Any way to improve video quality on Blink footage of thieves?

Is there any way to make this video clearer to see the people stealing from our house? Or at least get a sharper still shot of their faces? We have Blink cameras, but I’m looking for better quality options too.

Ever tried to make a blurry photo clearer on your phone? If the details weren’t recorded by the camera in the first place, there’s not much you can do to enhance it. You might be able to adjust the highlights or shadows a bit, but IR (black-and-white) footage doesn’t have much info to work with.

I’d suggest adding some lights so you can get color footage at night. Maybe even set up some landscape lighting to make it less tempting for thieves.

@Merritt
And raise the bitrate on the video… it looks way too low.

Valen said:
@Merritt
And raise the bitrate on the video… it looks way too low.

Not sure what options Blink has for bitrate. I used one a few years back, but maybe it’s changed. Anyone know if you can adjust that?

@Merritt
I just set everything to the highest quality, thanks!

Valen said:
@Merritt
And raise the bitrate on the video… it looks way too low.

How do I raise the bitrate on a Blink camera?

@Merritt
Just ‘enhance’ it! Haven’t you seen CSI??

Denver said:
@Merritt
Just ‘enhance’ it! Haven’t you seen CSI??

How do I do this? Can you help?

Raven said:

Denver said:
@Merritt
Just ‘enhance’ it! Haven’t you seen CSI??

How do I do this? Can you help?

Say ‘enhance’ three times while clicking your heels!

Raven said:

Denver said:
@Merritt
Just ‘enhance’ it! Haven’t you seen CSI??

How do I do this? Can you help?

Enhance!!

Raven said:

Denver said:
@Merritt
Just ‘enhance’ it! Haven’t you seen CSI??

How do I do this? Can you help?

Haha, sorry. That was a joke about the TV show CSI.

For real, though, lights and noise are probably your best bet to stop this from happening again.

Raven said:

Denver said:
@Merritt
Just ‘enhance’ it! Haven’t you seen CSI??

How do I do this? Can you help?

Yeah, they’re joking. That whole ‘enhance’ thing from TV doesn’t work in real life.

@Merritt
IR (infrared) doesn’t always mean lower quality; it depends on the camera and the strength of the IR light. A visible light might be better because it’s more of a deterrent. Color footage can help a bit, but at night, you’re usually stuck with black-and-white.

Try setting up a mix of visible and IR lights. Sometimes it’s good to let people know they’re being recorded, other times it’s best if they don’t. I like using both so the IR is always on, and a visible light goes on with motion. But it’s up to you and your setup.

@Merritt
Not exactly true. Some AI and software can sharpen images by guessing what details should be there. You won’t get Hollywood-level ‘enhancement,’ but it can help a bit for identifying features.

Remember, though, these can’t be used as evidence unless all parties agree. And they work best if there’s a good starting image, not one full of motion blur.

@Franz
Can you do this with my image?

Raven said:
@Franz
Can you do this with my image?

There are some online AI tools for this, but they’re not magic. If there’s motion blur, they might not get you much.

Most newer security cams have software that tries to sharpen images as they’re recorded.

Here’s an article about how it works: https://transmitter.ieee.org/enhance-why-ai-is-getting-so-good-at-sharpening-images/

Wait, are they stealing pumpkins?

Dell said:
Wait, are they stealing pumpkins?

Yeah, that’s what I thought too.

Yeah, no. That ‘enhance’ thing doesn’t work on real videos/photos.

Hide some paint bombs under the pumpkins.