Photoshop Jargon: Bicubic Interpolation

“Bicubic interpolation” is a method available in Photoshop for adding pixels to an image when an increase in size or resolution is made. Interpolation happens when Photoshop adds pixels to an image according to the color of its neighboring pixels. Bicubic interpolation is the highest-quality interpolation option but also the slowest.

You will find “Bicubic” as an option in the Resample Image drop-down menu in the Image Size dialog box. Recent Photoshop developments have added the Bicubic Sharper and Bicubic Smoother options, which emphasize edges or smoothness respectively.