Camera Image Settings

Getting the correct image settings takes some trial and error because no two scenes are alike. If your goal to capture plates 24/7 you’ll have to make some trade-offs. Settings that work best at night aren’t necessarily going to work best during the day and vice versa. Most modern IP cameras provide good image quality using the default/automatic settings. However here are some suggestions that you can try to improve accuracy in varying lighting conditions.

• Resolution/Frame Rate = 720p (1280x720) and 20 frames per second are a good starting point depending on how far away the camera is to the plate. Remember your pixels on target equation above to determine maximum distance of the camera. The more you increase the resolution the more CPU processing power is required unless you use the Detection Zones masking feature to tell the software where to look for plates.

• Compression = 20. A lower setting will produce better image quality at the tradeoff of more bandwidth consumption.

• Smart Codecs = off. If your camera manufacturer uses technology to compress the image based on a region of interest or motion detection disable it.

• Camera Capture Mode

  • Wide Dynamic Range = Off. This feature adds noise to the image which affects accuracy in low light conditions.

• Image Appearance

  • Color level = default setting

  • Brightness = default setting

  • Sharpness = 60% - 65%

  • Contrast = 60 - 75%

• White Balance

  • White balance = Automatic

  • White balance window = Automatic

• Wide Dynamic Range

  • Enable Dynamic Contrast = off

• Exposure Settings

  • Exposure value = 70%

  • Exposure control = Automatic

  • Maximum Exposure Time =1/1000 second

  • Backlight compensation = off

  • Exposure zone = Auto

  • Shutter Speed = Fixed @ 1/2000 - for slow speed; 1/4000 + for highway speed.

  • Gain = Auto

  • Max Gain = +12 (day) +24 db (night). Avoid excessive gain settings which will add noise to the image.

• Image Settings

  • Enable automatic iris adjustment = yes

• Day/Night

  • IR cut filter = On (during Day), Off (Night)

• IR Illumination (if required)

  • Enable IR illumination = yes