Deformable Attention-Based Edge-Aware Network for Single Image Super-Resolution

Accurately reconstructing object edges is a key challenge in single image super-resolution (SISR), as it greatly influences our visual perception of image quality. To address this fundamental issue, we propose a novel SISR approach named the deformable attention-based edge-aware (DAE) network. The DAE network features a deformable attention block that dynamically adjusts attention weights to align with edge structures, thereby improving edge awareness and reconstruction quality. Moreover, our network incorporates a multi-patterns window block that captures fine-grained edge details and enhances information flow across network layers. This combination results in visually superior SISR outputs. Extensive experiments and comparisons with the state-of-the-art methods demonstrate that our DAE network excels in both quantitative metrics and visual quality.