In this paper we proposed an efficient multiresolution motion estimation(MRME) algorithm using half-pixel accuracy motion estimation (HPAME) and characteristics of motion vectors in the baseband. Conventional MRME method needs exact motion vectors in the baseband because those are used as initial motion vectors in higher frequency subbands. Therefore the proposed method uses HPAME to estimate the motion vectors exactly in the baseband. Based on the characteristics of these motion vectors the motion vectors in the higher frequency subbands are selectively estimatied. That is motion vectors in the higher frequency subbands are estimated only for the blocks which have the half-pixel accuracy motion vectors in the baseband. In the proposed method by using HPAME in the baseband and selective motion estimation in the higher frequency subbands we can obtain reconstructed image with the similar quality with the conventional method though we reduce the computational complexity and the bit rate considerably.