Adaptive LSB quantum watermarking method using tri-way pixel value differencing

摘要： As an important way to protect copyright by embedding watermark in digital images, quantum watermarking catches more and more attentions. In this study, a novel quantum watermarking method on the basis of tri-way pixel value differencing and modified least significant bit (LSB) substitution is proposed. A quantum cover image using the novel-enhanced quantum image representation is partitioned into non-overlapping 2 × 2 blocks with four pixels firstly. To classify the block as a smooth area or an edge area, the tri-way pixel value differences are calculated and compared with a predefined threshold. The quantum watermark image, which is expanded and scrambled, is then embedded into a quantum cover image by the k-bit LSB substitution method, where k is decided by the level of each block. The embedded quantum watermark can be extracted from the quantum stego-image without the assistance of original quantum cover image. Theoretical analysis and simulation-based experiments demonstrate both the feasibility and capabilities of the proposed quantum watermarking method, which has good visual quality, better robustness, and higher security.