Jumping Scanning Path Error Diffusion: A Novel Halftoning Algorithm Improving Mid-tone Quality

In this paper, we describe a novel error diffusion scheme for higher halftone quality with less visual artifacts. The proposed algorithm improves mid-tone quality of error diffusion significantly by diffusing the error along a jumping scanning path. The algorithm calculates the accumulative error to determine the point where breaks up the scanning path. A cost function is developed to search the optimal threshold of the accumulative error. The cost function helps to bring the Fourier spectra as close as possible to the corresponding "blue noise" spectra, and minimize the anisotropy. Experiments show that compared with existing error diffusion algorithms that use continuous scanning path, the new algorithm can remove visual anomalies more effectively. Fourier analysis of experimental results further supports this conclusion.

[1]  Victor Ostromoukhov,et al.  A simple and efficient error-diffusion algorithm , 2001, SIGGRAPH.

[2]  John F. Jarvis,et al.  A survey of techniques for the display of continuous tone pictures on bilevel displays , 1976 .

[3]  Jan P. Allebach,et al.  Tone-dependent error diffusion , 2004, IEEE Transactions on Image Processing.

[4]  Keith T. Knox,et al.  Evolution of error diffusion , 1998, Electronic Imaging.

[5]  Niranjan Damera-Venkata,et al.  Adaptive Threshold Modulation for Error Diffusion Halftoning , 2022 .

[6]  Reiner Eschbach,et al.  Threshold modulation in error diffusion , 1993, J. Electronic Imaging.

[7]  Neal,et al.  Using Peano Curves for Bilevel Display of Continuous-Tone Images , 1982, IEEE Computer Graphics and Applications.

[8]  Charles A. Bouman,et al.  Optimized error diffusion for image display , 1992, J. Electronic Imaging.

[9]  Zhigang Fan,et al.  Set of easily implementable coefficients in error diffusion with reduced worm artifacts , 1996, Electronic Imaging.

[10]  Jan P. Allebach,et al.  Model-based halftoning using direct binary search , 1992, Electronic Imaging.

[11]  Bingfeng Zhou,et al.  Improving mid-tone quality of variable-coefficient error diffusion using threshold modulation , 2003, ACM Trans. Graph..

[12]  M. Mese,et al.  Recent Advances in Digital Halftoning and Inverse Halftoning Methods , 2002 .

[13]  Reiner Eschbach.  Error diffusion with homogeneous highlight and shadow response , 1997, Other Conferences.

[14]  Albert J. Ahumada,et al.  Principled halftoning based on human vision models , 1992, Electronic Imaging.

[15]  Robert Ulichney,et al.  Digital Halftoning , 1987 .

[16]  Luiz Velho,et al.  Digital halftoning with space filling curves , 1991, SIGGRAPH.