New DCT-Based Image Hiding Technique

Abstract

A new technique for embedding image data into another BMP image data is presented. The image data to be embedded is referred to as signature image, while the image into which the signature image is embedded is referred as host image. The host and the signature images are first partitioned into 8x8 blocks, discrete cosine transformed “DCT”, only significant coefficients are retained, the retained coefficients then inserted in the transformed block in a forward and backward zigzag scan direction. The result then inversely transformed and presented as a BMP image file. The peak signal-to-noise ratio (PSNR) is exploited to evaluate the objective visual quality of the host image compared with the original image.