What Causes Ghost Images on Security Cameras? Scientific Explanation Here

Have you ever read the CCTV camera ghost stories online or watched the videos of ghosts captured on CCTV cameras?

How do you feel then?

Funny? Creepy? Or scared but love watching ghost-related movies?

It is natural that the CCTV camera ghost videos might spark your curiosity about whether the security camera ghosts are fake or authentic.

So with this post today, we’ll give you a scientific explanation of what causes ghost images on security cameras.

If you still have any questions about the ghosts on camera after your reading, please kindly leave your comments below.

Is Real Ghost Caught on Camera?

School CCTV camera caught a ghost slamming doors and rocking lockers at night.

Graveyard CCTV security camera captures ghost videos.

From the security camera ghost at Disneyland to the ghost captured on cameras in India, London, or British pub, there are numerous reports and videos of alleged ghost traces online.

Sometimes, the security camera ghost footage appears to be so real that it’s hard to tell the authenticity.

Truth is, however, the ghost caught on camera from Youtube, instead of being the evidence of apparition presence, are merely the results of good editing with graphics or animation software.

The purpose, as we’ve discovered, is easy to understand – the unscrupulous photographers are keen to grab your eyeballs and bring a viral hit for more profit.

Or in some cases, the CCTV camera ghost video is just a prank or hoax for fun. After all, almost everyone loves a good ghost story.

Similarly, some local and small-sized media would also exploit the CCTV camera ghost stories as their marketing strategy to drive traffic and draw more readers in.

Though these tricks may increase thousands of visitors within a certain period of time, say, in one day, on the other hand, the websites are also misleading their readers deliberately and harming their credibility.

And that’s also why such “security cameras catch ghosts” stories seldom appear on the mainstream media.

What Causes Ghost Images on Security Cameras?

But what if your own CCTV camera catches “ghost” or something paranormal?

Actually, even a high resolution security camera is also likely to (much less odds compared with low-resolution ones) capture ghost-like images due to other factors like unnoticed shadows or reflections.

Now read through the following scientific explanations to figure out what causes ghost images on security cameras as well.

1. Lens Flare

Normally, the light doesn’t directly go into the security camera sensor. Instead, it would hit the lens surface.

As the lens glass is not optically neutral, it results in the light becoming visible on the lens and the sensor as well, producing an undesirable artifact, like CCTV camera ghost within the image.

2. Glare from Dirt, Shadows, Smudges, Bugs, etc.

More often than not, the ghost caught on cameras turns out to be the merely flash reflections of dust, insects, bugs, mist, smudges, unnoticed shadow, etc.

In such cases, it will appear out of focus blob, and move somewhat erratically.

Watch the video of a “ghost” caught on Reolink RLC-410, which is much likely to be a part of a spider's web.

3. Improper Camera Settings

Ghost on CCTV cameras can also be caused by slow shutter speed, high gain, high DNR, high DWDR and smoothing settings.

Taking the noise reduction for example, the higher the noise reduction is, the worse the CCTV camera ghosting effect becomes.

Usually around 35-40 noise reduction is a decent balance between less noise and too much security IP camera ghosting.

Fact Check: How to Fix the Ghosts Caught on Cameras?

Based on the possible causes of ghosts on cameras above, here we’ve rounded up some practical methods to solve the CCTV surveillance camera ghosting problems.

Solution 1: Get a lens hood to eliminate the ghost in security cameras resulting from lens flare.

Solution 2: Clean your security camera lens on a regular basis to get rid of the possible smudges, bugs, fingerprints, dust, etc., thus removing the possible CCTV camera ghost effect.

Solution 3: You may disable the shutter speed, DNR, DWDR first, and start increasing each one at a time to strike a balance between them and too much security camera ghosting.

Solution 4: Choose higher resolution security cameras, like 4K security cameras to obtain more image details. And this will help you pinpoint things often mistaken for surveillance camera ghosts, such as reflections and video artifacts.

Solution 5: Make sure the video cable is of good quality and is not coiled in a large number of loops.

Solution 6: Ghost caught on security cameras could also be the result of bad connections or a ground loop. If so, you may get a ground loop isolator to remove the security IP camera ghost effect.

FAQs

1. Why are my security cameras ghosting?

Often, 'ghosts' appearing in your security footage are due to improper camera settings. Incorrect exposure, white balance, or frame rate can significantly impair image quality.

2. What is a ghost image?

Ghost images in optical systems are faint secondary images created by reflections within an optical component. This optical phenomenon should not be mistaken for images of ghosts, spirits, or other supernatural apparitions.

Wrap Up

Hopefully, this scientific explanation has shed some light on the mystery of what causes ghost images on security cameras. If you have experienced ghosting issues with your CCTV camera, you can try the practical solutions mentioned to address the problem.