Adaptive low complexity algorithm for image zooming at fractional scaling ratio

Interpolation of images to higher resolution is an important feature in many digital imaging applications ranging from image zooming for digital camera to image zooming in digital video. Practical digital imaging applications require the ability to scale an image in any fractional ratio, under low complexity/memory restrictions. Many traditional zooming algorithms are restricted to integer zooming ratios and yield poor results in edgy areas of the image; some are even restricted to powers-of-two ratios. Algorithms that achieve high quality are usually too complex to be implemented in low complexity/memory environments like VLSI. We present a new adaptive algorithm for image zooming, suitable for fractional zooming ratios, motivated by the work of Ting et al. (1996). The new algorithm performs better than known algorithms on a variety of images at both integer and fractional zooming ratios and is better suited for VLSI implementation