# Guide: Blanking Out Reg Plates



## Detail My Ride

Hi Chaps,

Did this a while ago and forgot to post it up, so have now.

Many people ask how do you get cool effects to hide number plates of cars? Well, with the right know how, its easy to get the great effects, whilst keeping your plates to yourself and off the world wide internets! 

By far the easiest way to do it, is using Adobe Photoshop, this tuturial should work with most Photoshop's. Elements 4.0 and 5.0, and CS2 and above.

Firstly, open up the image you want to open up in photoshop. In this case, a photo of a rather nice Aston Martin DBS I took earlier this year.










Now, click the 'Rectangular Marquee Tool'. This looks like this.










Now, draw around the number plate Rectangular Marquee, using the Rectangular Marquee Tool. It doesn't matter to much if it doesn't fit around the plate exactly, as long as it covers the whole area of the plate.










Next, along the top toolbar, click 'Filter'.










Then, move your mouse down and click 'Distort'.










Next, select which effect you want to use. My personal preference, and one of the most popular is the effect 'Twirl'. If you click Twirl, inside the sub menu of 'Distort', this little box will pop up.










Then, type in the amount of 'Twirl' you want, I usually use 180. Then click OK.










Then, et voila. Done! 



















:thumb:

Gaz


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## DE 1981

Nice one Gaz always a good idea in this age of personal security issues


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## Dave^

Personally, i use the polygonal lasso tool, select round the numberplate, and fill in the selected area with a colour pick from the plate with the eyedropper tool....

sometimes, if you don't distort enough, you can still make out the plate....

good write-up tho


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## BIG BAVARIAN

nice one gaz,that's usefull for me as i'am useless with ps. any chance of a bordering guide and /or image sharpen guide aswell, :thumb: :thumb: :thumb: 

cheers ian


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## Silva1

i found using the pentool is much better because you can highlight the plate without messing up the car 

and using a different filter helps to i use motion blur


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## CJA Valeting

Looks much better if you just fill the area instead of swirling the area.

:thumb:


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## Silva1

you missed a bit out :lol:


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## Wozza

Nice guide gaz, but I prefer......


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## Phil H

great guide! but as CJA said, i just fill the area


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## DE 1981

Nah i reckon the twirl looks best


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## Rich

As others have said make the selection round the number plate shape itself and it avoids distorting the whole area - easily done with a path drawn with the pen tool.


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## Silva1

yeahhhhh another pentool user 

ano this might seem a bit off topic but can anyone pm me the serial code for adobe ps cs3 extended * ..?

just downloaded it again


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## Silva1

anyone ?


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## n1ckt001

Obviously not for professional photo's, but for posting on here a lot of fun to be had with stained glass...


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## Buzzsaw

Nice write up Gaz - great How to with the screen comps. Equally you can adjust the tool to fit the exact angle of the plate so that when you swirl it will not distort 

Everyone has there fav this is great as is the pentool


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## ahaydock

BIG BAVARIAN said:


> nice one gaz,that's usefull for me as i'am useless with ps. any chance of a bordering guide and /or image sharpen guide aswell, :thumb: :thumb: :thumb:
> 
> cheers ian


Click here mate - just wrote one up :thumb:


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## blueclouduk

Apologies if this has been done before on another thread but I found a royalty free font that matches the official UK number plate font.

I've used it to add messages (some rude) to cover number plates, or even as below, the name of my car.










To save DW bandwidth, it can be downloaded here: Licenz Plate


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## scottgm

Gaussian* blur works great aswel

*Unsure of spelling


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## TMM

Probably not a good idea to use twirl as someone else can just "untwirl" it 180º in the opposite direction to read it.


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## Slick 77

does anyone know the best way to blank out number plates on a video at all?


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## Eddy

CJA Valeting said:


> Looks much better if you just fill the area instead of swirling the area.
> 
> :thumb:


Must say I prefer this method, just looks cleaner somehow.

Whats the easiest way to do this then? I know how to select and area but how do you get the fill colour to look so natural, really does look like a blank plate rather than a white filled rectangle?


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