load_model()

Load a YOLOv8 model for license plate detection.

Signature

safelicensing.load_model(weights_path: str | None = None) -> YOLO

Parameters

Parameter	Type	Default	Description
weights_path	str | None	None	Path to a YOLOv8 .pt weights file. When None, the bundled best.pt is used.

Returns

A loaded ultralytics.YOLO model instance ready for inference.

Examples

Bundled model (recommended)

import safelicensing as sl

model = sl.load_model()   # loads best.pt from the installed package

Custom weights

model = sl.load_model("path/to/my_license_plate_model.pt")

Reuse across many calls

model = sl.load_model()   # load once

for image in images:
    result = sl.protect_image(image, model=model)

Always load the model once and pass it to protect_image() / protect_video() via the model parameter. Loading the model on every call wastes several seconds per call.

Bundled model

The bundled best.pt is a YOLOv8 model fine-tuned for vehicle license plate detection. It ships inside the installed package at:

import safelicensing
import os
model_path = os.path.join(os.path.dirname(safelicensing.__file__), "best.pt")

Size: ~6 MB. Works offline immediately after pip install safelicensing.

Caching in Streamlit

When using SafeLicensing in a Streamlit app, wrap load_model with @st.cache_resource to avoid reloading on every re-run:

import streamlit as st
import safelicensing as sl

@st.cache_resource
def get_model():
    return sl.load_model()

model = get_model()

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See also: protect_image() → | protect_video() →