Digital Watermarking Enhancement Using Wavelet Filter Parametrization

In this paper a genetic-based enhancement of digital image watermarking in the Discrete Wavelet Transform domain is presented. The proposed method is based on adaptive synthesis of a mother wavelet used for image decomposition. Wavelet synthesis is performed using parametrization based on an orthogonal lattice structure. A genetic algorithm is applied as an optimization method to synthesize a wavelet that provides the best watermarking quality in respect to the given optimality criteria. Effectiveness of the proposed method is demonstrated by comparing watermarking results using synthesized wavelets and the most commonly used Daubechies wavelets. Experiments demonstrate that mother wavelet selection is an important part of a watermark embedding process and can influence watermarking robustness, separability and fidelity.