For this fine-tuning run, inputs were reprocessed using resize -> 256, followed by center crop -> 224. The fine-tuning was not intended to improve classification accuracy, but rather to align the model’s internal weights and biases more closely with other members of the MTGT ensemble, all of which adopt the 256→224 pipeline.
More details about the overall MTGT project and ensemble methodology can be found on the GitHub repo:
MTGT repo
The modest change in accuracy is expected; the primary objective was not a performance gain but improved alignment of internal representations within the MTGT ensemble.