Appearance-Based QR Code Beautifier

Abstract

Quick Response (QR) code is a widely used matrix bar code with the increasing population of smart phones. However, QR code usually consists of random textures which are not suitable for incorporating with other visual designs (e.g. name card and business advertisement poster). In order to overcome the shortcomings of noise-like looks of QR codes, we propose a systematic QR code beautification framework where the visual appearance of QR code is composed of visually meaningful patterns selected by users, and more importantly, the correctness of message decoding is kept intact. Our work makes QR code from machine decodable only (i.e. standardized random texture) to a personalized form with human visual pleasing appearance. We expect the proposed QR code beautifier can inspire more visual-pleasant mobile multimedia applications.