Embedded multilevel error diffusion

We present an algorithm for image browsing systems that embeds the output of binary Floyd-Steinberg (1975) error diffusion, or a low bit-depth gray-scale or color error diffused image into higher bit-depth gray-scale or color error diffused images. The benefits of this algorithm are that a low bit-depth halftoned image can be directly obtained from a higher bit-depth halftone for printing or progressive transmission simply by masking one or more bits off of the higher bit-depth image. The embedding can be done in any bits of the output, although the most significant or the least significant bits are most convenient. Due to constraints on the palette introduced by embedding, the image quality for the higher bit-depth halftone may be reduced. To preserve the image quality, we present algorithms for color palette organization, or binary index assignment, to be used as a preprocessing step to the embedding algorithm.