1. A method for motion estimation using adaptive patterns in a video sequence compression system, said method comprising the steps of: (a) defining, by a motion estimation apparatus, an initial search pattern located at a center of a search window in a block of a video frame; (b) searching, by the motion estimation apparatus, for a location of a minimum block distortion measure (BDM) in the initial search pattern; (c) based on the location of the minimum BDM in the initial search pattern or a current search pattern, determining, by the motion estimation apparatus, whether a horizontal search pattern, which is elongated in a horizontal direction of the search window, or a vertical search pattern, which is elongated in a vertical direction of the search window, is to be used as a subsequent search pattern; (d) defining, by the motion estimation apparatus, the subsequent search pattern in the search window, wherein the subsequent search pattern is the horizontal or vertical search pattern as determined in step (c) and wherein the minimum BDM of the initial or current search pattern is positioned at one among a plurality of central locations of the subsequent search pattern; (e) searching, by the motion estimation apparatus, for a location of a minimum BDM in the subsequent search pattern defined in step (d); (f) repeating, by the motion estimation apparatus, steps (c)-(e) until the location of the minimum BDM of the subsequent search pattern falls in one of the central locations thereof; (g) designating, by the motion estimation apparatus, the locations of the minimum BDMs found in steps (b) and (e) as motion vectors; and (h) outputting, by the motion estimation apparatus, the motion vectors from said motion estimation apparatus.