Abstract
In this paper, a wavelet bit-plane based data hiding for compressed images is proposed. Image compression not only reduces storage but also benefits transmission. Currently, image encoders including JPEG2000, SPIHT, EZW, etc. also provide multi-stage encoding/decoding. In this paper, the bit-planes of DWT coefficients are selected to carry the secret image according to the multi-stage encoding. The hidden secret image can be extracted progressively from multi-stage decoded images. Experimental results showed that the secret image was embedded and extracted in multi-stage coded images. Furthermore, the structure of secret image could be identified in earlier decoding stages and then refined in later stages. Accordingly, the progressive secret revealing is achieved. In comparison with the other similar schemes, the proposed method achieves the better quality of stego-image than the other two when the hiding capacity is the same. © 2013 Elsevier GmbH.