How to Read License Plates in C# with IronOCR

How Do I Read a License Plate in C#?

To read a license plate in IronOCR, we apply the following steps:

• We utilize the ReadLicensePlate method, which takes an OcrInput as a parameter for the input. This method is more optimized for license plates than the library's standard Read counterpart.
• Optionally, we can configure IronOCR to whitelist specific characters that can exist in a license plate, to speed up the license plate number processing.

:path=/static-assets/ocr/content-code-examples/how-to/read-license-plate-read-license-plate.cs

using IronOcr;
using System;

var ocr = new IronTesseract();
ocr.Configuration.WhiteListCharacters = "abcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyzABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVWXYZ0123456789_";

using var inputLicensePlate = new OcrInput();
inputLicensePlate.LoadImage("plate.jpeg");

// Read license plate
OcrLicensePlateResult result = ocr.ReadLicensePlate(inputLicensePlate);

// Retrieve license plate number and confidence value
string output = $"{result.Text}\nResult Confidence: {result.Confidence}";

Console.WriteLine(output);

How Can I Extract License Plates From Car Images?

The method also works well with images containing a car with a license plate. The code is the same as the one above, with the input image changed. You can also extract the pixel coordinates of the area where the license plate is situated in the image.

:path=/static-assets/ocr/content-code-examples/how-to/read-license-plate-read-from-car.cs

using IronOcr;
using IronSoftware.Drawing;
using System;

var ocr = new IronTesseract();
using var inputLicensePlate = new OcrInput();
inputLicensePlate.LoadImage("car_license.jpg");

// Read license plate
OcrLicensePlateResult result = ocr.ReadLicensePlate(inputLicensePlate);

// Retrieve license plate coordinates
RectangleF rectangle = result.Licenseplate;

// Write license plate value and coordinates in a string
string output = $"License Plate Number:\n{result.Text}\n\n"
              + $"License Plate Area_\n"
              + $"Starting X: {rectangle.X}\n"
              + $"Starting Y: {rectangle.Y}\n"
              + $"Width: {rectangle.Width}\n"
              + $"Height: {rectangle.Height}";

Console.WriteLine(output);

How Do I Process Multiple License Plates?

When dealing with multiple vehicle images, you can process them efficiently using batch operations:

using IronOcr;
using System.IO;
using System.Threading.Tasks;

public async Task ProcessMultipleLicensePlates(string[] imagePaths)
{
    var ocr = new IronTesseract();

    // Configure for optimal performance
    ocr.Configuration.WhiteListCharacters = "ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVWXYZ0123456789";
    ocr.Configuration.PageSegmentationMode = TesseractPageSegmentationMode.SingleBlock;

    var tasks = imagePaths.Select(async path => 
    {
        using var input = new OcrInput();
        input.LoadImage(path);

        var result = await Task.Run(() => ocr.ReadLicensePlate(input));

        return new { 
            FilePath = path, 
            PlateNumber = result.Text, 
            Confidence = result.Confidence 
        };
    });

    var results = await Task.WhenAll(tasks);

    // Process results
    foreach (var result in results)
    {
        Console.WriteLine($"File: {result.FilePath}");
        Console.WriteLine($"Plate: {result.PlateNumber} (Confidence: {result.Confidence:P})");
    }
}

using IronOcr;
using System.IO;
using System.Threading.Tasks;

public async Task ProcessMultipleLicensePlates(string[] imagePaths)
{
    var ocr = new IronTesseract();

    // Configure for optimal performance
    ocr.Configuration.WhiteListCharacters = "ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVWXYZ0123456789";
    ocr.Configuration.PageSegmentationMode = TesseractPageSegmentationMode.SingleBlock;

    var tasks = imagePaths.Select(async path => 
    {
        using var input = new OcrInput();
        input.LoadImage(path);

        var result = await Task.Run(() => ocr.ReadLicensePlate(input));

        return new { 
            FilePath = path, 
            PlateNumber = result.Text, 
            Confidence = result.Confidence 
        };
    });

    var results = await Task.WhenAll(tasks);

    // Process results
    foreach (var result in results)
    {
        Console.WriteLine($"File: {result.FilePath}");
        Console.WriteLine($"Plate: {result.PlateNumber} (Confidence: {result.Confidence:P})");
    }
}

For large-scale processing, consider implementing multithreading capabilities to maximize performance.

How Can I Improve License Plate Recognition Accuracy?

To enhance the accuracy of license plate detection, consider these optimization techniques:

using IronOcr;

var ocr = new IronTesseract();
using var input = new OcrInput();

// Load and preprocess the image
input.LoadImage("blurry_plate.jpg");
input.Deskew();  // Correct image rotation
input.DeNoise(); // Remove background noise
input.EnhanceResolution(225); // Upscale for better clarity
input.Sharpen(); // Enhance edge definition

var result = ocr.ReadLicensePlate(input);

using IronOcr;

var ocr = new IronTesseract();
using var input = new OcrInput();

// Load and preprocess the image
input.LoadImage("blurry_plate.jpg");
input.Deskew();  // Correct image rotation
input.DeNoise(); // Remove background noise
input.EnhanceResolution(225); // Upscale for better clarity
input.Sharpen(); // Enhance edge definition

var result = ocr.ReadLicensePlate(input);

using IronOcr;

var ocr = new IronTesseract();
using var input = new OcrInput();

input.LoadImage("dark_plate.jpg");
input.Contrast(1.5); // Increase contrast
input.Brightness(1.2); // Adjust brightness
input.Binarize(); // Convert to black and white for clarity

var result = ocr.ReadLicensePlate(input);

using IronOcr;

var ocr = new IronTesseract();
using var input = new OcrInput();

input.LoadImage("dark_plate.jpg");
input.Contrast(1.5); // Increase contrast
input.Brightness(1.2); // Adjust brightness
input.Binarize(); // Convert to black and white for clarity

var result = ocr.ReadLicensePlate(input);

How Do I Monitor OCR Performance?

When processing large batches of license plates, tracking progress helps manage system resources:

using IronOcr;

var ocr = new IronTesseract();

// Subscribe to progress events
ocr.OcrProgress += (sender, e) => 
{
    Console.WriteLine($"Processing: {e.ProgressPercent}% complete");
};

using var input = new OcrInput();
input.LoadImage("large_parking_lot.jpg");

var result = ocr.ReadLicensePlate(input);

using IronOcr;

var ocr = new IronTesseract();

// Subscribe to progress events
ocr.OcrProgress += (sender, e) => 
{
    Console.WriteLine($"Processing: {e.ProgressPercent}% complete");
};

using var input = new OcrInput();
input.LoadImage("large_parking_lot.jpg");

var result = ocr.ReadLicensePlate(input);

For detailed performance monitoring, explore the progress tracking capabilities in IronOCR.

How Does This Compare to Other Document Reading?

IronOCR's specialized document reading capabilities extend beyond license plates. The same computer vision technology that powers license plate detection can be applied to:

• Passport reading for travel and identity verification
• MICR check processing for banking applications
• General document scanning for digitization projects

What Are Common Use Cases?

License plate recognition with IronOCR enables various applications:

• Parking Management: Automate entry/exit logging and payment processing
• Toll Collection: Speed up vehicle identification at toll booths
• Security Surveillance: Track vehicle movements in restricted areas
• Fleet Management: Monitor company vehicles and logistics
• Law Enforcement: Identify vehicles of interest quickly

Each use case benefits from IronOCR's high accuracy and the ability to process images in real-time, making it suitable for both batch processing and live applications.