Secret image sharing allows a secret image to be divided among multiple users, enabling reconstruction by collecting a predetermined number of images. One key challenge is minimising the size of these shadow images. This study introduces a new technique that employs downsampling and a public difference image to address this issue. By using average pooling for downsampling, we reduce the hidden image's size while preserving essential visual details. A public difference image is created by calculating the difference between the downsampled and permuted image, enabling recovery of the original image even if many shadow images are lost. Our method allows for adjustable pooling sizes, which control downsampling and maintain vital visual information. This reduction in size enhances the efficiency of the image-sharing system, making it more suitable for transmission and storage. Extensive evaluations across various scenarios confirm the approach's effectiveness, flexibility, and advantages over existing methods for secure image transmission and storage.
Kolukuluri et al. (Thu,) studied this question.