The present document provides image processing methods and apparatus. One claim recites: obtaining a signal to be encoded in color image data, the signal comprising a plural-bit payload; predicting a resulting color of overprinting several inks on a substrate, the overprinting representing the color image data encoded with the signal; using the resulting color for both i) visibility evaluation of the overprinting, and ii) signal robustness evaluation of the overprinting as seen by an imaging device. Other claims and combinations are provided.

A digital medium environment includes an asset processing application that performs editing of a watermarked asset. An improved asset editing method implemented by the asset processing application comprises receiving a watermarked asset, receiving edits to the watermarked asset, storing metadata corresponding to the edits together with an asset identification (ID), communicating the metadata and asset ID, applying edits using the metadata to an unwatermarked version of the asset retrieved using the asset ID, adding a watermark back to the edited asset, and providing the edited, watermarked asset.

Method and system for image augmentation. A captured image of a user in a scene includes a user portion and a background portion with partial scene features cut off at the image frame borders. A first set of imaging parameters is obtained, including the position and orientation of the camera when capturing the image. A background-image is retrieved in accordance with the obtained imaging parameters, from a database that includes imagery of real-world environments. The retrieved background-image is captured at a second set of imaging parameters such that the background-image includes supplementary scene features located beyond the image frame borders of the captured image and supplementing information for the partial scene features of the background portion. An updated image is generated in which the user appears relative to a background that includes the supplementary scene features, by image fusion of the captured image with the background-image.

A controller of an image processing apparatus performs one or both of an enlargement process and a conversion process when a coded image in which information is coded is included in the image data. The enlargement process is a process of pasting an enlarged coded image instead of the coded image on the image data. The conversion process is a process of pasting decoded information instead of the coded image.

A device and a method that achieve a watermark that can be easily recorded and does not significantly impair the appearance of a printed matter are provided. A watermark recording unit (214) that records watermark dots having a color having a small difference from an area color of an area in which a watermark is recorded, and a watermark recording mode determination unit (213) that determines a color of the watermark dots are included. The watermark recording mode determination unit (213) determines a color of the watermark dots in such a way that a wavelength difference Δλ, which is a difference between a color wavelength of the watermark dots and an area color wavelength of a recording area of the watermark dots, is less than a wavelength resolution of human eye. Moreover, the color of the watermark dots is determined in such a way that the wavelength difference Δλ is equal to or higher than a wavelength resolution of a spectroscopic camera (hyperspectral camera) (141) that captures an image for watermark analysis.

In an illustrative embodiment, watermark decoding reliability is increased, for images of watermarked objects captured at close distances, by reducing influence of pixel noise (e.g., shot noise). In the same or different embodiment, watermark decoding reliability is increased, for images of watermarked objects captured from far distances, by reducing image under-sampling. A particular implementation down-samples input imagery twice—a first time by a fixed factor, preparatory to performing an FFT, and a second time by a variable factor, preparatory to submitting the image for decoding, where the variable factor is determined using results from the FFT. A number of other features and arrangements are also detailed.

An image inspection apparatus includes a first reader and a second reader that acquire read images by respectively reading one side and the other side of a sheet having an image printed thereon, a first background material and a second background material provided at positions as the backgrounds of the sheet in reading by the first reader and the second reader respectively, and a hardware processor that acquires sheet outline information from the read images and measures misalignment of the image with respect to the sheet based on the acquired sheet outline information. The hardware processor acquires read images with the first background material and the second background material having different densities, and acquires sheet outline information of one read image by estimating the sheet outline information of the one read image based on sheet outline information of the other of the read images.

A mobile apparatus includes a group setting section and a providing section. The group setting section sets one or more groups each having multiple members. When the multiple members are connected by using one or more straight lines, all of the multiple members are positioned so as to be connected by one or more straight lines each equal to or shorter than a predetermined threshold. Each of the one or more straight lines connects one member of the plurality of members and one other member of the plurality of members. The providing section moves to any one member of each of the one or more groups and provides distribution material.

The present technology relates to image signal processing. One aspect of the present technology involves analyzing reference imagery gathered by a camera system to determine which parts of an image frame offer high probabilities of—relative to other image parts—containing decodable watermark data. Another aspect of the present technology whittles-down such determined image frame parts based on detected content (e.g., a cereal box) vs expected background within such determined image frame parts.

An image processing apparatus includes: a first obtaining unit configured to obtain an original image; a second obtaining unit configured to obtain region information indicating first and second regions, the first region read in reading of a print original to have a higher density than the second region, the second region read in the reading to have a lower density than the first region; an embedding unit configured to embed information in the original image by embedding a pattern with a directivity in the first region and embed, in the second region, a pattern in which the number of pixels printed adjacent to printed pixels is smaller than that in the first region; and a control unit configured to perform control of outputting the print original by using a print image in which the patterns of the first and second regions are embedded by the embedding unit.