Guide

Best practices for

Tools

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Fish 2

Visibility 3

Option

Medium

Low
Species
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Leatherback

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Annotations
Hawksbill
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Loggerhead

Olive Ridley

Kemp’s Ridley

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What is image annotation?

Image annotation is the task of labeling digital images, typically involving human input and, in some
cases, computer-assisted help. Labels are predetermined by a machine learning (ML) engineer and are
chosen to give the computer vision model information about the objects present in the image. The
process of labeling images also helps machine learning engineers hone in on important factors in the
image data that determine the overall precision and accuracy of their model.

Example considerations include possible naming and categorization issues, how to represent occluded
objects (objects hidden by other objects in the image), how to deal with parts of the image that are
unrecognizable, etc.

How do you annotate an image?

From the example image below, a person has used an image annotation tool to apply a series of labels
by placing bounding boxes around the relevant objects, thereby annotating the image. In this case,
pedestrians are marked in blue and taxis are marked in yellow, while trucks are marked in yellow.

Depending on the business use case and project, the number of image annotations on each image can
vary. Some projects will require only one label to represent the content of an entire image (e.g. image
classification). Other projects could require multiple objects to be tagged within a single image, each
with a different label (e.g. a bounding box).

Image annotation software is designed to make image labeling as easy as possible. A good image
annotation app will include features like a bounding box annotation tool and a pen tool for freehand
image segmentation.

Bounding boxes applied to identify vehicle types and pedestrians.

What are the different types of image annotation?

To create a novel labeled dataset for use in computer vision projects, data scientists and ML engineers
have the choice between a variety of annotation types they can apply to images. Researchers will use an
image markup tool to help with the actual labeling. The three most common image annotation types
within computer vision are:

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 ¡ Classification: With whole-image classification, the goal is to simply identify which objects and
other properties exist in an image without localizing them within the imag„
¡ Object detection: With image object detection, the goal is to find the location (established by using
bounding boxes) of individual objects within the imag„
¡ Image segmentation: With image segmentation, the goal is to recognize and understand what's in
the image at the pixel level. Every pixel in an image is assigned to at least one class, as opposed to
object detection, where the bounding boxes of objects can overlap. This is also known as semantic
segmentation.

Different types of image annotation

Whole image classification provides a broad categorization of an image and is a step up from
unsupervised learning as it associates an entire image with just one label. It is by far the easiest and
quickest to annotate out of the other common options. Whole-image classification is also a good option
for abstract information such as scene detection or time of day.

Bounding boxes, on the other hand, are the standard for most object detection use cases and require a
higher level of granularity than whole-image classification. They provide a balance between annotation
speed and targeting items of interest.

Image segmentation is usually chosen to support use cases in a model where you need to definitively
know whether or not an image contains the object of interest as well as what isn’t an object of interest.
This is in contrast to other annotation types such as classification or bounding boxes, which may be
faster but usually convey less information.

Why is image annotation useful?

Image annotation is generally used to prepare images to use in machine learning when creating
algorithms that perform computer vision tasks. Simply put, annotated images are used to train
computers to annotate images on their own.

This kind of computer vision model is an increasingly important technology. For example, a self-driving
vehicle relies on a sophisticated computer vision image annotation algorithm. This model labels all the
objects in the vehicle's environment, such as cars, pedestrians, bicycles, trees, etc. This data is then
processed by the vehicle's computer and used to navigate traffic successfully and safely.

There are many off-the-shelf image annotation models available. One such model is YOLO, an object
detection model that generates bounding box annotations in real time. YOLO stands for "You only look
once," indicating that the algorithm analyzes the image and applies image annotations in one pass,
prioritizing speed.

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How does an AI data engine support complex image

annotation?

Image annotation projects begin by determining what should be labeled in the images and then

instructing annotators to perform the annotation tasks using an image annotation tool.

Annotators must be thoroughly trained on the specifications and guidelines of each image annotation

project, as every company will have different image labeling requirements. The annotation process will

also differ depending upon the image annotation tool used.

Once the annotators are trained on proper data annotation procedures for the project, they will begin

annotating hundreds or thousands of images on an image annotation tool.

Data engine software like Labelbox is not only equipped with an image annotation tool, but also allows

AI teams to organize and store their structured and unstructured data while providing a model training

framework.

This scalable and flexible image annotation tool allows you to perform all the tasks mentioned above,

from image classification to advanced semantic segmentation.

In addition, a best-in-class data engine will typically include additional features that specifically help

optimize your image annotation projects.

Model-assisted labeling

An AI data engine helps users automate several parts of their image annotation process to accelerate

efforts without diminishing the quality of annotations.

Labelbox enables AI teams to quickly and easily annotate images with powerful, flexible, and configurable

labeling editors.

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1. Automated queuing enables labelers to work continuously, eliminating the delays that occur as they
wait to receive datasets, instructions, and other materials

2. Auto-segmentation tools that cut complex image segmentation drawing tasks down to seconds

3. Automate data operations and workflows programmatically with a Python SDK

4. AI teams can import model predictions as pre-labels, so that labelers can review and correct them
instead of labeling data from scratch

This final labeling automation technique, called pre-labeling or model-assisted labeling, has been
proven to reduce labeling time and costs by up to 50% for AI teams.

Pre-labeling decreases labeling costs as the model gets smarter with every iteration, leaving teams
more time to focus on manually labeling edge cases or areas where the model might not be performing
as well. It’s not only faster and less expensive, but delivers better model performance.

High-performance image annotation tools

The image annotation tool on the AI data engine you are testing can support a high number of objects
and labels per image without sacrificing loading times.

Labelbox’s fast and ergonomic drawing tools provide efficiency to help reduce the time-consuming
nature of creating consistent, pixel-perfect labels. A vector pen tool, for instance, allows users to draw
freehand as well as generate straight lines. When you have the right tool for the job, image annotation is
much easier.

The Labelbox segmentation pen tool makes image annotation quick and easy.

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 Customization based on ontology requirements

Labelbox’s suite of image annotation tools gives you the ability to configure the label editor to your

exact data structure (ontology) requirements, with the ability to further classify instances that you have

segmented.

Ontology management includes classifications, custom attributes, hierarchical relationships, and more.

You'll be able to quickly annotate images with the labels that matter to you, without the clutter of

irrelevant options.

Configure the label editor to your exact data structure (ontology) requirements. Bring additional

attachments such as text, videos, images, overlays or even custom widgets to aid data labelers to create

perfect labels.

A streamlined user interface that emphasizes performance for a wide

array of devices

An intuitive design helps lower the cognitive load on image labelers which enables faster image

annotation. Moreover, an uncluttered online image annotation tool is built to run quickly, even on lower

spec PCs and laptops. Both are critical for professional labelers who are working in an annotation editor

all day.

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A simple, intuitive UI reduces friction.

Seamlessly connect your data via Python SDK or API

Stream data into your AI data engine and push labeled data into training environments like TensorFlow

and PyTorch. Labelbox was built to be developer-friendly and API first, so you can use it as

infrastructure to scale up and connect your computer vision models to accelerate labeling productivity

and orchestrate active learning.

Simplified data import without writing and maintaining your own scripts.

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Benchmarks and consensus

Data quality is measured by both the consistency and the accuracy of labeled data. The industry-
standard methods for calculating data quality are benchmarks (aka gold standard), consensus, and
review.

An essential part of an AI data scientist’s job is figuring out what combination of these quality
assurance procedures is right for annotated images used in your ML project. Quality assurance is an
automated process that operates continuously throughout your training data development and
improvement processes. With Labelbox consensus and benchmark features, you can automate
consistency and accuracy tests. These tests allow you to customize the percentage of your data to test
and the number of labelers that will annotate the test data.

Benchmarks in action, highlighting the example labeled asset with a gold star.

Collaboration and performance monitoring

Having an organized system to invite and supervise all your labelers during an image annotation project
is important for both scalability and security. An AI data engine should include granular options to invite
users and review the work of each one.

With Labelbox, setting up a project and inviting new members is extremely easy, and there are many
options for monitoring their performance, including statistics on seconds needed to label an image. You
can implement several quality control mechanisms, including activating automatic consensus between
different labelers or setting gold standard benchmarks.

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Seamless collaboration between data science teams, domain experts, and dedicated external labeling

teams.

Automatic annotation tool

If you are using image annotation to train a machine learning model, Labelbox allows you to use your

model to create pre-labeled images for your labeling team using an automatic image segmentation tool.

Labelers can then review the output of the computer vision annotation tool and make any necessary

corrections or adjustments. Instead of starting from scratch, much of the work is already done, resulting

in significant time savings.

Final thoughts on image annotation with an AI data

engine

The real-world applications for image annotation are endless, from content moderation to self-driving

cars to security and surveillance. And, while there are many components to image annotation

(classification, detection, segmentation), ultimately the annotation process itself is just a way to

produce high quality data for model training.

When engineers at Tesla developed their Full Self Driving (FSD) vehicle technology in 2020, a key part of

their success was an AI data engine. OpenAI currently uses their own proprietary AI data engine to

train, deploy and maintain popular successful models such as GPT-3 and DALL-E 2.

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From these examples, we can see how an AI data engine is key to deploying successful AI products, as
it is the foundational infrastructure for how team members interface with data and models.
Unfortunately, not all teams have the time and resources to architect an intricate and complex data
engine for every use case.

Luckily, AI teams today don’t have to build and maintain data engines for their projects like Tesla and
OpenAI did — they can invest in one instead. A best-in-class AI data engine gives you the ability to
visualize, curate, organize, label data to improve model performance. Labelbox can help you get there.

Download the Complete guide to data engines for AI to learn how investing in a data engine can help
your team build transformative AI products fast.

Try Labelbox today

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