# Hybrid blind robust image watermarking technique based on DFT-DCT and Arnold transform

arXiv: https://arxiv.org/abs/1911.00753 · HTML: https://mlsanity.com/paper/1911.00753/

## Key facts

- Cited by 8 papers in the map (data through 14 Oct 2026).
- First posted on arXiv 2 Nov 2019.

## Built on by (most cited first, 8 of 8)

- [MBRS : Enhancing Robustness of DNN-based Watermarking by Mini-Batch of Real and Simulated JPEG Compression](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2108.08211/) (2021)
- [Towards Blind Watermarking: Combining Invertible and Non-invertible Mechanisms](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2212.12678/) (2022)
- [A Compact Neural Network-based Algorithm for Robust Image Watermarking](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2112.13491/) (2021)
- [CLUE-MARK: Watermarking Diffusion Models using CLWE](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2411.11434/) (2024)
- [Deep Data Hiding for ICAO-Compliant Face Images: A Survey](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2508.19324/) (2025)
- [Deep Boosting Robustness of DNN-based Image Watermarking via DBMark](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2210.13801/) (2022)
- [README: Robust Error-Aware Digital Signature Framework via Deep Watermarking Model](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2507.04495/) (2025)
- [ResGuard: Enhancing Robustness Against Known Original Attacks in Deep Watermarking](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2604.03693/) (2026)

## Abstract (arXiv)

In this paper, a robust blind image watermarking method is proposed for copyright protection of digital images. This hybrid method relies on combining two well-known transforms that are the discrete Fourier transform (DFT) and the discrete cosine transform (DCT). The motivation behind this combination is to enhance the imperceptibility and the robustness. The imperceptibility requirement is achieved by using magnitudes of DFT coefficients while the robustness improvement is ensured by applying DCT to the DFT coefficients magnitude. The watermark is embedded by modifying the coefficients of the middle band of the DCT using a secret key. The security of the proposed method is enhanced by applying Arnold transform (AT) to the watermark before embedding. Experiments were conducted on natural and textured images. Results show that, compared with state-of-the-art methods, the proposed method is robust to a wide range of attacks while preserving high imperceptibility.