Abstract
A digital image watermarking technique is proposed to hide the relevant information in color digital images. The image is converted from RGB color space to YCbCr color space. This enables the algorithm to exploit characteristics of the Human Visual System (HVS) for embedding the watermark. The scheme embeds the watermark information utilizing wavelets transforms and Singular Value Decomposition (SVD) for this purpose. It uses a Quick Response (QR) code as the watermark. The QR code is a robust code from which embedded information can be extracted even if the retrieved QR code image is distorted. Thus the proposed technique employs a judicious combination of different algorithmic ideas including altered YCbCr color space, transformation into wavelet domain, SVD for selection of places to embed and QR codes for enhanced robustness. The watermarking scheme proposed is robust against various signal processing attacks (e.g. filtering, compression, noise addition etc.) as well as geometric attacks (e.g. rotation, cropping etc.). Computational experiments on a variety of cover images show that embedding QR code is more effective than the other watermarks in terms of better information carrying capacity, robustness and imperceptibility. The proposed scheme is novel and effective as it simultaneously provides advantages of each of the individual elements combined in this approach.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Langelaar GC, Setyawan I, Lagendijk RL (2000) Watermarking digital image and video data. A state-of-the-art overview. IEEE Signal Process Mag 17(5):20–46
Verma AK, Patvardhan C, Lakshmi CV (2015) Robust adaptive watermarking based on image contents using wavelet technique. Int J Image, Graph Signal Process 2:48–55
Grody J, Brutun L (2000) Performance evaluation of digital audio watermarking algorithms. In: 43rd IEEE Midwest Symposium on Circuits and Systems, pp 456–459
Pereira S, Pun T (2000) Robust template matching for affine resistant image watermarks. IEEE Trans Image Process 9(6):1123–1129
Pramila A, Keskinarkaus A, Seppanen T (2008) Multiple domain watermarking for print-scan and JPEG resilient data hiding. Lect Notes Comput Sci 5041:279–293
Kang X, Huang J, Zeng W (2010) Efficient general print-scanning resilient data hiding based on uniform log-polar mapping. IEEE Trans Inform Forensic Secur 5 (1):1–12
Solanki K, Madhow U, Manjunath BS, Chandrasekaran S (2004) Estimating and undoing rotation for print-scan resilient data hiding. IEEE Proc Int Conf Image Process. (ICIP), Singap 1:39–42
He D, Sun Q (2005) A practical print-scan resilient watermarking scheme. In: IEEE Proceedings of International Conference on Image Processing (ICIP), Genova, Italy
Haj AA (2007) Combined DWT-DCT digital image watermarking. J Comput Sci 3(9):740–746
Tataru RL, Assad SE, Deforges O (2012) Improved blind DCT watermarking by using chaotic sequences. In: IEEE International Conference for Internet Technology And Secured Transactions, pp 46–50
Hsu CT, Wu JL (2009) Hidden digital watermarks in images. IEEE Trans Image Process 8:58–68
Xiao J, Wang Y (2008) Toward a better understanding of DCT coefficients in watermarking. In: Pacific-Asia Workshop on Computational Intelligence and Industrial Application, pp 206–209
Langelaar GC, Lagendijk RL (2001) Optimal differential energy watermarking of DCT encoded images and video. IEEE Trans Image Process 10:148–158
Teng D, Shi R, Zhao X (2010) DCT image watermarking technique based on the mix of time-domain. In: IEEE International Conference on Information Theory and Information Security (ICITIS)
Chu WC (2003) DCT-based image watermarking using subsampling. IEEE Trans Multimed 5:34–38
Shaofeng A, Wang C (2009) A computation structure for 2-D DCT watermarking. In: 52nd IEEE International Midwest Symposium on Circuits and Systems, pp 577–580
Bhatnagar G, Raman B (2009) A new robust reference watermarking scheme based on DWT-SVD. Comput Stand Interfaces 31(5):1002–1013
Wang H, Lin YP (2004) Wavelet tree quantization for copyright protection watermarking. IEEE Trans Image Process 13(2):154–165
Ms Wang, Chen WC (2009) A hybrid DWT-SVD copyright protection scheme based on k-means clustering and visual cryptography. Comput Stand Interfaces 31 (4):757–762
Reddy AA, Chatterji BN (2005) A new wavelet based logo watermarking scheme. Pattern Recogn Lett 26(7):1019–1027
Song H, Yu S, Yang X, Song L, Wang C (2008) Contourlet-based image adaptive watermarking. Signal Process Image Commun 23(3):162–178
Rahimi F, Rabbani H (2011) A dual adaptive watermarking scheme in contourlet domain for DICOM images, pp 1-18
Bhatnagar G, Raman B (2009) Robust watermarking in mulitresolution walshhadamard transform. IEEE Int Conf Adv Comput, IACC 09:894–899
Gutub A, Alvi AK (2008) Pixel Indicator high capacity Technique for RGB image Based Steganography. In: 5th IEEE International Workshop on Signal Processing and its Applications, University of Sharjah, Sharjah, UAE., WoSPA 08
Gutub A, Al-Qahtani A, Tabakh A (2009) Triple-A: Secure RGB image steganography based on randomization. In: 7th ACS/IEEE International Conference on Computer Systems and Applications, vol 09. AICCSA, Rabat, Morocco, pp 400–403
Ravel MS, Rege PP (2003) Discrete wavelet transform based multiple watermarking sheme. Conf Convergent Technol Asia-Pac Reg 3(1):935–938
Vahedi E, Zoroofi RA, Shiva M (2007) On optimal color coordinate selection for wavelet based color image watermarking. In: International Conference on Intelligent and Advance Systems, Kuala Lumpur, pp 635–640
Liu KC, Chan CH (2007) Robustness comparison of color image watermarking schemes in uniform and non-unifrom color spaces. IJCSNS Int J Comput Sci Netw Secur 7(7):239–248
Verma AK, Patvardhan C, Lakshmi CV (2012) Robust Color Image Watermarking Sheme using JFIF-YCbCr Color Space in Wavelet Domain. In: International Conference Image Process. Springer-Verlag, Berlin Heidelberg, pp 187–192
Barni M, Bartolini F, Piva A (2001) Improved wavelet-based watermarking through pixel-wise masking. IEEE Trans Image Process 10(5):783–791
Gonzalez RC, Woods RE (2006) Digital image processing. 3rd edn. Prentice-Hall, Inc, NJ, USA
Singh AK, Dave M, Mohan A (2012) Hybrid technique for robust and imperciptible image watermarking in DCT-DWT-SVD domain. Springer Nat Acad Sci Lett 37(4):351–358
Haj AMA (2010) Advanced techniques in multimedia watermarking: image, video and audio applications, 1st edn. Information Science and Reference, p 278
Zhou B, Chen J (2004) A geometric distortion resilient image watermarking algorithm based on SVD. Chin J Image Graph 9:506–512
Serdean CV, Tomlinson M, Wade GJ, Ambroze AM (2002) Protecting intellectual rights: digital watermarking in the wavlelet domain. In: Proccedings of IEEE International Workshop on Trends and recent achievements in information technology, pp 70–77
Autrruseau F, Callet PL, Ninassi A (2007) A study of content based watermarking using an advanced HVS model. In: 3rd Int Conf on Intelligent Inform Hiding and Multimedia Signal Process, vol 2, pp 485–488
Mohan BC, Kumar SS (2008) A robust image watermarking scheme using singular value decompostion. J Multimed 3(1):7–15
Huang HC, Chang FC, Fang WC (2011) Reversibile data hiding with histogram-based diffrence expansion for QR code applications. IEEE Trans Consum Electronis 57(2):779–787
Li L, Xu HH, Chang CC, Ma YY (2011) A novel image watermarking in redistributed invariant wavelet domain. Elesevier J Syst Softw 84(6):923–929
Golea NEH, Seghir R, Benzid R (2010) A bind RGB color image watermarking basedon singular value decomposition. In: IEEE/ACS International Conference onComputer Systems and Applications, pp 1–5
Jia SL (2014) A novel blind color images watermarking based on SVD. In: Press- Optik - International of Journal Light Electronic Option
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Patvardhan, C., Kumar, P. & Vasantha Lakshmi, C. Effective Color image watermarking scheme using YCbCr color space and QR code. Multimed Tools Appl 77, 12655–12677 (2018). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11042-017-4909-1
Received:
Revised:
Accepted:
Published:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11042-017-4909-1