Colored Image-In-Image Hiding
Mamoun Suleiman Al Rababaa
Abstract - Image hiding is a technique that embeds the
important images into a cover image such that the
important images are imperceptible and can be securely
transmitted to the receiver. In this paper, we present a
steganographic method and software for embedding a
digital image (color image) in a true color image requires
the use of uncompressed 24-bit windows format bitmap
image
Keywords: Steganography; image hiding; Stego-image
INTRODUCTION
Data hiding technique is a generic term of designing
a very wide set of applications, such as steganography [1].
The term steganography is derived from the Greek language
and means covert writing. It is the technique of encoding
secret information in a communication channel in such a
manner that the very existence of the information is
concealed.
The major goal of steganography is to enhance
communication security by inserting secret message into the
digital image, modifying the nonessential pixels of the image
[2,3]. The image after the embedding of the secret message,
so-called stego-image, is then sent to the receiver through a
public channel.
Computer-based image steganography [4] is one way of data
hiding which provides data security in digital images. It is
considered as a technique inspired from ancient
steganography. The aim is to embed and deliver secret
messages in digital images without any suspiciousness.
Many researchers have focused on steganographic
schemes [16-30]; [21]; [22]; [23]. Until now, two major
techniques, the spatial domain manner [31]; [29] and the
frequency domain manner [17] led in steganographic
development.
Many steganographic techniques about embedding
data in images have been proposed. A number of data
embedding techniques are based on the method of replacing
the least-significantbits (LSBs) of the pixels of the cover
image [32] and a pseudo-random number generation
mechanism is often used to accomplish the security work [33].
In [34] an LSB-like embedding technique is used in a
wavelet-based method by adding or subtracting one unit from
the transform coefficients of the image. Some other
steganographic methods based on modifying small details in
images are also published in the literature.
Computer-based image steganography mainly considers the
requirement that the steganographic result, the so-called
stego-image, be undetectable, as pointed out in [4]. Such
steganographic techniques may be used in various
applications.
Many image-hiding methods have been proposed in
Mamoun Suleiman Al Rababaa – IT Faculty, CS Department,
AL al Bayt University, Jordan
marababaa@aabu.edu.jo
CADSM’2009, 24-28 February, 2009, Polyana-Svalyava (Zakarpattya), UKRAINE
the last decade [35-48], and most of them were designed for
two goals: to reduce the degradation of the visual quality of
the stego image, and to be able to completely recover the
original important images. One of the most popular techniques
used to achieve these goals is the least-significant-bit (LSB)
substitution approach [36,38,47]. For example, Wang et al.
[47] introduced two well-known LSB substitution methods to
embed the bit stream of an important image into the LSBs of a
cover image.
Typically, two types of image hiding schemes are
often used. The schemes of the first type hide secret messages
in the spatial domain of a host image. Several image-hiding
schemes based on the spatial domain, such as [5-9], have been
proposed. The secret data are embedded into the pixels of the
host image directly. All of these schemes are not robust to
image compression such as JPEG [10]. But the size of data,
which can be hidden by replacing the rightmost fourleast
significant bits (LSB) per pixel in LSB substitution schemes,
would be 131,072 bytes for an image of size 512× 512, for
example. The second type of image-hiding schemes embeds
secret messages into a host image that has been transformed.
Generally, one of the transformation functions, such as the
discrete Fourier transform (DFT), the discrete cosine
transform (DCT), or the discrete wavelet transform (DWT), is
used to transform the pixel values in the spatial domain into
transformed coefficients in the frequency domain. Several
steganographic methods based on DFT [11], DCT [12,13],
and DWT [14,15] had been proposed. In general, the hiding
capacity of these methods based on the frequency domain is
limited. For example, the hiding capacity in the scheme based
on DCT [13] is 6656 bytes. But schemes of this type ,provide
better robustness than that of the first type.
DIGITAL PICTURE WINDOWS FORMAT BITMAP
1. Bitmap File:
- Bitmap: is a graphical object is used to create, manipulate,
store images as files on a disk, the most common image
formats that has the extension ".bmp".
- Bitmap Structure: each bitmap file includes the following
headers that represent the bitmap attributes:
- BITMAPFILEHEADER.
- BITMAPINFO.
- RGBQUAD (if any).
- Pixel Bits.
- Bitmap Storage Structure:
The bitmap file arranges Headers in order way as following:
- BITMAPFILEHEADER
- BITMAPINFO
- RGBQUAD (in 1, 4, 8 pits per pixel)
- Pixel Bits
- BITMAPFILEHEADER:
BITMAPFILEHEADER contains the following values:
- Type: contains the file extension (very important for our
technique)
- Size: contains the file of the whole bitmap file
 - Reseved1: Reserved for the Windows use.
- Reseved2: Reserved for the Windows use.
- Offset: represents the distance (in bytes) between the
beginning of the bitmap file to the beginning of Pixel
bits(very important for our technique)
- BITMAPINFO:
BITMAPINFO consists from two headers:
- BITMAPINFOHEADER
- BITMAPINFOHEADER contains the following values:
- Width: contains the width of the bitmap (in pixel)
- Height: contains the height of the bitmap (in pixel)
- BitCount: represents the type of the bitmap (1, 4, 8, 16,
24, 32 bits per pixel)
- Other values (Compression, SizeImage, XPelsPerMeter,
YPelsPerMeter, ClrUsed, ClrImportant) but these values
are not important in out technique.
- RGBQUAD:
Represents the color table for the bitmap (if any).
- Blue: the value of the blue color
- Red: the value of the red color
- Green: the value of the green color
- Reserved: for the Windows use.
- Bitmap type:
1-bit per pixel: the bitmap is a monochrome (white and
black color), in this type the bitmap use the RGBQUAD
(color table) and has two entries in this table (white and black
colors) (is not important in our technique).
4-bit per pixel: the bitmap uses the RGBQUAD (color
table) and has 16 colors in its color table. (Is not important in
our technique).
8-bit per pixel: the bitmap uses the RGBQUAD (color
table) and has 256 colors into it. (Is not important in our
technique)
16-bit per pixel: the bitmap does NOT use the RGBQUAD
(color table) and has RGB values for its pixels (RGB (5 bits, 5
bits, 5 bits)). (Is not important in our technique).
24-bit per pixel: the bitmap does NOT use the RGBQUAD
(color table) and has RGB values for its pixels (RGB (8 bits, 8
bits, 8 bits)). (is the Most important for our technique)
THE PROPOSED ALGORITHM
1. Embedding algorithm:
ƒ Secret image:
Secret image can be 1,4,8,16,24 bits per pixel.
1. Obtain values of pixels that represent the entire
secret image.
2. obtain width and height of the secret image
3. check that:
Width and height are more than 20px and lower than
5000px.
ƒ Cover image:
Note: cover image must be 24 bits per pixel.
1. obtain the cover image data:
ƒ Values of BITMAPFILEHEADER.
CADSM’2009, 24-28 February, 2009, Polyana-Svalyava (Zakarpattya), UKRAINE
ƒ Values of BITMAPINFOHEADER.
ƒ Bits that represent pixels colors.
2. compute the required size for embedding the
secret image as following (in byte):
Required size = (3*width of secret *height of secret)
+ (3*2) + (20*2)….....(1).
Descriptions:
a. (3*width of secret *height of secret) means:
ƒ 3: each pixel needs 3 byte to represent
it.
ƒ Width*height: dimension of the secret
image.
b. (3*2) means:
ƒ 3: 3 bytes for each one (width, height)
for embedding them.
ƒ 2: represents number of values (width,
height).
c. (20*2):
ƒ 20: 20 bytes for each one (password,
hidden message).
ƒ 2: represents number of values
(password, hidden message).
3. Compute the new offset value as following:
New offset value = old offset value + required size
(from equation 1)……..(2).
4. Compute the new bitmap file size as following:
New bitmap file size = new offset value (from
equation 2) + (cover width * cover height *
3)……..3.
Note: 3 means each pixel needs 3 bytes to represent
it.
ƒ Stego image:
1. Copy the values of that cover structures.
2. update the following values:
ƒ BitmapFileHeader.FileSize = new bitmap
file size.
ƒ BitmapFileHeader.Offset = new offset
value.
3. write the following values in sequenced order:
ƒ Write all structures values of the cover
image after updating them to the stego image
(BITMAPFILEHEADER,
BITMAPINFOHEADER).
ƒ Write the width and the height values of the
secret image to the stego image.
ƒ Write the password and the hidden message
to the stego image.
ƒ Write the values of the secret image pixels
to the stego image.
ƒ Write the values of the cover image pixels
to the stego image.
Note:
Writing process: when you needing to write a
value you must first convert this value into the
binary format then write it.
4. Save the stego image into an independent bitmap file.
The figure 3.1. Shows the embedding algorithm.
Figure 1: embedding algorithm
2. Extracting algorithm:
1. obtain the following values from the stego image to
build the secret image:
ƒ Width, height, password, secret message,
bits that represent the secret image pixels.
2. Build the secret image according to these values.
Note: do not use never ever the stego image as a cover
image or as secret image.
The Figure 3.2. Shows extracting algorithm

Figure 2: extracting algorithm

CADSM’2009, 24-28 February, 2009, Polyana-Svalyava (Zakarpattya), UKRAINE


3. Essential Algorithm Idea:
How does The Operating System read the bitmap file?
The OS reads the following data in sequenced order:
1-BITMAPFILEHEADER values
2-BITMAPFILEHEADER values and checks BitCount
attribute to determine the bitmap type (1, 4, 8, 16, 24, 32 bits
per pixel) and then concludes whether this bitmap uses color
table or not, if the color table is represented then the bits
pixels are indexes for the color table (we do not deal with this
format because our technique deals only with the 24 bits per
pixel for the cover image, 24 pits per pixel does include a
color table, then the bits pixels represent colors of pixels) 3-
checks the value of the Offset value in the
BITMAPFILEHEADER to get the position of bits pixels
This Algorithm tells the OS that read your headers but i will
change the place of Pixels bits and I will inform you where I
located them by using Offset value, Ok reach your values but
the space between your values it is for me.
This Algorithm uses the Bitmap 24 bits per pixel for the cover
bitmap because this type of bitmap does not use the color
table then there are more spaces used between the Cover
image headers and pixels bits, then there are a large space we
can use it in the embedding operation, another reason for
using this format is high resolution for the image pixels, 32
pit per pixel produces Stego image very big, then the optimal
choose is 24 pits per pixel.
CONCLUSION
In this paper, we proposed a new steganographic method for
embedding a color image in color image. The major feature
characteristics of this algorithm are ability to embedding large
digital picture into small digital picture and vice versa without
any changes with cover image, allows for embedding text
message into cover image and high degree of security and
privacy, with including obligatory password in the stego
image, so no one can extract the secret image except whose
know the password
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APPENDIX
Implementation
System interface
Features
The first window appears when the user opens the system.
next Fig shows the features page.
 Extracting
Window for recover the secret image.

Features window

Embedding
Extracting window
This window for embedding the secret image.
Secret image

Secret image window

embedding window

Stego image

Stego image window

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