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Digital Forensics

Forensically accurate media

What can be depicted in photographs of a night scene depends on the amount of light captured, which varies with camera settings. Without careful calibration, those setting choices can produce misleading images that exaggerate how visible a pedestrian in the frame appears.

A false-color luminance map of a roadway at night

An uncalibrated nighttime image makes objects substantially easier or harder to detect than they were on-scene. We use a scientific approach to produce scene-accurate stills, video, and animation, using the equivalent-contrast method our experts developed and published.

Our imagery has been challenged by opposing counsel many times and has never been excluded from a courtroom.

Scope

What this covers

Deliverables

  • Calibrated night scene still photography
  • Calibrated video
  • Physically based renders and animation
  • Luminance maps of the scene as depicted

Method

  • Camera calibration for luminance estimation
  • Equivalent-contrast verification of the depiction
  • Render engine validation against photometric measurement
  • Documentation sufficient to reproduce the result

Video

Forensically Accurate Digital Media
Tanker trailer on shoulder
Tanker trailer with DOT emergency triangles

Peer-reviewed research

Published work behind this practice area

Authored by our experts and peer-reviewed by external experts.

All publications

Who does this work

Experts on this practice area

Justin Ngo

PE, ACTAR

Accident reconstruction, human factors, and vehicle testing

  • Heavy truck and passenger vehicle reconstruction
  • Human factors: perception, attention, and response
  • Premise slip, trip, and fall analysis
  • Vehicle testing, instrumentation, and data analysis

4 publications

Jeffrey Suway

PE, ACTAR

Visibility and conspicuity, human factors, and accident reconstruction

  • Night visibility and conspicuity
  • Lighting issues
  • Human factors
  • Accident reconstruction

27 publications

Request a case review

Send us the incident location, the date, and what is in dispute. We'll discuss what analysis is possible with the evidence that exists, and what it would take to get.