Unseen visible watermarking for color plus depth map 3D images

Abstract

Unseen visible watermarking (UVW) is a novel data hiding scheme that imitates real-world watermarks and maintains advantages of both visible and invisible watermarking. One important feature of UVW is that specific extraction module is not required during watermarking decoding. The UVW for 2D image is studied based on imaging functions, e.g. gamma-correction in LCD monitors. On the other hand, due to the great success of 3D movies and low-priced 3D display devices, 3D contents are booming up in recent years. In this work, we propose a UVW for color plus depth map 3D images in which the watermark extraction is realized by changing of the rendering conditions. Under normal rendering conditions, the watermarked cover can be perceived exactly the same as the original one. Limitations and future extensions of the proposed 3D UVW are also addressed in this work. © 2012 IEEE.