Annotate Images Like a Pro: Python Image Annotation Tool Walkthrough

Image Annotation Made Easy with DigitalSreeni's Python Tool
In this video, I walk you through my Python-based image annotation application and its associated tools, providing a step-by-step demo to help you get started.

Topics Covered:

--Installation of the Python library for image annotation, along with setting up Anaconda and configuring your environment.
- Creating new projects and adding 2D and multi-dimensional images (TIFF, CZI).
- Manual annotation of 2D images and slices from multi-dimensional images using polygon and rectangle tools.
- Semi-automatic annotations with the Segment Anything Model (SAM).
- Renaming and assigning colors to classes for better organization.
- Exporting annotations to various formats: COCO JSON, YOLO v8, labeled images, semantic images, Pascal VOC bounding boxes.
- Verifying exported annotations by reloading them into the program.

Additional Tools:
- Annotation statistics
- Combining JSON annotations
- Data splitting
- Patch extraction
- Data augmentation of images and annotations

Links:

To Install:
pip install digitalsreeni-image-annotator

Once installed, simply type sreeni in your command prompt within the correct environment to launch the application.

You can download SAM models from the following links. Please be cautious about the large model on systems with limited memory.

It is recommended to place the SAM models in a directory from where you normally start the application to avoid multiple downloads of the same models from the Ultralytics server.

[Brickkzz]

This is by far the best tool I’ve used. It’s much easier and more flexible than other online options. The interface is intuitive, and integrates smoothly with my YOLOv8 training workflows. Highly recommend for anyone in computer vision! Few very minor improvements: (1) add automated labelling (e.g. DINO+SAM, or custom YOLO that was pretrained on the dataset), (2) add an option Save As... for the projects, (3) editing the polygon of SAM-labelled instances (for minor corrections).

[srivathsansanthanam]

I DIDN'T FIND A FREEWARE WHICH WAS USER FREINDLY WITH A GOOD UI. I WAS PLANNING TO DESIGN ONE EXACTLY SIMILAR TO THIS AND GIVE IT FREE TO THE COMMUNITY IN A YEAR OR SO.


YOU JUST DID IT

[WtheV]

Using your tool for my first image segmentation project. It is working great and just what I needed. I'm using SAM to annotate many small objects. Sometimes, it's difficult to select bigger objects, but when I switch between SAM models, it works most of the time.

[anthonyashwin]

Look how coolly this guy dropped one of the best annotation tools 🔥. #legend

[tonipassos]

I am using that tool since yesterday and it is being awesome, tank you! Really better than others open source tools.
I have a suggestion, like the merge tool I would enjoy to have a minus operation over areas, could be really helpfull

[mmrsagar]

Excellent tool. I am really surprised how well this works. I know there are lots of people who would be benefited by your tool without knowing much coding.
I think it would also be very beneficial for a lot of people like me who also wants to build some gui applications like yours. If you can make the step by step tutorials for how to package the application and push it to pypl and a bit about making the gui application.

Thank you for your great tool.

[abdolreza]

Amazong tool Dr! Thanks for all your efforts.

[yogidwitama]

Thank you, you always help with my project, sir. I have tried your project, and it's great, Here’s my input:

1. Add an edit annotation feature. When using SAM-assisted annotation, sometimes the annotated area is not quite accurate, so a function for editing annotations is needed.
2. Add CTRL+Z for undo.
3. Add the ability to hold the mouse wheel to drag the image.
🫡

[patis.IA-AI]

It's just a sick job. Thanks for the time we're going to save !!! Merci !!!

[Xamy-]

Feedback is put a desaturated white green background and darkened green for the font color. Common trick to enhance readability.

Add a confirmation to deleting classes.

Allowing a user to choose a yolo model to assist with labelling in the same way as SAM


Otherwise interesting stuff :)

[jesussoto]

This tool looks great Thanks for sharing

[victorsilvadossantos]

Great piece of work! Thanks for sharing this!

[WTFteamPro]

This is wonderful. This video has helped a lot! thank you!!

[yoverale]

Hi Sreeni such a great tool! I’ll test it myself soon because i need to tag a bunch of images for a project for college and I don’t have any team to rely on. I was thinking about using SAM or some similar model to help me with bounding boxes, but you’ve just did it even easier for all of us, thanks a lot!

By the way, the only issue i can see in your demo is just for bb editing, because once you create anew annotation, the software is just treating it like a polygon, as you showed, so if one needs to do some micro adjustments on width/height it’s not a bounding box anymore, right? I think for that use case, it would be far useful to still editing it as a rectangle without deforming it.

Hope it’s helpful feedback for you, not intending at all to minimize or criticize the humongous work you’ve made!! 🙏🏻

[raghvendrabhargava]

This is a awesome job. I am going to use this right away.

[tai_phillips]

Bless your wonderful work Sir, Thank you kindly.

[NaveenPersonal-fh]

hi sreeni, im not able to find image in files, and i have jpg format now, do i need to convert that?
pls tell

[justinnacu]

I’d love to contribute to your image annotation tool! I currently use LabelMe, but I find some parts inefficient for my workflow. I’d rather contribute to an active project like yours and help improve it.

[ronaldoleoni]

why always there is a difference between the number of images when i export from coco to segmented? the segmented folder always get a little more images than the original dataset, where these images come from?

obs: i dont have tiff or any other images in stashs

[muhammadumar]

i'm new to image annotation and watched this vide i didnot understood what this software is doing ? All the tasks you performed are manually even you give rectangles and polygons to images manually can any one help what is the purpose of this tool and what is dynamic in it ?