability to scale the number plate without affecting and masking the nearby area that is not included in the number plate area.
2. Many masking software fail to give results due to diagonally aligned objects due to the fact that most of the pictures are normally taken in that way.
3. A large set of images may not be consistently masked if there is manual intervention.
4. Overly aggressive blur can sometimes result in a loss of context.
Using AI to Automatically Detect Car Registration Plates
Artificial Intelligence models can be trained on a large number of images to detect where the boundaries of a number plate lie in an image. The images used are such that the AI is able to detect a number plate even if it is only partially visible.
Without these models, you will have to yourself sit and edit each individual image, outlining the boundary of the number plates and then applying the blur filter. This may sound doable for a few images, but when you are dealing with hundreds of images, this is too much hassle. You could hire a professional to do this task for you, but why not use a cheaper, faster way?
AI-powered Automotive Solutions like Spyne can be used to blur number plate in photos online, instead of you hiring a professional or yourself sitting in front of Photoshop outlining number plate boundaries to blur for each individual image, spending a lot of time and effort. Once the detection of the number plate is done, editing it becomes easy.
How to Blur Car Number Plate in User-Provided Photos
Masking number plates don't have to be a hassle. Now car number plate blur is easy with Spyne. Our AI model has been trained on millions of images to accurately detect the number plates and blur them automatically, irrespective of the car's angle.
Once you open our console, choose the automobile option. Upload the images you want to edit and choose what edits you want to make from the side panel. These can include a showroom background, tinting windows, removing reflections, or blur the number plate.
You can even use number plate blur as a space to advertise your brand. We give you the option to display your logo on the number plate, so not only is the number plate masked, it becomes a branding opportunity.
Automate Car Image Moderation and Editing
Our Virtual Studio does everything that a conventional Vehicle Photoshoot studio can. From car photoshoots to providing all the correct elements for a studio shot, there is nothing that you cannot find in our virtual studio to create industry-standard car images.
Our state-of-art AI technology empowers the sellers to shoot car images through their smartphones while guiding them through the process- step by step.
Once you shoot regular car images through your smartphone, our virtual studio does all the post-production editing- adding a studio background, shadow generation, floor replacement, window tinting, reflection removal, and more.
It even lets you create 360-degree car images and rotating videos without an actual Car Turntable. Using the AI-powered Virtual Studio is really simple.
- Download the Spyne app on your smartphone
- Open the in-app camera
- Classify the images based on car types (if it’s a sedan, SUV, Pickup Truck, or hatchback)
- Follow the on-screen guide
- Start clicking pictures or shooting videos
- Select a background from the templates available or upload a custom background
- Number plate blur is automatic, and you can also choose to replace the registration number with your brand logo
- Publish it on online platforms on the go
Conclusion
It is important to pay attention to number plate blur when listing cars online, for the safety of everyone involved in the buying and selling process. The license plate blur process can be lengthy and complicated, but now, this doesn’t have to be a costly and time-consuming effort. With our AI-powered Virtual Car Studio, you can not only blur your number plate but avail the entire range of editing features, guaranteeing accuracy and speed. So what are you waiting for? Book a demo today!