Image Watermarking Technique Research Articles

MEO based secured, robust, high capacity and perceptual quality image watermarking in DWT-SVD domain.

The aim of this paper is to present multiobjective evolutionary optimizer (MEO) based highly secured and strongly robust image watermarking technique using discrete wavelet transform (DWT) and singular value decomposition (SVD). Many researchers have failed to achieve optimization of perceptual quality and robustness with high capacity watermark embedding. Here, we achieved optimized peak signal to noise ratio (PSNR) and normalized correlation (NC) using MEO. Strong security is implemented through eight different security levels including watermark scrambling by Fibonacci-Lucas transformation (FLT). Haar wavelet is selected for DWT decomposition to compare practical performance of wavelets from different wavelet families. The technique is non-blind and tested with cover images of size 512x512 and grey scale watermark of size 256x256. The achieved perceptual quality in terms of PSNR is 79.8611dBs for Lena, 87.8446 dBs for peppers and 93.2853 dBs for lake images by varying scale factor K1 from 1 to 5. All candidate images used for testing namely Lena, peppers and lake images show exact recovery of watermark giving NC equals to 1. The robustness is tested against variety of attacks on watermarked image. The experimental demonstration proved that proposed method gives NC more than 0.96 for majority of attacks under consideration. The performance evaluation of this technique is found superior to all existing hybrid image watermarking techniques under consideration.

Comparative Analysis of Color Image Watermarking Technique in RGB, YUV, and YCbCr Color Channels

Since there are a number of color spaces, it has always been a big question to choose one for watermarking. The aim of this work is to find out better color space, among the frequently used one, under the same condition. Comparative performance analysis of color image watermarking technique in color channels of RGB, YUV, YCbCrcolor spaces was studied. For this purpose, color channels were watermarked using single level discrete wavelet transform-singular value decomposition (DWT-SVD). PSNR, and SSIM were used to test the imperceptibility of watermarked images. PSNR and NCC were used to measure the similarity of extracted and original watermarks.The maximum recorded PSNR value is 62.372 for R channel of RGB color space with SSIM value equal to 0.9709. Color channels of YCbCr color space were observed to be more robust and transparent as watermark image is best recovered from YCbCr color space with NCC values in the range 0.86 to 0.877 and SSIM values in the range 0.546to 0.554 under various geometric attacks.DOI: http://dx.doi.org/njst.v15i2.12130Nepal Journal of Science and Technology Vol. 15, No.2 (2014) 133-140

High Payload Watermarking using Residue Number System

Information hiding or data hiding, also known as watermarking, has become a part and parcel of covert communication and copyright protection. Maximizing watermark payload is a major challenge for watermark researchers. To overcome this issue, we have proposed a new color image watermarking technique, using residue number system (RNS). RNS refers to a large integer using a set of smaller integers which relies on the Chinese remainder theorem of modular arithmetic for its operation. The proposed method takes pixel values from three watermark images and embeds them into the main cover image. Experimental results presented in this paper shows that the watermark can be successfully embedded and extracted from an image, without distorting the original image using the proposed technique. The high peak signal to noise ratio (PSNR) and payload values claims the robustness of the proposed method.

Survey on Image Watermarking Schemes using Adaptive Soft Computing Techniques

During last few years, many soft computing techniques have been employed for image watermarking. These are more into delving the issue of optimization of visual quality of signed images and robustness of the embedding algorithm. The used techniques either operate in adaptive or learning mode, especially those using Artificial Neural Networks or in non adaptive analytical mode such as ones based on Fuzzy logic. Several researchers have also worked on this problem using hybrid and evolutionary algorithms. This research survey especially deals with the image watermarking techniques which rely on adaptive soft computing techniques. The results of gradient descent based Back propagation Network (BPN algorithm, Radial Basis Function Neural Network (RBFNN algorithm and a newly developed Single Layer Feed forward Neural Network (SLFN algorithm commonly known as Extreme Learning Machine (ELM) used to carry out watermarking in uncompressed grayscale images are compared. These techniques are compared for different images and the comparison is based on the visual quality of signed images, the watermark detector response coefficients such as similarity correlation and normalized correlation parameters and the robustness studies. Time complexity issue is also examined to establish the use of watermarking process on a real time scale. It is concluded that the ELM algorithm gives a reasonable generalized behavior in terms of computation of these parameters as compared to its other counterparts. It’s fast training in milliseconds and subsequent embedding and extraction makes it suitable for developing watermarking application on a real time scale.

Optimal Image Watermarking using Hybrid Optimization Algorithm

Image watermarking is a process of embedding secret information into cover image to secure transmission of secret data. Literature presents several image watermarking techniques are based on different transformation such as, wavelet transform, Fourier transform and cosine transform. Most of the authors have been developed an embedding and extraction algorithm newly with the transformed image. Then, the optimal location for embedding the secret data was identified by using optimization algorithm. Accordingly, the authors have developed an optimal robust watermarking technique using genetic algorithm and wavelet transform. In the previous work, watermarks were embedded into the wavelet coefficients of HL and LH band after searching the optimal locations in order to improve both quality of watermarked image and robustness of the watermark. In this work, the authors have developed to improve the genetic algorithm by combining it with Artificial Bee Colony algorithm (ABC Algorithm). Here, they have used hybrid algorithm for finding of optimal location in watermarking process. Finally, the comparative evaluation of the hybrid algorithm will be done with the existing and previous technique using different images and the performance of the extended algorithm will be analyzed using the PSNR, NC with convergence rate.

An extensive research on robust digital image watermarking techniques: a review

The improvements in internet technologies and growing demands on online multimedia businesses have made digital copyrighting as a major challenge for businesses that are associated with online content distribution via diverse business models including pay–per–view, subscription, trading, etc. Copyright protection and evidence for rightful ownership are the major issues associated with the distribution of any digital images. Digital watermarking is a probable solution for digital content owners that offer security to the digital content. In recent years, digital watermarking plays a vital role in providing the apposite solution and numerous researches have been carried out. In this paper, an extensive review of the prevailing literature related to the image watermarking is presented together with classification by utilising an assortment of techniques. In addition, a terse introduction about the digital watermarking is presented to get acquainted with the vital information on the subject of digital watermarking.

Watermark Embedding for Multiscale Error Diffused Halftone Images by Adopting Visual Cryptography

Error Diffusion has been widely adopted in the printing industry due to its good visual quality and simple implementation. However, error diffusion still possesses its own deficiencies. Thus multiscale error diffusion (MED) has been developed, and this method outperforms traditional error diffusion according to extensive research results. The majority of previous halftone image watermarking techniques cannot be directly applied to MED halftone images. Since there is no halftone visual watermarking (HVW) method for MED halftone images in existing methods, we propose the first HVW method for MED halftone images, Copyright Protecting Multiscale Error Diffusion (CoP-MED), in this paper. By adopting the visual cryptography principle, CoP-MED can effectively embed a secret pattern into two MED halftone images, where the secret pattern can be decoded clearly by simply overlaying the two stego halftone images or performing not-exclusive-or operation between them. Parameter selection is also discussed based on the experimental results. Later, in comparison tests, CoP-MED shows superior performance compared to existing works.

Robust ROI Watermarking Scheme Based on Visual Cryptography: Application on Mammograms

Abstract Inthis paper, a novel robust medical images watermarking scheme is proposed. In traditional methods, the added watermark may alter the host medical image in an irreversible manner and may mask subtle details. Consequently, we propose a method for medical image copyright protection that may remedy this problem by embedding the watermark without modifying the original host image. The proposed method is based on the visual cryptography concept and the dominant blocks of wavelet coefficients. The logic in using the blocks dominants map is that local features, such as contours or edges, are unique to each image. The experimental results show that the proposed method can withstand several image processing attacks such as cropping, filtering, compression, etc. Keywords Copyright Protection, Mammograms, Medical Image, Robust Watermarking, Visual Cryptography 1. Introduction The rapid advancement of the Internet and multimedia systems in these last years has led to the creation of many useful applications such as telemedicine, which requires exposing medical data over open networks. But, due to this development, digital media, such as images, video, audio, or text, can be easily distributed, duplicated, and modified. However, in a number of medical applications, special safety and confidentiality is required for medical images, because critical assessments are made based on those images. Therefore, there is a need to provide strict security to ensure only the occurrence of legitimate changes [1]. Digital image watermarking techniques have been developed to protect the intellectual property of a digital image. This is achieved by embedding the copyright information, which is also called “the watermark pattern,” into the original image. Copyright protection is achieved by robust watermarking while image authentication is usually achieved by fragile schemes. A fragile watermarking scheme detects any manipulation made to a digital image to guarantee the content integrity while a robust scheme prevents the watermark from being removed unless the quality of the image is greatly reduced.

A Survey: Digital Image Watermarking Techniques

Multimedia security is extremely significant concern for the internet technology because of the ease of the duplication, distribution and manipulation of the multimedia data. The digital watermarking is a field of information hiding which hide the crucial information in the original data for protection illegal duplication and distribution of multimedia data. This paper presents a survey on the existing digital image watermarking techniques. The results of various digital image watermarking techniques have been compared on the basis of outputs. In the digital watermarking the secret information are implanted into the original data for protecting the ownership rights of the multimedia data. The image watermarking techniques may divide on the basis of domain like spatial domain or transform domain or on the basis of wavelets. The spatial domain techniques directly work on the pixels and the frequency domain works on the transform coefficients of the image. This survey elaborates the most important methods of spatial domain and transform domain and focuses the merits and demerits of these techniques.

Analysis of Secret Image Sharing using Shared Image

secret image sharing scheme with steganography lacks to provide the authentication, quality of stego-image and more cheating done by the dishonest participants. So, a secret image sharing using shared image technique is proposed to prevent the participants from the subsidiary stipulation of a false stego-image (an image containing the hidden secret image). A secret image is first processed into n shares which are then hidden in n user-selected suppression images. It is recommended to select these suppression images to contain well-known stuffing to increase the steganographic effect for the security protection. Additionally, an image watermarking technique is engaged to embed fragile watermark signals into the suppression images by the use of parity-bit checking, thus providing the ability of authenticating the reliability of each processed suppression image. During the secret image recovery process, each stego- image carry by a participant is first verified for its reliability by checking the uniformity of the parity conditions found in the image pixels. This facilitates to avert the participant from subsidiary stipulation of a false stego-image. Some effective techniques for handling large images as well as for enhancing security protection are employed. As a result, the secret image sharing using shared image scheme offers a high secure and effective mechanism for secret image sharing that is not found in existing secret image sharing methods. High-class experimental results proving the authentication capability, secret hiding effectiveness and quality of the proposed approach are included. Keywordsecret image sharing, Steganography, Authentication, suppression image, Data hiding, Stego-image, Fragile watermarking.

A Robust Color Image Watermarking Scheme Using Discrete Wavelet Transformation

Information hiding in digital media such as audio, video and or images in order to establish the owner rights and to protect the copyrights commonly known as digital watermarking has received considerable attention of researchers over last few decades and lot of work has been done accordingly. A number of schemes and algorithms have been proposed and implemented using different techniques. The effectiveness of the technique depends on the host data values chosen for information hiding and the way watermark is being embedded in them. However, in view of the threats posed by the online pirates, the robustness and the security of the underlying watermarking techniques have always been a major concern of the researchers. This paper presents a secure and robust watermarking technique for color images using Discrete Wavelet Transformation. The results obtained have shown that the technique is robust against various common image processing attacks.

3-Level DWT Image Watermarking Against Frequency and Geometrical Attacks

This paper introduces a robust image watermarking technique for the copyright protection. The proposed method is based on 3-level discrete wavelet transform (DWT). Encoded secret image using spiral scanning is hidden by alpha blending technique in LL sub bands. During embedding process, secret image is dispersed within LL band depending upon alpha value. Encoded secret images are extracted and decoded to recover the original secret image. The experimental results demonstrate that the watermarks generated with the proposed algorithm are invisible and the quality of watermarked image and the recovered image are improved. The scheme is found robust to various image processing attacks such as JPEG compression, Gaussian noise, blurring, median filtering and rotation. Index Terms—Image watermarking, 3-level DWT, wavelet transform, attacks, mean square error (MSE), peak signal to noise ratio (PSNR).

A Robust Image Watermarking Scheme Using Steerable Pyramid Transform

In recent years, digital image watermarking techniques are represented as a solution to protect intellectual property rights of digital media. In this work, we propose a new watermarking scheme based on steerable pyramid decomposition transform. Trade-off between invisibility and robustness properties is considered in the proposed scheme. In which, the distortion caused by the embedding process of the watermark should be as low as possible and at the same time should be robust as high as possible against attacks. The proposed scheme embeds several copies of the watermark image in all steerable pyramid transform bands of the original image, in order to facilitate the watermark detection and to be more robust against several attacks like cropping in case we lost some parts of the watermarked image. In the experimental results, the good similarity between the watermarked and the original images demonstrates the good invisibility of the proposed scheme, and the survival of the watermark against geometric and no-geometric attacks demonstrates the robustness of the same scheme.

A Semi-Fragile Blind Digital Watermarking Technique for Medical Image File Authentication using Stationary Wavelet Transformation

Electronically stored health information enhances resource sharing, help us to reduce the number of errors, speed up clinical communication and assist doctors in diagnosis and treatment. Medical image watermarking is a special type of watermarking technique where the watermarked medical images should not differ perceptually from the original images, because the diagnosis must not be affected due to the presence of watermark. This paper presents a new blind watermarking technique for medical image using Stationary Wavelet Transformation (SWT). In the proposed method multiple watermarks containing patient’s information are embedded and original image is not needed for the extraction of those watermarks. General Terms Watermarking, Medical Image, SWT

Research on Robustness of 2D DWT-Based Watermarking in Intermediate Viewpoint by 3D Warping

This paper investigates the robustness of watermarking techniques for stereo or multi-view images generated from texture and depth images. A three-dimensional (3D) warping technique is applied to texture and depth images to generate stereo or multiview images for a 3D display. By using the 3D warping technique, in this paper, we developed watermarking techniques and evaluated the robustness of these techniques that can extract watermarks from texture images even when the viewpoints are moved. A depth image is used to generate a stereo image with the largest viewpoint difference to the left and right. The overlapping region in the stereo image that does not disappear after warping is then obtained, and DWT is applied to this region to embed a watermark in the LL sub-band. The proposed watermarking techniques were found to yield bit error rates of about 3%–16% when they were applied to stereo images generated from texture and depth images. Furthermore, the results showed that the copyright could be seen when the extracted watermark was visually confirmed.

Fusion Framework for Robust and Secured Watermarking

This paper presents a robust and secure watermarking technique for digital image. To implement the technique, Discrete Wavelet Transform (DWT) is applied on cover image. Further on Low-Low (LL) sub-band of DWT, Discrete Cosine Transform (DCT) is applied which is followed by Singular Value Decomposition (SVD). To introduce the secure watermarking, watermark is secured using Arnold Transformation and embedded in the cover image. Parameters such as Peak Signal to Noise Ratio (PSNR) and Normalized Correlation (NC) are used for checking the reliability of the proposed technique. Different attacks like noise, filtering, rotation, cropping, flipping, and compression are applied on watermarked image to check the robustness of the proposed approach.

Robust and secure fractional wavelet image watermarking

This paper presents an efficient fractional wavelet transform (FWT) image watermarking technique based on combining the discrete wavelet transform (DWT) and the fractional Fourier transform (FRFT). In the proposed technique, the host image is wavelet transformed with two resolution levels, and then, the middle frequency sub-bands are FRFT transformed. The watermark is hidden by altering the selected FRFT coefficients of the middle frequency sub-bands of the 2-level DWT-transformed host image. Two pseudo-random noise (PN) sequences are used to modulate the selected FRFT coefficients with the watermark pixels, and inverse transforms are finally applied to get the watermarked image. In watermark extraction, we just need the same two PN sequences used in the embedding process and the watermark size. The correlation factor is used to determine whether the extracted pixel is one or zero. The proposed fractional wavelet transform (FWT) image watermarking method is tested with different image processing attacks and under composite attacks to verify its robustness. Experimental results demonstrated improved robustness and security.

Robust and Secured Image Watermarking using DWT and Encryption with QR Codes

paper proposed a colour image watermarking scheme based on the encrypted watermark with QR code and DWT. In this research, we are working on the security enhancement of image watermarking technique with the latest QR codes. The proposed methodology making image watermarking system more secure and robust adding encryption of watermark being embedded in cover image. The advantages of our proposed methodology is the watermark is completely invisible in cover image as well as the encryption process is quite simple but robust in nature .The recovered watermark is about nearest the main watermark. Experimental results show that the proposed algorithm enhances the anti- attack capability and the hidden nature of the image, increases the security of the watermarking detection, and has maximum robustness to cutting, random noise attack and JPEG compression.

A novel tamper detection-recovery and watermarking system for medical image authentication and EPR hiding.

Recently, the literature has witnessed an increasing interest in the study of medical image watermarking and recovery techniques. In this article, a novel image tamper localization and recovery technique for medical image authentication is proposed. The sparse coding of the Electronic Patient Record (EPR) and the reshaped region of Interest (ROI) is embedded in the transform domain of the Region of Non-Interest (RONI). The first part of the sparse coded watermark is use for saving the patient information along with the image, whereas the second part is used for authentication purpose. When the watermarked image is tampered during transmission between hospitals and medical clinics, the embedded sparse coded ROI can be extracted to recover the tampered image. The experimental results demonstrate the efficiency of the proposed technique in term of tamper correction capability, robustness to attacks, and imperceptibility.

Hybrid Technique for Robust and Imperceptible Image Watermarking in DWT–DCT–SVD Domain

In this paper an algorithm for digital watermarking based on discrete wavelet transforms (DWT), discrete cosine transforms (DCT), and singular value decomposition (SVD) has been proposed. In the embedding process, the host image is decomposed into first level DWTs. Low frequency band (LL) is transformed by DCT and SVD. The watermark image is also transformed by DCT and SVD. The S vector of watermark information is embedded in the S component of the host image. Watermarked image is generated by inverse SVD on modified S vector and original U, V vectors followed by inverse DCT and inverse DWT. Watermark is extracted using an extraction algorithm. The proposed method has been extensively tested against numerous known attacks and has been found to be giving superior performance for robustness and imperceptibility compared to existing methods suggested by other authors.