Amped Podcast: The Evidence Talk

What makes a fingerprint or footwear impression clear enough for forensic comparison? And how can you enhance an image without losing critical details?

In this episode of the Amped Podcast, Melissa and Alex share practical insights from their experience in law enforcement and forensic laboratories.

Learn how to improve impression evidence analysis through better crime scene photography, careful image processing, and reliable, reproducible workflows. From recovering fingerprint details in video footage to separating impressions from challenging backgrounds, you'll hear real case examples and techniques you can apply to your own investigations using Amped FIVE.

00:22 Understanding impression evidence
04:28 Common image quality misconceptions
06:28 Comparing image enhancement results
08:23 Standards and reproducible workflows
12:24 Protecting original evidence
14:30 AI enhancement and reliability
16:32 Real case: Fingerprint detail in video
23:38 Clarity without overprocessing
27:20 Better crime scene photography
29:20 Correcting blur and perspective
34:44 3D and multispectral imaging
40:43 Comparing and presenting evidence
42:26 Revealing fingerprints on patterned surfaces
46:17 Forensic documentation and reporting
50:09 Amped FIVE beyond video enhancement

Follow the Amped Podcast for more practical insights, expert discussions, and real-world experiences in forensic image and video analysis.

Learn more about Amped FIVE: https://ampedsoftware.com/five

Technical support is not only about fixing problems. It is also one of the ways your experience, questions, and ideas help shape Amped.

In Episode 5 of the Amped Podcast, Andrea Frisina is joined by Lucy Cary-Shields and Emi Polito to discuss what happens when you contact Amped for help: from licensing and unusual video formats to forensic workflows, casework questions, and authentication requests.

They explain how the support team works with users at every experience level, why the quality and acquisition of video evidence matter, and how Amped manages expectations when the detail simply is not present in the footage.

You will also hear how bug reports, feature requests, training conversations, and face-to-face feedback influence software development, educational resources, and future development priorities.

00:24 - Meet Andrea, Lucy, and Emi

05:01 - What makes Amped technical support different

10:38 - The requests users bring to the support team

15:21 - Supporting different users across the world

20:07 - Learning from beginners and experienced users

24:48 - Common mistakes in video acquisition and processing

28:16 - Managing expectations and the “CSI effect”

33:00 - Solving complex technical questions as a team

37:41 - Formats, licensing, casework, and authentication

42:08 - Supporting complex software deployments

44:30 - How feature requests influence development

49:17 - Feedback from training courses and events

56:21 - Where to find answers and when to contact support

01:03:26 - Practical advice for using forensic tools

Follow the Amped Podcast for more conversations about forensic image and video analysis, real-world workflows, and the people behind Amped Software.

How does a user suggestion become a new feature in Amped Software?

In this episode of the Amped Podcast, Sam Abbot is joined by Emi Polito and Andrea Frisina to take you behind the scenes of product development at Amped.

They discuss where new ideas come from, how user feedback is collected, what happens during internal feature discussions, and why forensic soundness always comes first.

You’ll hear how support requests, training sessions, real casework, testing, and direct conversations with users all help shape the tools used for image and video forensics.

Chapters:

01:15 - Where new feature ideas come from

06:40 - How users can share feedback with Amped

11:01 - How requests are recorded and reviewed

15:12 - Trends, prioritization, and internal discussions

16:49 - Why forensic soundness comes first

23:29 - How new features are tested

38:50 - What happens when bugs are found

42:00 - Amped’s approach to AI in forensic workflows

47:00 - Why user feedback matters

If you’ve ever shared feedback, asked for a feature, reported a bug, or wondered how forensic software evolves, this episode shows how much your input matters.

In this episode of the Amped Podcast, Marco Fontani, Forensics Director at Amped Software, and Martino Jerian, CEO and Founder of Amped Software, discuss why deepfake analysis cannot be reduced to a simple “real or fake” button.

They explain the difference between deepfake detection and deepfake forensics, why confidence scores are often misunderstood, and why investigators, experts, and courts need a more rigorous and explainable methodology.

The conversation covers how forensic analysis can combine detector outputs with metadata, compression traces, pixel statistics, geometry, shadows, perspective, reflections, and other visual clues to reach stronger conclusions.

They also discuss the future of synthetic media, including better generators, the “liar’s dividend”, public distrust, and the risk of fake forensic claims being used as propaganda.

Listen to this episode and drop a comment if you liked the conversation.

Read the blog post about Deepfake Forensics.

Chapters

00:00 Integrity over shortcuts

00:21 Why detection is oversimplified

02:45 Detection vs forensics

05:08 Beyond real or fake

07:33 Confidence scores

10:02 Don’t oversell tools

12:25 Where detectors help

14:52 Explainability in court

17:12 The liar’s dividend

19:34 Fake forensics as propaganda

21:38 A real forensic workflow

24:05 Source files and laundering

26:28 Creating credible AI images

26:55 Generators and misuse

28:59 Metadata and visual clues

31:23 Video frames as images

33:49 Compression analysis

36:15 Explaining confidence

38:42 Making findings clear

41:05 Final advice for analysts

In “Courtroom Presentation: Explaining Technical Topics Clearly and Building Demonstratives”, you’ll join Emi Polito and Sam Abbott from Amped Software for a practical conversation on one of the most important - and often underestimated - parts of forensic video analysis: presenting video evidence clearly in court.

From early casework mistakes to powerful courtroom demonstratives, Emi and Sam explore how the presentation of video evidence can shape understanding, influence decision-making, and help judges and juries avoid dangerous misinterpretations.

They discuss real-world challenges, including low frame rates, compression, lighting, motion blur, timing, 2D perspective, slowed-down footage, still image sequences, annotations, and the limits of what a video analyst should - and should not - say in court.

The episode closes with a mock cross-examination, giving listeners a front-row seat to the kinds of questions video experts may face when their work is challenged on the stand.

Episode outline:

01:00 - Why evidence presentation matters in court

01:25 - Sam’s first presentation case: 48 hours of footage and multiple DVRs

02:12 - Early lessons learned from building timelines without the right tools

03:05 - Emi’s route from television into forensic video analysis

04:41 - Using broadcast skills in early courtroom presentations

06:46 - The impact of 3D reconstruction and persuasive demonstratives

08:41 - Explaining technical limitations so evidence is not misinterpreted

11:11 - Video playback speed, low frame rates, and the risk of misleading the jury

13:14 - Slowed footage, frozen frames, and maintaining an unbiased presentation

15:17 - Delivery formats: DVDs, compression, and courtroom limitations

17:24 - Using image sequences, PDFs, annotations, and chronologies of events

19:41 - What to do when key contact is not captured between frames

21:40 - Motion blur, frame-by-frame analysis, and simple analytical reporting

23:35 - Staying within your expertise as a video analyst

25:32 - Courtroom challenges: answering clearly without over-explaining

27:21 - Preparing for court when the case is years old

29:10 - Notes, audit trails, and documenting every step of the workflow

31:37 - Jury bundles, illustration packs, and making sure demonstratives are seen

33:49 - Mock cross-examination begins

36:13 - Compression, artifacts, and what the jury is really seeing

38:15 - Lighting, clarity, and evaluating footage quality

40:10 - Contact, obscuration, and limits of interpretation

42:11 - Perspective, timing data, frame rates, and validation

In “CCTV Nightmares: Chain of Custody Secrets from Scene to Courtroom”, you’ll join Lucy Carey-Shields (Forensic Analyst at Amped Software) and Blake Sawyer (US Operations Director at Amped Software) as they discuss real chain-of-custody pitfalls they’ve seen in the field: mismatched camera times across multiple locations, systems accidentally reformatted, footage lost after a “simple” time correction, and exports that quietly change the evidence.

You’ll also get practical guidance on:

• Capturing the most forensically sound version (why proprietary exports matter)
• Starting continuity early with hashing and disciplined handling of USB-based collections
• Avoiding “quick conversions” that can drop frames or distort timing
• The frontline checklist: stop and think, document everything, and do a time check

If you collect, process, or present video evidence, this episode gives you a clear, field-tested mindset to protect integrity from scene to courtroom.

Episode outline:

00:12 - Official welcome + host intros (Lucy Carey-Shields and Blake Sawyer)

02:41 - How they each got into video forensics

04:45 - Blake’s “trial by fire” case: missing person investigation, large-scale CCTV collection, building a video workflow

06:11 - Real-world chain-of-custody pitfalls from the field

08:35 - Starting continuity at the scene: disciplined USB collections, hashing as a “digital fingerprint”, and clean handoff to storage/server

10:52 - Handling digital evidence like physical evidence: don’t change data, document everything, be competent if changes are unavoidable (UK ACPO principles)

13:16 - The pressure problem: modern casework data volumes and time constraints; why asking the right questions early matters

13:57 - Cloud video (Ring/doorbells): consent vs legal process, exigent circumstances, and getting the “best” version (plus confirmation from the provider)

17:04 - Why proprietary exports matter: least-altered version, stronger integrity, and downstream needs (court playback, public release without “video-of-video”)

19:33 - The danger of “quick conversions” (e.g., FFmpeg): dropped frames, skipped data segments, lost timing; why forensic tools must preserve frame/time metadata

21:58 - Testifying without “nerd talk”: translating technical video issues for humans/juries

23:44 - Training & certification: LEVA vs IAI workflows, what gets tested, and why it changes how you approach analysis/reporting

26:01 - Evidence retention and storage: CDs/tape/cloud tradeoffs, vendor lock-in risk, and long retention timelines

29:09 - Frontline checklist (the “3 simple rules”)

35:54 - Common agency mistakes: detective-managed files, cloud upload authenticity concerns, and the “one flash drive for every case” problem