1. In a motion-estimation digital video image compression system, a computer-implemented method for video pixel block matching, comprising the steps of: (a) identifying transition edge regions in a target block of pixel values to identify special, prominent features of the target block corresponding to said identified transition edge regions, said transition edge regions comprising special feature pixels, wherein the target block is one of a plurality of target blocks of a target image and the target block comprises the special feature pixels of the transition edge regions and general pixels which are not in the transition edge regions; (b) generating a target block special feature mask which identifies a plurality of target block mask pixels which are to be used for blockmatching pixel comparison, wherein the plurality of target block mask pixels comprises a plurality of the special feature pixels and not all of the general pixels; and (c) comparing only the target block mask pixel values with corresponding pixels of a second block of pixel values, to determine whether said target and second blocks are well-matched, wherein the second block is one of a plurality of blocks of a second image, whereby fewer comparisons are required than when all of the pixels of the target block are compared to corresponding pixels of the second block.