Alignment and Sub-pixel Interpolation of Images using Fourier Methods

A method is proposed for both estimating and correcting a translational mis-alignment between digital images, taking account of aliasing of high-frequency information. A parametric model is proposed for the power- and cross-spectra of the multivariate stochastic process that is assumed to have generated a continuous-space version of the images. Parameters, including those that specify misalignment, are estimated by numerical maximum likelihood. The effectiveness of the interpolant is confirmed by simulation and illustrated using multi-band Landsat images.