A motion estimation engine may be implemented to include a skip checking module, an integer search module, a macroblock partitioning module, a fractional search module, a bidirectional motion estimation refinement module, and an intra search module. The motion estimation engine may perform fractional search/bidirectional motion estimation refinement and intra search in parallel. Additionally, modules in the motion estimation engine may be partially or fully turned on or off to accommodate different motion estimation requirements. Furthermore, the motion estimation engine may implement early exit strategy to further save computation.