After your project administrator creates an image data labeling project or text data labeling project in Azure Machine Learning, you can use the labeling tool to rapidly prepare data for a Machine Learning project. This article describes:
[!div class="checklist"]
- How to access your labeling projects
- The labeling tools
- How to use the tools for specific labeling tasks
- A Microsoft account or an Azure Active Directory account for the organization and project.
- Contributor level access to the workspace that contains the labeling project.
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Sign in to Azure Machine Learning studio.
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Select the subscription and the workspace that contains the labeling project. Get this information from your project administrator.
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Depending on your access level, you may see multiple sections on the left. If so, select Data labeling on the left-hand side to find the project.
In the table of data labeling projects, select the Label data link for your project.
You see instructions that are specific to your project. They explain the type of data that you're facing, how you should make your decisions, and other relevant information. After you read this information, at the top of the page select Tasks. Or at the bottom of the page, select Start labeling.
In all data labeling tasks, you choose an appropriate tag or tags from a set that's specified by the project administrator. You can select the first nine tags by using the number keys on your keyboard.
Machine learning algorithms may be triggered during your labeling. If these algorithms are enabled in your project, you may see the following:
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Images
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After some amount of data have been labeled, you may see Tasks clustered at the top of your screen next to the project name. This means that images are grouped together to present similar images on the same page. If so, switch to one of the multiple image views to take advantage of the grouping.
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At a later point, you may see Tasks prelabeled next to the project name. Items will then appear with a suggested label that comes from a machine learning classification model. No machine learning model has 100% accuracy. While we only use data for which the model is confident, these data might still be incorrectly prelabeled. When you see labels, correct any wrong labels before submitting the page.
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For object identification models, you may see bounding boxes and labels already present. Correct any that are incorrect before submitting the page.
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For segmentation models, you may see polygons and labels already present. Correct any that are incorrect before submitting the page.
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Text
- At some point, you may see Tasks prelabeled next to the project name. Items will then appear with a suggested label that comes from a machine learning classification model. No machine learning model has 100% accuracy. While we only use data for which the model is confident, these data might still be incorrectly prelabeled. When you see labels, correct any wrong labels before submitting the page.
Especially early in a labeling project, the machine learning model may only be accurate enough to prelabel a small subset of images. Once these images are labeled, the labeling project will return to manual labeling to gather more data for the next round of model training. Over time, the model will become more confident about a higher proportion of images, resulting in more prelabel tasks later in the project.
When there are no more prelabled tasks, you'll stop confirming or correcting labels and go back to manually tagging the items.
For image-classification tasks, you can choose to view multiple images simultaneously. Use the icons above the image area to select the layout.
To select all the displayed images simultaneously, use Select all. To select individual images, use the circular selection button in the upper-right corner of the image. You must select at least one image to apply a tag. If you select multiple images, any tag that you select will be applied to all the selected images.
Here we've chosen a two-by-two layout and are about to apply the tag "Mammal" to the images of the bear and orca. The image of the shark was already tagged as "Cartilaginous fish," and the iguana hasn't been tagged yet.
Important
Only switch layouts when you have a fresh page of unlabeled data. Switching layouts clears the page's in-progress tagging work.
Azure enables the Submit button when you've tagged all the images on the page. Select Submit to save your work.
After you submit tags for the data at hand, Azure refreshes the page with a new set of images from the work queue.
Important
The capability to label DICOM or similar image types is not intended or made available for use as a medical device, clinical support, diagnostic tool, or other technology intended to be used in the diagnosis, cure, mitigation, treatment, or prevention of disease or other conditions, and no license or right is granted by Microsoft to use this capability for such purposes. This capability is not designed or intended to be implemented or deployed as a substitute for professional medical advice or healthcare opinion, diagnosis, treatment, or the clinical judgment of a healthcare professional, and should not be used as such. The customer is solely responsible for any use of Data Labeling for DICOM or similar image types.
Image projects support DICOM image format for X-ray file images.
:::image type="content" source="media/how-to-label-data/x-ray-image.png" alt-text="X-ray DICOM image to be labeled.":::
While you label the medical images with the same tools as any other images, there is an additional tool for DICOM images. Select the Window and level tool to change the intensity of the image. This tool is available only for DICOM images.
:::image type="content" source="media/how-to-label-data/window-level-tool.png" alt-text="Window and level tool for DICOM images.":::
If your project is of type "Image Classification Multi-Class," you'll assign a single tag to the entire image. To review the directions at any time, go to the Instructions page and select View detailed instructions.
If you realize that you made a mistake after you assign a tag to an image, you can fix it. Select the "X" on the label that's displayed below the image to clear the tag. Or, select the image and choose another class. The newly selected value will replace the previously applied tag.
If you're working on a project of type "Image Classification Multi-Label," you'll apply one or more tags to an image. To see the project-specific directions, select Instructions and go to View detailed instructions.
Select the image that you want to label and then select the tag. The tag is applied to all the selected images, and then the images are deselected. To apply more tags, you must reselect the images. The following animation shows multi-label tagging:
- Select all is used to apply the "Ocean" tag.
- A single image is selected and tagged "Closeup."
- Three images are selected and tagged "Wide angle."
To correct a mistake, select the "X" to clear an individual tag or select the images and then select the tag, which clears the tag from all the selected images. This scenario is shown here. Selecting "Land" will clear that tag from the two selected images.
Azure will only enable the Submit button after you've applied at least one tag to each image. Select Submit to save your work.
If your project is of type "Object Identification (Bounding Boxes)," you'll specify one or more bounding boxes in the image and apply a tag to each box. Images can have multiple bounding boxes, each with a single tag. Use View detailed instructions to determine if multiple bounding boxes are used in your project.
- Select a tag for the bounding box that you plan to create.
- Select the Rectangular box tool
or select "R." - Select and drag diagonally across your target to create a rough bounding box. To adjust the bounding box, drag the edges or corners.
To delete a bounding box, select the X-shaped target that appears next to the bounding box after creation.
You can't change the tag of an existing bounding box. If you make a tag-assignment mistake, you have to delete the bounding box and create a new one with the correct tag.
By default, you can edit existing bounding boxes. The Lock/unlock regions tool 
or "L" toggles that behavior. If regions are locked, you can only change the shape or location of a new bounding box.
Use the Regions manipulation tool 
or "M" to adjust an existing bounding box. Drag the edges or corners to adjust the shape. Select in the interior to be able to drag the whole bounding box. If you can't edit a region, you've probably toggled the Lock/unlock regions tool.
Use the Template-based box tool 
or "T" to create multiple bounding boxes of the same size. If the image has no bounding boxes and you activate template-based boxes, the tool will produce 50-by-50-pixel boxes. If you create a bounding box and then activate template-based boxes, any new bounding boxes will be the size of the last box that you created. Template-based boxes can be resized after placement. Resizing a template-based box only resizes that particular box.
To delete all bounding boxes in the current image, select the Delete all regions tool 
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After you create the bounding boxes for an image, select Submit to save your work, or your work in progress won't be saved.
If your project is of type "Instance Segmentation (Polygon)," you'll specify one or more polygons in the image and apply a tag to each polygon. Images can have multiple bounding polygons, each with a single tag. Use View detailed instructions to determine if multiple bounding polygons are used in your project.
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Select a tag for the polygon that you plan to create.
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Select the Draw polygon region tool
or select "P." -
Select for each point in the polygon. When you've completed the shape, double-click to finish.
:::image type="content" source="media/how-to-label-data/polygon.gif" alt-text="Create polygons for Cat and Dog":::
To delete a polygon, select the X-shaped target that appears next to the polygon after creation.
If you want to change the tag for a polygon, select the Move region tool, select the polygon, and select the correct tag.
You can edit existing polygons. The Lock/unlock regions tool or "L" toggles that behavior. If regions are locked, you can only change the shape or location of a new polygon.
Use the Add or remove polygon points tool 
or "U" to adjust an existing polygon. Select the polygon to add or remove a point. If you can't edit a region, you've probably toggled the Lock/unlock regions tool.
To delete all polygons in the current image, select the Delete all regions tool .
After you create the polygons for an image, select Submit to save your work, or your work in progress won't be saved.
When tagging text, use the toolbar to:
- Increase or decrease the text size
- Change the font
- Skip labeling this item and move to the next item
If you realize that you made a mistake after you assign a tag, you can fix it. Select the "X" on the label that's displayed below the text to clear the tag.
There are three text project types:
| Project type | Description |
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| Classification Multi-Class | Assign a single tag to the entire text entry. You can only select one tag for each text item. Select a tag and then select Submit to move to the next entry. |
| Classification Multi-Label | Assign one or more tags to each text entry. You can select multiple tags for each text item. Select all the tags that apply and then select Submit to move to the next entry. |
| Named entity recognition | Tag different words or phrases in each text entry. See directions in the section below. |
To see the project-specific directions, select Instructions and go to View detailed instructions.
If your project is set up for named entity recognition, you tag different words or phrases in each text item. To label text:
- Select the label or type the number corresponding to the appropriate label
- Double-click on a word, or use your mouse to select multiple words.
:::image type="content" source="media/how-to-label-data/named-entity-labeling.png" alt-text="Screenshot: Named entity recognition.":::
To change a label, you can:
- Delete the label and start again.
- Change the value for all or some of a specific label in your current item:
- Select the label itself, which will select all instances of that label.
- Select again on the instances of this label to unselect any instances you don't want to change.
- Finally, select a new label to change all the labels that are still selected.
When you've tagged all the items in an entry, select Submit to move to the next entry.
When you submit a page of tagged data, Azure assigns new unlabeled data to you from a work queue. If there's no more unlabeled data available, you'll get a message noting this along with a link to the portal home page.
When you're done labeling, select your image inside a circle in the upper-right corner of the studio and then select sign-out. If you don't sign out, eventually Azure will "time you out" and assign your data to another labeler.