Read our comprehensive deep dive on data labeling with respect to computer vision projects and learn how to label visual data and why it's so important.
Artificial intelligence (AI) focuses on giving machines human-like abilities, and one of the most popular ways to do this is through supervised learning. In other words, teaching AI models by showing them labeled examples can help them learn from patterns and improve at tasks. It’s very similar to how humans learn from experience. So, how are these labeled examples created?
Data annotation involves labeling or tagging data to help machine learning algorithms understand it. In computer vision, this means marking images or videos to accurately recognize and categorize objects, actions, or scenes. Data labeling is vital because an AI model’s success relies heavily on the quality of the labeled data it’s trained on.
Studies show that over 80% of AI project time is spent managing data, from collecting and aggregating it to cleaning and labeling it. This shows just how important data annotation is in AI model development. Using high-quality annotated data makes it possible for AI models to perform tasks like facial recognition and object detection with greater accuracy and dependability in real-world situations.
Data annotation forms the basis of how well a computer vision model performs. Labeled data is the ground truth that the model uses to learn and make predictions. Ground truth data is key because it represents the real world the model tries to understand. Without this reliable baseline, the AI model would be like a ship navigating without a compass.
Accurate labeling helps these models understand what they’re seeing and leads to better decision-making. If the data is poorly labeled or inconsistent, the model will struggle to make correct predictions and decisions, just like a student learning from incorrect textbooks. Thanks to annotated data, a model can learn tasks such as image classification, instance segmentation, and pose estimation of objects in images and videos.
Before creating a brand new dataset and meticulously labeling images and videos, it’s a good idea to see if you can use pre-existing datasets for your project. There are several fantastic open-source repositories where you can access high-quality datasets for free. Some of the most popular ones include:
When choosing a dataset, it’s important to consider factors like how well it fits your project, the size of the dataset, its diversity, and the quality of the labels. Also, be sure to review the dataset’s licensing terms to avoid any legal repercussions, and check if the data is formatted in a way that suits your workflow and tools.
Creating a custom dataset is a great option if existing datasets don’t quite fit your needs. You can gather images using tools like webcams, drones, or smartphones, depending on what your project requires. Ideally, your custom dataset should be diverse, balanced, and truly representative of the problem you're trying to solve. This might mean capturing images in different lighting conditions, from various angles, and across multiple environments.
If you are only able to collect a smaller number of images or videos, data augmentation is a helpful technique. It involves expanding your dataset by applying transformations like rotation, flipping, or color adjustments to existing images. It increases the size of your dataset and makes your model more robust and better able to handle variations in the data. By using a mix of open-source datasets, custom datasets, and augmented data, you can significantly boost the performance of your computer vision models.
Before you start annotating images, it’s important to be familiar with the different types of annotations. It’ll help you choose the right one for your project. Next, we’ll take a look at some of the main types of annotations.
Bounding boxes are the most common type of annotation in computer vision. They are rectangular boxes used to mark the location of an object in an image. These boxes are defined by the coordinates of their corners, and help AI models identify and locate objects. Bounding boxes are mainly used for object detection.
Sometimes, an object needs to be detected more accurately than by mean of just a bounding box drawn around it. You may be interested in the boundary of the objects in an image. In that case, segmentation masks let you outline complex objects. Segmentation masks are a more detailed pixel level representation.
These masks can be used for semantic segmentation and instance segmentation. Semantic segmentation involves labeling every pixel in an image according to the object or area it represents, like a pedestrian, car, road, or sidewalk. Instance segmentation, however, goes a step further by identifying and separating each object individually, like distinguishing between each car in an image, even if they are all the same type.
3D cuboids are similar to bounding boxes, what makes them unique is that 3D cuboids add depth information and provide a 3D representation of an object. This extra information allows systems to understand the shape, volume, and position of objects in a 3D space. 3D cuboids are often used in self-driving cars to measure the distance of objects from the vehicle.
Another interesting type of annotation is key-points, where specific points like eyes, noses, or joints are marked on objects. Landmarks takes this a step further by connecting these points to capture the structure and movement of more complex shapes, like faces or body poses. These types of annotations are used for applications like facial recognition, motion capture, and augmented reality. They also improve the accuracy of AI models in tasks like gesture recognition or analyzing sports performance.
Now that we've discussed the different types of annotations, let’s understand how you can annotate images using a popular tool, LabelImg. LabelImg is an open-source tool that makes image annotation simple, and can be used to create datasets in the YOLO (You Only Look Once) format. It’s a great choice for beginners working on small Ultralytics YOLOv8 projects.
Setting up LabelImg is straightforward. First, make sure you have Python 3 installed on your computer. Then, you can install LabelImg with a quick command.
Once it’s installed, you can start the tool using the command:
LabelImg works on multiple platforms, including Windows, macOS, and Linux. If you encounter any issues during installation, the official LabelImg repository can provide you with more detailed instructions.
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Once you launch the tool, follow these simple steps to start labeling your images:
To make the process of data labeling smoother, there are a few key strategies to keep in mind. For example, clear annotation guidelines are crucial. Without them, different annotators might interpret a task differently.
Let’s say the task is to annotate birds in images with bounding boxes. One annotator might label the entire bird, while another might only label the head or wings. This kind of inconsistency can confuse the model during training. By providing clear definitions, such as "label the entire bird including wings and tail," along with examples and instructions for tricky cases, you can make sure the data is tagged accurately and consistently.
Regular quality checks are also important for maintaining high standards. By setting benchmarks and using specific metrics to review work, you can keep data accurate and refine the process through continuous feedback.
Data annotation is a simple concept that can have a significant impact on your computer vision model. Whether you’re using tools like LabelImg to annotate images or training models on open-source datasets, understanding data labeling is key. Data labeling strategies can help streamline the entire process, and make it more efficient. Taking the time to refine your annotation approach can lead to better, more dependable AI results.
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