Earlier this year I received a case in which I was asked to “enhance the video” to determine who fired first in a shootout in a strip mall. There was no sound recorded, and there were three camera views recorded at this strip mall. Two views were of the exterior and showed one of the shooters fairly clearly, but didn’t have enough resolution to show much detail of the other. The third view was of the interior of one of the businesses in the strip mall.

Enhancing the video wouldn’t provide the detail to determine who shot first, but synchronizing the three videos did.

The video of the interior of the business showed several people sitting near the window. In one frame they are sitting, in the next they are jumping away from the window and seeking cover. By synchronizing this video with those from the exterior, one can see a movement consistent with recoil in the frame prior to to the people jumping.

In this case, it wasn’t enhancement that was needed, but synchronization of multiple videos.

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