[divashenko]

I am currently involved in an investigative project into a murder case. There is a video which currently
has a black bar which censors key parts of evidence. The black bar is done in a very amateurish way, and it seems that it is like a layer on the video.
My question is which software/codecs/possibilities are there for the removal of the black box. I know that this is difficult, but any advice at all would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks,

d

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you can try video editing softwares for that.

[wytboy55]

you can try video editing softwares for that.

[divashenko]

Any specific ones? any specific ideas?

i know about video editing software, but even final cut pro would have difficulties with that.

any other ideas?

[wytboy55]

if you will give me time, i will try if my video editing software can do that. , But if you will be able to find the project file, that will be easier to remove.

Edited by wytboy55, 12 February 2008 - 06:31 PM.

[divashenko]

Yes. The project file is not currently available. As you can probably understand, I cannot share this video.

I am just looking for any possible solutions.

[ScHwErV]

I cannot fathom why any member of the law enforcement community would require our free help for the purposes of a criminal investigation.

I will tell you however that the method you require is likely not plausible. If it were, we would have to have more information about the video to ascertain if its possible or not.

Generally, when you compress a video so that it is playable outside the program used to originally edit it, the video is "flattened". Originally there may have been layers that made the box appear, but when compressed into a playable format, those layers were flattened into a single layer. Removing that black box will just remove the image below it.

[divashenko]

I am not a member of law enforcement. This is an investigative project. Law enforcement in Pakistan was unable to
do enough to solve the case. That is why this project exists in the first place. Thanks for the advice though.

[ScHwErV]

So this is a school project?

As I said before, without the original editing/process file removing that black box can only be done in the movies.

[divashenko]

No this is not a school project, its privately funded.

Either way, I have the digital file of the video. The box is also moving which I know means that it is simply a layer. The bigger question is whether this layer is moveable. And whether the data still exists underneath it. Some projects when rendered may mix layers but the data may still be available.

[ScHwErV]

Since this is "privately funded", we cannot assist you in something you are being paid to do. If you do not have the expertise to complete this task, I recommend that you tell your customers (or financiers) that you do not have the required technical expertise and that they should look elsewhere for assistance.

Were not here to help you make money from our free assistance.