# AffectSRNet : Facial Emotion-Aware Super-Resolution Network

arXiv: https://arxiv.org/abs/2502.09932 · HTML: https://mlsanity.com/paper/2502.09932/

## Key facts

- No citing papers in the map yet (data through 14 Oct 2026).
- Builds on 51 of its 97 references that are in the map.
- First posted on arXiv 14 Feb 2025.

## Builds on (most cited first, 30 of 51)

- [PyTorch: An Imperative Style, High-Performance Deep Learning Library](https://mlsanity.com/paper/1912.01703/) (2019)
- [The Unreasonable Effectiveness of Deep Features as a Perceptual Metric](https://mlsanity.com/paper/1801.03924/) (2018)
- [A Style-Based Generator Architecture for Generative Adversarial Networks](https://mlsanity.com/paper/1812.04948/) (2018)
- [Deep Learning Face Attributes in the Wild](https://mlsanity.com/paper/1411.7766/) (2014)
- [Photo-Realistic Single Image Super-Resolution Using a Generative Adversarial Network](https://mlsanity.com/paper/1609.04802/) (2016)
- [Enhanced Deep Residual Networks for Single Image Super-Resolution](https://mlsanity.com/paper/1707.02921/) (2017)
- [Image Super-Resolution Using Very Deep Residual Channel Attention Networks](https://mlsanity.com/paper/1807.02758/) (2018)
- [ESRGAN: Enhanced Super-Resolution Generative Adversarial Networks](https://mlsanity.com/paper/1809.00219/) (2018)
- [Image Super-Resolution Using Deep Convolutional Networks](https://mlsanity.com/paper/1501.00092/) (2014)
- [Real-Time Single Image and Video Super-Resolution Using an Efficient Sub-Pixel Convolutional Neural Network](https://mlsanity.com/paper/1609.05158/) (2016)
- [Instance Normalization: The Missing Ingredient for Fast Stylization](https://mlsanity.com/paper/1607.08022/) (2016)
- [Accurate Image Super-Resolution Using Very Deep Convolutional Networks](https://mlsanity.com/paper/1511.04587/) (2015)
- [Deep Laplacian Pyramid Networks for Fast and Accurate Super-Resolution](https://mlsanity.com/paper/1704.03915/) (2017)
- [Accelerating the Super-Resolution Convolutional Neural Network](https://mlsanity.com/paper/1608.00367/) (2016)
- [Deep Learning for Image Super-resolution: A Survey](https://mlsanity.com/paper/1902.06068/) (2019)
- [Deeply-Recursive Convolutional Network for Image Super-Resolution](https://mlsanity.com/paper/1511.04491/) (2015)
- ["Zero-Shot" Super-Resolution using Deep Internal Learning](https://mlsanity.com/paper/1712.06087/) (2017)
- [MemNet: A Persistent Memory Network for Image Restoration](https://mlsanity.com/paper/1708.02209/) (2017)
- [Deep Back-Projection Networks For Super-Resolution](https://mlsanity.com/paper/1803.02735/) (2018)
- [Improved Texture Networks: Maximizing Quality and Diversity in Feed-forward Stylization and Texture Synthesis](https://mlsanity.com/paper/1701.02096/) (2017)
- [Deep Learning-Based Human Pose Estimation: A Survey](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2012.13392/) (2020)
- [FSRNet: End-to-End Learning Face Super-Resolution with Facial Priors](https://mlsanity.com/paper/1711.10703/) (2017)
- [Real-Time Video Super-Resolution with Spatio-Temporal Networks and Motion Compensation](https://mlsanity.com/paper/1611.05250/) (2016)
- [Feedback Network for Image Super-Resolution](https://mlsanity.com/paper/1903.09814/) (2019)
- [Recurrent Back-Projection Network for Video Super-Resolution](https://mlsanity.com/paper/1903.10128/) (2019)
- [Fast and Accurate Image Super-Resolution with Deep Laplacian Pyramid Networks](https://mlsanity.com/paper/1710.01992/) (2017)
- [Unsupervised Image Super-Resolution using Cycle-in-Cycle Generative Adversarial Networks](https://mlsanity.com/paper/1809.00437/) (2018)
- [To learn image super-resolution, use a GAN to learn how to do image degradation first](https://mlsanity.com/paper/1807.11458/) (2018)
- [A Deep Journey into Super-resolution: A survey](https://mlsanity.com/paper/1904.07523/) (2019)
- [Learning Multi-dimensional Edge Feature-based AU Relation Graph for Facial Action Unit Recognition](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2205.01782/) (2022)

## Abstract (arXiv)

Facial expression recognition (FER) systems in low-resolution settings face significant challenges in accurately identifying expressions due to the loss of fine-grained facial details. This limitation is especially problematic for applications like surveillance and mobile communications, where low image resolution is common and can compromise recognition accuracy. Traditional single-image face super-resolution (FSR) techniques, however, often fail to preserve the emotional intent of expressions, introducing distortions that obscure the original affective content. Given the inherently ill-posed nature of single-image super-resolution, a targeted approach is required to balance image quality enhancement with emotion retention. In this paper, we propose AffectSRNet, a novel emotion-aware super-resolution framework that reconstructs high-quality facial images from low-resolution inputs while maintaining the intensity and fidelity of facial expressions. Our method effectively bridges the gap between image resolution and expression accuracy by employing an expression-preserving loss function, specifically tailored for FER applications. Additionally, we introduce a new metric to assess emotion preservation in super-resolved images, providing a more nuanced evaluation of FER system performance in low-resolution scenarios. Experimental results on standard datasets, including CelebA, FFHQ, and Helen, demonstrate that AffectSRNet outperforms existing FSR approaches in both visual quality and emotion fidelity, highlighting its potential for integration into practical FER applications. This work not only improves image clarity but also ensures that emotion-driven applications retain their core functionality in suboptimal resolution environments, paving the way for broader adoption in FER systems.