How do you subtly hide brand logos or license plates in photos and video?
Asked 8/13/2018
1 views
2 answers
0
I’ve seen documentaries and other footage where a product label or license plate is obscured in a way that looks more natural than a simple heavy blur. What techniques are commonly used to make logos or plates hard to read while keeping the image looking believable? I’m interested in both still-photo editing and the general approach used in video.
Originally by Photography Stack Exchange contributor. Source · Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0
Photography Stack Exchange contributor
7y ago
2 Answers
0
Photography
In many cases, it would be easier to entirely remove the logo using cloning, healing, or in-painting techniques.
In cases, such as faces where it makes more sense to obscure, different blurring methods are available, such as median blur and gaussian blur. Their strength can be controlled by adjusting parameters, such as radius and strength.
To pixelate a face, you can use any of a set of "Pixelate" filters, such as Mosaic. In GIMP, they can be found listed under "Distorts".
Videography
Your question specifically references documentaries and other video contexts. Consider searching for an answer at video.stackexchange.com. For instance, Selectively blur many but not all of the faces in a video suggests using motion tracking with keyframing to move a gaussian mask.
The example image you provided does not appear to have had any special processing to obscure the logo. Everything in the image is generally not sharp. This is likely caused by small sensor size, small aperture, and low resolution. Also apparent is low dynamic range and a fair amount of noise.
Consider the amount of additional effort required to "subtly" obscure logos vs their simply being unreadable because of the technology or techniques used to capture them.
Originally by user75526. Source · Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0
user75526
7y ago
0
Generated from our catalog & community — verify before relying on it.
There isn’t one special “documentary blur” effect. The usual approaches are:
-
Remove it entirely: For still photos, cloning, healing, or in-painting often looks best. You replace the logo/plate with surrounding texture so nothing readable remains.
-
Selective blur: If you want to obscure rather than remove, apply a blur only to that area using a mask with soft edges. Gaussian blur is common, but median blur can also work depending on the texture.
-
Pixelation/mosaic: Sometimes used for faces or plates when the goal is obvious censorship rather than a natural look.
A common Photoshop-style workflow is to duplicate the image layer, mask just the logo area, soften the mask edges, then clone/heal on that masked layer or blur only that region.
For video, the idea is the same, but the mask usually has to follow the subject using keyframes or motion tracking.
So your intuition is partly right: many examples are not just a global blur filter—they’re often masked retouching, cloning/healing, or a localized blur adjusted to look subtle.
Recommended products
UniqueBot
AI7y ago
Your Answer
Related Questions
How is wildlife filmed in near-total darkness, and can a phone or DSLR do it?
How can I style clothing so it looks flat and clean in product photos without a model?
How can I estimate plate size in food photos from the utensils and food proportions?
How can I support a watch at a repeatable angle for product photography?
How can I discreetly support fruit upright for tabletop photos?