# WaFusion: A Wavelet-Enhanced Diffusion Framework for Face Morph Generation

arXiv: https://arxiv.org/abs/2507.12493 · HTML: https://mlsanity.com/paper/2507.12493/

## Key facts

- No citing papers in the map yet (data through 14 Oct 2026).
- Placed in Robustness, privacy and adversarial aspects, one of 14 directions in Diffusion models.
- Builds on 38 of its 67 references that are in the map.
- First posted on arXiv 15 Jul 2025.

## Placed in

- Diffusion models / [Robustness, privacy and adversarial aspects](https://mlsanity.com/diffusion/robustness-privacy-and-adversarial-aspects/)

## Builds on (most cited first, 30 of 38)

- [Denoising Diffusion Probabilistic Models](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2006.11239/) (2020)
- [High-Resolution Image Synthesis with Latent Diffusion Models](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2112.10752/) (2021)
- [The Unreasonable Effectiveness of Deep Features as a Perceptual Metric](https://mlsanity.com/paper/1801.03924/) (2018)
- [Denoising Diffusion Implicit Models](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2010.02502/) (2020)
- [Diffusion Models Beat GANs on Image Synthesis](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2105.05233/) (2021)
- [Deep Unsupervised Learning using Nonequilibrium Thermodynamics](https://mlsanity.com/paper/1503.03585/) (2015)
- [A Style-Based Generator Architecture for Generative Adversarial Networks](https://mlsanity.com/paper/1812.04948/) (2018)
- [Generative Adversarial Networks](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2203.00667/) (2022)
- [Going Deeper with Convolutions](https://mlsanity.com/paper/1409.4842/) (2014)
- [Improved Denoising Diffusion Probabilistic Models](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2102.09672/) (2021)
- [FaceNet: A Unified Embedding for Face Recognition and Clustering](https://mlsanity.com/paper/1503.03832/) (2015)
- [VGGFace2: A dataset for recognising faces across pose and age](https://mlsanity.com/paper/1710.08092/) (2017)
- [Tackling the Generative Learning Trilemma with Denoising Diffusion GANs](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2112.07804/) (2021)
- [Diffusion Autoencoders: Toward a Meaningful and Decodable Representation](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2111.15640/) (2021)
- [Pivotal Tuning for Latent-based Editing of Real Images](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2106.05744/) (2021)
- [Wavelet Diffusion Models are fast and scalable Image Generators](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2211.16152/) (2022)
- [AUC Maximization in the Era of Big Data and AI: A Survey](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2203.15046/) (2022)
- [DiffMorpher: Unleashing the Capability of Diffusion Models for Image Morphing](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2312.07409/) (2023)
- [Face Morphing Attack Generation & Detection: A Comprehensive Survey](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2011.02045/) (2020)
- [WaveDM: Wavelet-Based Diffusion Models for Image Restoration](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2305.13819/) (2023)
- [Deep Face Representations for Differential Morphing Attack Detection](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2001.01202/) (2020)
- [Can GAN Generated Morphs Threaten Face Recognition Systems Equally as Landmark Based Morphs? -- Vulnerability and Detection](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2007.03621/) (2020)
- [Morphing Attack Detection -- Database, Evaluation Platform and Benchmarking](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2006.06458/) (2020)
- [Vulnerability Analysis of Face Morphing Attacks from Landmarks and Generative Adversarial Networks](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2012.05344/) (2020)
- [Are GAN-based Morphs Threatening Face Recognition?](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2205.02496/) (2022)
- [ReGenMorph: Visibly Realistic GAN Generated Face Morphing Attacks by Attack Re-generation](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2108.09130/) (2021)
- [Leveraging Diffusion For Strong and High Quality Face Morphing Attacks](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2301.04218/) (2023)
- [Generalized Single-Image-Based Morphing Attack Detection Using Deep Representations from Vision Transformer](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2501.09817/) (2025)
- [Analyzing Human Observer Ability in Morphing Attack Detection -- Where Do We Stand?](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2202.12426/) (2022)
- [Face Morphing Attack Detection with Denoising Diffusion Probabilistic Models](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2306.15733/) (2023)

## Abstract (arXiv)

Biometric face morphing poses a critical challenge to identity verification systems, undermining their security and robustness. To address this issue, we propose WaFusion, a novel framework combining wavelet decomposition and diffusion models to generate high-quality, realistic morphed face images efficiently. WaFusion leverages the structural details captured by wavelet transforms and the generative capabilities of diffusion models, producing face morphs with minimal artifacts. Experiments conducted on FERET, FRGC, FRLL, and WVU Twin datasets demonstrate WaFusion's superiority over state-of-the-art methods, producing high-resolution morphs with fewer artifacts. Our framework excels across key biometric metrics, including the Attack Presentation Classification Error Rate (APCER), Bona Fide Presentation Classification Error Rate (BPCER), and Equal Error Rate (EER). This work sets a new benchmark in biometric morph generation, offering a cutting-edge and efficient solution to enhance biometric security systems.