Affine invariant image watermarking using intensity probability density-based Harris Laplace detector

Feature point based image watermarking against geometric distortions has attracted great attention in recent years. However, for the state-of-the-art intensity based feature points detectors, the feature points often gather at textured portions of the image or on the edges where the change of intensity is significant, so that many feature points capture the same portion of the image, which makes the watermark be vulnerable to local geometric distortions. In this paper, we propose an affine invariant image watermarking scheme with good visual quality and reasonable resistance toward local geometric distortions, which utilizes the intensity probability density-based Harris–Laplace detector. Firstly, the uniform and robust feature points are extracted by utilizing modified Harris–Laplace detector, in which the intensity probability density gradient is used instead of intensity gradient. Then, the affine invariant local ellipse regions (LERs) are constructed adaptively according to the variation of local intensity probability density. Finally, the digital watermark is embedded into the affine invariant LERs in nonsubsampled contourlet transform (NSCT) domain by modulating the lowpass NSCT coefficients. By binding the watermark with the affine invariant LERs, the watermark detection can be done without synchronization error. Experimental results show that the proposed image watermarking is not only invisible and robust against common image processing operations such as sharpening, noise adding, and JPEG compression, but also robust against the global affine transforms and local geometric distortions.     

Robust image watermarking using local Zernike moments

In this work, we propose a robust image watermarking algorithm using local Zernike moments, which are computed over circular patches around feature points. The proposed algorithm locally computes Zernike moments and modifies them to embed watermarks, achieving robustness against cropping and local geometric attacks. Moreover, to deal with scaling attacks, the proposed algorithm extracts salient region parameters, which consist of an invariant centroid and a salient scale, and transmits them to the decoder. The parameters are used at the decoder to normalize a suspect image and detect watermarks. Extensive simulation results show that the proposed algorithm detects watermarks with low error rates, even if watermarked images are distorted by various geometric attacks as well as signal processing attacks.     

Local image registration by adaptive filtering.

We propose a new adaptive filtering framework for local image registration, which compensates for the effect of local distortions/displacements without explicitly estimating a distortion/displacement field. To this effect, we formulate local image registration as a two-dimensional (2-D) system identification problem with spatially varying system parameters. We utilize a 2-D adaptive filtering framework to identify the locally varying system parameters, where a new block adaptive filtering scheme is introduced. We discuss the conditions under which the adaptive filter coefficients conform to a local displacement vector at each pixel. Experimental results demonstrate that the proposed 2-D adaptive filtering framework is very successful in modeling and compensation of both local distortions, such as Stirmark attacks, and local motion, such as in the presence of a parallax field. In particular, we show that the proposed method can provide image registration to: a) enable reliable detection of watermarks following a Stirmark attack in nonblind detection scenarios, b) compensate for lens distortions, and c) align multiview images with nonparametric local motion.     

基于Tchebichef不变矩的多比特抗几何攻击图像盲水印算法

现有的大多数水印算法对旋转、平移和尺度变换等几何攻击的鲁棒性比较差,微小的几何攻击都有能导致水印检测器失效,因此水印算法对几何攻击具有鲁棒性非常重要。本文提出了一种基于Tchebichef不变矩实现的多比特几何攻击不变性图像盲水印算法。文中具体介绍了Tchebichef不变矩的构造方法,水印是事先产生的与原始图像无关的信号,嵌入过程中将水印嵌入到图像的Tchebichef不变矩中实现几何攻击不变性。水印检测过程中采用独立分量分析技术实现真正意义上的多比特水印盲检测。文中具体分析了所提出的水印算法的计算复杂度,实验过程中采用通用水印测试软件Stirmark对所提出的水印算法进行鲁棒性测试,实验数据说明这种水印算法对Stirmark具有很好的鲁棒性。     

A feature-based robust digital image watermarking scheme

A robust digital image watermarking scheme that combines image feature extraction and image normalization is proposed. The goal is to resist both geometric distortion and signal processing attacks. We adopt a feature extraction method called Mexican hat wavelet scale interaction. The extracted feature points can survive a variety of attacks and be used as reference points for both watermark embedding and detection. The normalized image of an image (object) is nearly invariant with respect to rotations. As a result, the watermark detection task can be much simplified when it is applied to the normalized image. However, because image normalization is sensitive to image local variation, we apply image normalization to nonoverlapped image disks separately. The disks are centered at the extracted feature points. Several copies of a 16-bit watermark sequence are embedded in the original image to improve the robustness of watermarks. Simulation results show that our scheme can survive low-quality JPEG compression, color reduction, sharpening, Gaussian filtering, median filtering, row or column removal, shearing, rotation, local warping, cropping, and linear geometric transformations.     

Geometrically resilient color image zero-watermarking algorithm based on quaternion Exponent moments

Although research on zero-watermarking has made great progress in recent years, most of it has been focused on grayscale images rather than color ones, and cannot resist geometric attacks efficiently. In this paper, we discuss properties of quaternion Exponent moments (QEMs) in detail and propose a robust color image zero-watermarking algorithm which is robust to geometric attacks. We first compute and select robust QEMs of the original color image, and then a binary feature image is constructed using the magnitude of the selected moments. Eventually, a bitwise exclusive-or is applied on the binary feature image and a scrambled binary logo to generate the zero-watermark image. Experimental results show that the proposed zero-watermarking algorithm is robust to both geometric attacks and common image processing attacks effectively. Compared to similar zero-watermarking algorithms and traditional watermarking algorithms based on QEMs, the proposed zero-watermarking algorithm has better performance.     

Local quaternion PHT based robust color image watermarking algorithm

It is a challenging work to design a robust localized color image watermarking scheme against desynchronization attacks. There are two main drawbacks indwelled in current localized color image watermarking: firstly, the pure gray-based feature points detectors were utilized, in which the important color information is ignored. Secondly, the watermarking algorithms were designed mainly to mark the image luminance component only, in which the significant color channels correlation are neglected. In this paper, we propose a robust color image watermarking algorithm using local quaternion PHT (Polar Harmonic Transform), which is invariant to various noises, local geometric transformations, and color variations. Firstly, the stable color image feature points are extracted by using new color image feature point detector, in which the SIFER (Scale-Invariant Feature detector with Error Resilience) detector and color invariance model are incorporated. Then, the affine invariant local regions are built adaptively according to local image content variation. Finally, the digital watermark is embedded into the local regions by modulating the invariant quaternion PHT modulus coefficients. Experiments are carried out on a color image set collected from Internet, and the extensive experimental works have shown that the proposed color image watermarking is not only invisible and robust against common image processing operations such as median filtering, noise adding, and JPEG compression, but also has conquered those challenging desynchronization attacks.     

Blob-Harris特征区域结合CT-SVD的鲁棒图像水印算法

为了提高水印图像对几何攻击的鲁棒性,提出了一种Blob-Harris特征区域结合轮廓波变换(Contourlet transform, CT)和奇异值分解(singular value decomposition, SVD)的鲁棒图像水印算法。首先在原始图像经过Contourlet变换后的低频分量中提取斑点(Blob)块区域并利用Harris角点检测进行特征点提取,然后根据各个特征点的特征尺度确定其特征区域,选择适中的互不重叠的特征区域,将其四周补零后进行归一化操作,最后将经过小波变换提取的低频水印图像进行奇异值分解,并重复嵌入到每一个归一化圆形特征区域的内接正四边形当中。仿真实验结果表明,本文算法除了对常规攻击有很好的抵抗力之外,对几何攻击也有相对较强的鲁棒性,特别是缩放、平移、剪切以及其组合攻击,NC值均达到0.94以上。      

A feature-based digital watermarking scheme for halftone image

It is a challenging work to design a robust halftone image watermarking scheme against desynchronization attacks. In this paper, we propose a feature-based digital watermarking method for halftone images with low computational complexity, good visual quality and reasonable resistance toward desynchronization attacks. Firstly, the feature points are extracted from host halftone image by using multi-scale Harris–Laplace detector, and the local feature regions (LFRs) are constructed according to the feature scale theory. Secondly, discrete Fourier transform (DFT) is performed on the LFRs, and the embedding positions (DFT coefficients) are selected adaptively according to the magnitude spectrum information. Finally, the digital watermark is embedded into the LFRs by quantizing the magnitudes of the selected DFT coefficients. By binding the watermark with the geometrically invariant halftone image features, the watermark detection can be done without synchronization error. Simulation results show that the proposed scheme is invisible and robust against common signals processing such as median filtering, sharpening, noise adding, and JPEG compression, etc., and desynchronization attacks such as rotation, scaling, translation (RST), cropping, local random bend, and print-scan, etc.     

基于SIFT特征点和交比值的水印图像抗攻击算法

为提高数字水印图像对常规信号和复杂几何攻击的抵抗能力,利用SIFT(scale invariant feature transform)特征点的稳健性和交比值不变特性,提出了一种数字图像顽健水印算法。首先,在原图像经过NSCT(nonsubsampled contourlet transform)变换后的低频子带系数中提取SIFT特征点并对其进行优化筛选,从中确定满足“近凸正四边形” 的系数区域作为水印嵌入的局部区域,然后利用事先设定好的一些交比值在各局部区域中确定要嵌入水印的具体系数,最后利用奇偶量化调制方法嵌入水印信息。与传统算法相比,在提取水印信息时无需对含水印图像进行几何逆变换。实验结果表明,该算法对常规信号处理及多种几何攻击具有较强的抵抗能力和顽健性。     

Digital watermarking robust to geometric distortions.

In this paper, we present two watermarking approaches that are robust to geometric distortions. The first approach is based on image normalization, in which both watermark embedding and extraction are carried out with respect to an image normalized to meet a set of predefined moment criteria. We propose a new normalization procedure, which is invariant to affine transform attacks. The resulting watermarking scheme is suitable for public watermarking applications, where the original image is not available for watermark extraction. The second approach is based on a watermark resynchronization scheme aimed to alleviate the effects of random bending attacks. In this scheme, a deformable mesh is used to correct the distortion caused by the attack. The watermark is then extracted from the corrected image. In contrast to the first scheme, the latter is suitable for private watermarking applications, where the original image is necessary for watermark detection. In both schemes, we employ a direct-sequence code division multiple access approach to embed a multibit watermark in the discrete cosine transform domain of the image. Numerical experiments demonstrate that the proposed watermarking schemes are robust to a wide range of geometric attacks.     

Joint robustness and security enhancement for feature-based image watermarking using invariant feature regions

Local image features have been widely applied in feature-based watermarking schemes. The feature invariance is exploited to achieve robustness against attacks, but the leakage of information about hidden watermarks from publicly known locations and sizes of features are often unconsidered in security. This paper, therefore, proposes a novel image watermarking approach, which adopts invariant feature regions to jointly enhance its robustness and security. Initially, circular feature regions are determined by the scale-adapted auto-correlation matrix and the Laplacian-of-Gaussian operation. Leakage of secret information is also controlled carefully during feature detection procedure. An optimal selection process formulated as a multidimensional knapsack problem is then proposed to select robust non-overlapping regions from those circular feature regions to resist various attacks. This process is implemented by a genetic algorithm-based approach, and incorporates randomization to mitigate the security risk. Finally, each selected region is normalized to obtain a geometrically invariant feature region, and embedded with a region-dependent watermark to overcome the weakness of multiple-redundant watermarks. The evaluation results based on the StirMark benchmark present the proposed scheme can tolerate various attacks, including noise-like signal processing and geometric distortions. A security analysis in terms of differential entropy also confirms the security improvement of the proposed method.     

基于局部Tchebichef矩的鲁棒图像水印算法

针对目前基于图像不变特征水印算法不能同时有效抵抗常规图像处理和几何攻击这一问题,提出了一种基于局部Tchebichef矩(LTMs)的图像水印新算法。首先,利用Harris-Laplace检测算子提取载体图像多尺度空间中的特征点,并通过特征选择策略获得稳定且分离的局部圆形特征区域;然后,结合主方向对齐,得到具有旋转、缩放和平移(RST)不变性的局部圆形特征区域;最后,计算局部特征区域的Tchebichef矩,采用量化调制Tchebichef低阶矩幅值将水印嵌入到局部特征区域中。实验结果表明,本文算法在获得很好的不可见性的同时,对常规图像处理、几何攻击及组合攻击具有较好的鲁棒性。     

基于图像尺度空间的几何不变特征点提取算法

图像特征点的提取是实现抗几何攻击数字水印算法的重要步骤，所提取的特征点是否鲁棒，将直接影响抗几何攻击水印的鲁棒性．Harris—Laplace角点检测方法是一种多尺度抗几何攻击角点提取方法，但计算比较复杂．将Harris．Laplace角点检测方法进行改进，把直接分析图像局部灰度值的角点提取方法与图象尺度空间的思想相结合，并兼顾多尺度的不同权值，则既可以保证角点抵抗一般几何攻击的鲁棒性，又减少计算复杂度的，根据此思路提出了加权平均Harris-Laplace角点检测方法来提取特征点．实验结果表明，该算法提取的图像特征点不仅具有很好的抵抗图像裁剪、几何缩放能力，而且计算复杂度明显低于相同重复检测率的Harris—Laplace角点检测算法．     

Rotation, scaling and translation invariant image watermarking using feature points

In this article, a novel robust image watermarking scheme is presented to resist rotation, scaling, and translation （RST）. Initially, the original image is scale normalized, and the feature points are then extracted. Furthermore, the locally most stable feature points are used to generate several nonoverlapped circular regions. These regions are then rotation normalized to generate the invariant regions. Watermark embedding and extraction are implemented in the invariant regions in discrete cosine transform domain. In the decoder, the watermark can be extracted without the original image. Simulation results show that the proposed scheme is robust to traditional signal processing attacks, RST attacks, as well as some combined attacks.     

Localized image watermarking in spatial domain resistant to geometric attacks

Watermark robustness to geometric attacks is still a challenging research field. In this paper, a novel robust image watermarking scheme is proposed for resisting such attacks. Watermark synchronization is first achieved by local invariant regions which can be generated using scale normalization and image feature points. The watermark is embedded into all the local regions repeatedly in spatial domain. During embedding, each circular region is first divided into homocentric cirque regions. Then the watermark bits are embedded by quantizing each cirque region into an “odd” or “even” region using odd–even quantization. In the decoder, an odd–even detector (OED) is designed to extract the watermark from the distorted image directly. Localized embedding achieves good invisibility and repeated insertion enhances watermark robustness. Simulation results show that the proposed scheme is robust to both geometric attacks and traditional signal processing attacks.     

Printer models and error diffusion

A new model-based approach to digital halftoning is proposed. It is intended primarily for laser printers, which generate "distortions" such as "dot overlap". Conventional methods, such as clustered-dot ordered dither, resist distortions at the expense of spatial and gray-scale resolution. The proposed approach relies on printer models that predict distortions, and rather than merely resisting them, it exploits them to increase, rather than decrease, both spatial and gray-scale resolution. We propose a general framework for printer models and find a specific model for laser printers. As an example of model-based halftoning, we propose a modification of error diffusion, which is often considered the best halftoning method for CRT displays with no significant distortions. The new version exploits the printer model to extend the benefits of error diffusion to printers. Experiments show that it provides high-quality reproductions with reasonable complexity. The proposed modified error diffusion technique is compared with Stucki's (1981) MECCA, which is a similar but not widely known technique that accounts for dot overlap. Model-based halftoning can be especially useful in transmission of high-quality documents using high-fidelity gray-scale image encoders.     

Dual-branch vision transformer for blind image quality assessment

Blind image quality assessment (BIQA) has always been a challenging problem due to the absence of reference images. In this paper, we propose a novel dual-branch vision transformer for BIQA, which simultaneously considers both local distortions and global semantic information. It first extracts dual-scale features from the backbone network, and then each scale feature is fed into one of the transformer encoder branches as a local feature embedding to consider the scale-variant local distortions. Each transformer branch obtains the context of global image distortion as well as the local distortion by adopting content-aware embedding. Finally, the outputs of the dual-branch vision transformer are combined by using multiple feed-forward blocks to predict the image quality scores effectively. Experimental results demonstrate that the proposed BIQA method outperforms the conventional methods on the six public BIQA datasets.     

基于Blob-Harris特征区域和NSCT-Zernike的鲁棒水印算法

为了有效抵抗水印图像的几何攻击,该文提出了一种基于Blob-Harris特征区域和非下采样轮廓波变换(NSCT)和伪Zernike矩的鲁棒水印算法。首先原始图像进行两层非下采样Contourlet变换后提取其低频图像,然后利用Blob-Harris检测算子对低频图像进行特征点提取,根据各个特征点的特征尺度确定其特征区域,优化筛选出稳定且互不重叠的特征区域并将其四周补零,得到稳定的互不重叠的方形特征区域作为水印嵌入区域,最后计算每一个方形特征区域的Zernike矩,将水印信息嵌入在量化调制正则化Zernike矩的幅值当中。实验结果表明,Lena图峰值信噪比达到40 dB以上时,本文算法对常规图像处理以及缩放、旋转、剪切等几何攻击和组合攻击都有相对较强的鲁棒性。