Reversible data hiding scheme for color image based on prediction-error expansion and cross-channel correlation

In this paper, we present a reversible data hiding (RDH) algorithm for color image. The traditional RDH technique regarding color image embeds data into each color channel independently. Considering that the color channels correlate with each other, we propose a RDH algorithm based on prediction-error expansion that can enhance the prediction accuracy in one color channel through exploiting the edge information from another channel. By doing so, the entropy of the prediction-error is decreased statistically, and consequently, the algorithm efficiency is increased in terms of data hiding rate versus embedding distortion. Extensive experimental results demonstrate that the proposed algorithm outperforms the traditional RDH methods independently embedding data into each channel.

► We propose a new reversible data hiding algorithm for color image.
► The proposed method is based on prediction-error expansion and a new prediction strategy.
► Cross-channel correlation is exploited to enhance the prediction accuracy.