A Novel Blind Double-Color Image Watermarking Algorithm Utilizing Walsh–Hadamard Transform with Symmetric Embedding Locations

Abstract

This paper introduces an effective blind watermarking algorithm for double-color images utilizing the Walsh–Hadamard Transform (WHT) with symmetric embedding locations to enhance imperceptibility. The proposed algorithm leverages the energy accumulation capability and significant correlations among coefficients of the WHT. First, the color host image undergoes partitioning into its respective red (R), green (G), and blue (B) channels, followed by further subdivision into 4 × 4 blocks. Through research, the algorithm determines which WHT coefficients are least visually sensitive to embedding a color image, and as a result, optimizes the embedding locations to achieve better imperceptibility. The extensive simulation results verify the superior performance of the proposed algorithm compared to other related approaches, showcasing its excellence not only in imperceptibility but also in embedding capacity and robustness.

Keywords

• watermarking
• Walsh–Hadamard transform
• Arnold transform
• copyright
• embedding