Exporting labels from Annotation Projects (Workflows)

To train your models you must export your labels.

Only Project admins can export labels
Descriptions of all information contained in the export file can be found here.
  1. Navigate to Labels and export on the Project Dashboard
  2. Select the Data tab.
  3. Select the data units you want to export labels for.
  4. Click the Export and save button. A pop-up appears.
  1. Give this label version a name.
  2. Select whether you want your labels to be exported in JSON or COCO format.
  3. Toggle this if you want to include signed URLs in your export.
  4. Select which label status(es) to include in the export.
  5. Select what objects to include in the export.
  6. Click Export and save to export your labels.

Exporting labels from Manual QA Projects

Learn how to export data Manual QA Projects by watching this video.


The Export tab is where you export the labels and classifications created in a Project.

A. Select the files you want to export labels for by clicking the checkboxes next to the files you’d like to include in your export. Click the Export to export the selected data.

B. Select the format for your exported data; COCO or JSON.

C. Toggle this switch if you want to include signed URLs in your export.

D. Select the label status of the annotations you want to be included in the export.

E. Select the objects you want to include in the export.

F. Select which classifications to include in the export.

Download files are tagged with a unique id for the Project they are exported from and the time at which the export is made.

After the Export button is pressed, progress can be monitored using the notification bell icon in the top-right of the page.

Once the process completes a notification will appear in the top-right corner of your screen telling you the export is complete. Click Click to download to download your labels.

You can also download your labels in the notification menu (accessed using the bell icon in the top left corner of the platform) and clicking the export icon next to the export you want to download.

Label editor coordinates

Label coordinates are normalized to be between 0 and 1. This means that the corners of the frame or image correspond to the coordinates (1,1), (1,0), (0,0), (0,1) regardless of frame dimensions.

To get the pixel values of any normalized coordinates, multiply them by the width or height of the label (given in pixels).

  • “x” and “h” coordinates of a label should be multiplied by the pixel width.
  • “y” and “w” coordinates of a label should be multiplied by the pixel height.

Export data format

All labels export to a single JSON or COCO file and both formats contain the exact same information. The information below uses the JSON format as an example. Refer to the COCO documentation for details on the COCO format.

We recommend viewing the exported JSON using a web-browser or a JSON parser.

The tables below provide descriptions of all values contained in the exported files.

Exports of label versions for which the data unit has been deleted will vary from the examples shown below - the data_type is deleted, while image groups and image sequences will only contain a single data_unit.

Single images

The export contains a list of JSON objects, with each JSON object representing a single data unit and containing detailed information for all exported labels.

The example below describes all the keys for a single exported data unit.


[
  {
    "label_hash": "781dd0ff-e4c2-48f1-bcd1-09f2f0756701",
    "created_at": "2023-03-23 11:42:14",
    "last_edited_at": "2023-10-02 13:53:03",
    "dataset_hash": "4a4141ed-8d8b-4518-b1f7-97a5c53e992b",
    "dataset_title": "Cologne images",
    "data_title": "dom-hbf.jpg",
    "data_hash": "9c588f63-ad87-4987-a074-06ba0d6980cd",
    "data_type": "image",
    "is_image_sequence": null,
    "video_link": null,
    "data_units": { },
    "classification_answers": { },
    "object_actions": { },
    "label_status": "LABELLED",
    "export_history": [
      {
        "export_hash": "02b56519-9664-4e38-9713-4817a5caf648",
        "exported_at": "Mon, 02 Oct 2023 14:35:30 UTC",
        "user_email": "david.babuschkin@encord.com"
      }
    ],
    "export_hash": "02b56519-9664-4e38-9713-4817a5caf648",
    "exported_at": "Mon, 02 Oct 2023 14:35:30 UTC",
    "annotation_task_status": "COMPLETE"
  }
]

KeyDescriptionNotes
label_hashThe Label Row hashThe ‘hash’ represents a unique identifier
created_atTime and date the label was created
last_edited_atTime and date the label was last edited
dataset_hashThe Dataset’s hashThe ‘hash’ represents a unique identifier
data_typeThe data unit’s file formatAlways “video” for videos
is_image_sequence“true” when the data unit is an image sequenceAlways “null” for images
video_linkContains a private cloud URL for videosAlways “null” for images
data_unitsList of all files the data unit is composed ofDetails of the export information for `data_units“ can be found below.
object_answersAll the attributes in this data unitThe object attributes are identified using their hash
classification_answersAll the classifications in a particular data unitThe classification labels are identified using their hash
object_actionsThe number of states a dynamic attribute can be in.A change in state occurs each time the attribute answer changes. The objectHash within the object_actions is the attribute answer’s ID.
label_statusIndicates whether the data unit has been labeled.
export_historyContains a record of the export history for this data unitExporting labels to confirm export history generates an export history entry.
export_hashThe hash for this particular export instanceThe ‘hash’ represents a unique identifier
exported_atThe date and time when a particular export instance took place.
annotation_task_statusShows the task status of Manual QA Projects.annotation_task_status is only applicable for Manual QA Projects and will be deprecated in January 2024.

Image groups and image sequences

Confused about the difference between image groups and image sequences? See our documentation here to learn about different data types in Encord.

The export contains a list of JSON objects, with each JSON object representing a single image group or image sequence, and containing detailed information for all exported labels.

The example below describes all the keys for a single exported data unit.

[
  {
    "label_hash": "781dd0ff-e4c2-48f1-bcd1-09f2f0756701",
    "created_at": "2023-03-23 11:42:14",
    "last_edited_at": "2023-10-02 13:53:03",
    "dataset_hash": "4a4141ed-8d8b-4518-b1f7-97a5c53e992b",
    "dataset_title": "cooking_image_sequences",
    "data_title": "image-group-67bdc95d",
    "data_hash": "9c588f63-ad87-4987-a074-06ba0d6980cd",
    "data_type": "image_group",
    "is_image_sequence": null,
    "image_sequence_link": "www.my-private-cloud.com/how-to-make-apple-pie.mp4",
    "data_units": { },
    "classification_answers": { },
    "object_actions": { },
    "label_status": "LABELLED",
    "export_history": [
      {
        "export_hash": "02b56519-9664-4e38-9713-4817a5caf648",
        "exported_at": "Mon, 02 Oct 2023 14:35:30 UTC",
        "user_email": "david.babuschkin@encord.com"
      },
      {
        "export_hash": "2e0ee531-41ce-4ce9-a859-b6b47697e5d2",
        "exported_at": "Mon, 02 Oct 2023 13:47:45 UTC",
        "user_email": "david.babuschkin@encord.com"
      }
    ],
    "export_hash": "02b56519-9664-4e38-9713-4817a5caf648",
    "exported_at": "Mon, 02 Oct 2023 14:35:30 UTC",
    "annotation_task_status": "COMPLETE"
  }
]
KeyDescriptionNotes
label_hashThe Label Row hashThe ‘hash’ represents a unique identifier
created_atTime and date the label was created
last_edited_atTime and date the label was last edited
dataset_hashThe dataset’s hashThe ‘hash’ represents a unique identifier
data_typeThe data unit’s file formatAlways “img_group” for image groups and image sequences
is_image_sequencetrue when the data unit is an image sequencefalse for all other types of data, including image groups. This is what distinguishes image groups and image sequences in your export
video_linkContains a link to file storage location if file is a videoAlways “null” for image groups and image sequences
data_unitsList of all files the data unit is composed ofDetails of the export information for data units can be found below.
object_answersAll the attributes in this data unitThe object attributes are identified using their hash
classification_answersAll the classifications in a particular data unitThe classification labels are identified using their hash
object_actionsThe number of states a dynamic attribute can be in.A change in state occurs each time the attribute answer changes. The objectHash within the object_actions is the attribute answer’s ID.
label_statusIndicates whether the data unit has been labeled.
export_historyContains a record of the export history for this data unitExporting labels to confirm export history generates an export history entry.
export_hashThe hash for this particular export instanceThe ‘hash’ represents a unique identifier
exported_atThe date and time when a particular export instance took place.
annotation_task_statusShows the task status of Manual QA Projects.annotation_task_status is only applicable for Manual QA Projects and will be deprecated in January 2024.


Videos

The export contains a list of JSON objects, with each JSON object representing a single data unit and containing detailed information for all exported labels.

The example below describes all the keys for a single exported data unit.


[
  {
    "label_hash": "781dd0ff-e4c2-48f1-bcd1-09f2f0756701",
    "created_at": "2023-03-23 11:42:14",
    "last_edited_at": "2023-10-02 13:53:03",
    "dataset_hash": "4a4141ed-8d8b-4518-b1f7-97a5c53e992b",
    "dataset_title": "cooking_videos",
    "data_title": "how-to-make-apple-pie.mp4",
    "data_hash": "9c588f63-ad87-4987-a074-06ba0d6980cd",
    "data_type": "video",
    "is_image_sequence": null,
    "video_link": "www.my-private-cloud.com/how-to-make-apple-pie.mp4",
    "data_units": { },
    "classification_answers": { },
    "object_actions": { },
    "label_status": "LABELLED",
    "export_history": [
      {
        "export_hash": "02b56519-9664-4e38-9713-4817a5caf648",
        "exported_at": "Mon, 02 Oct 2023 14:35:30 UTC",
        "user_email": "david.babuschkin@encord.com"
      },
      {
        "export_hash": "2e0ee531-41ce-4ce9-a859-b6b47697e5d2",
        "exported_at": "Mon, 02 Oct 2023 13:47:45 UTC",
        "user_email": "david.babuschkin@encord.com"
      }
    ],
    "export_hash": "02b56519-9664-4e38-9713-4817a5caf648",
    "exported_at": "Mon, 02 Oct 2023 14:35:30 UTC",
    "annotation_task_status": "COMPLETE"
  }
]

KeyDescriptionNotes
label_hashThe Label Row hashThe ‘hash’ represents a unique identifier
created_atTime and date the label was created
last_edited_atTime and date the label was last edited
dataset_hashThe Dataset’s hashThe ‘hash’ represents a unique identifier
data_typeThe data unit’s file formatAlways “video” for videos
is_image_sequence“true” when the data unit is an image sequenceAlways “null” for videos
video_linkLink to the video saved on your private cloudAlways “null” for all other file types
data_unitsList of all files the data unit is composed ofDetails of the export information for `data_units“ can be found below.
object_answersAll the attributes in this data unitThe object attributes are identified using their hash
classification_answersAll the classifications in a particular data unitThe classification labels are identified using their hash
object_actionsThe number of states a dynamic attribute can be in.A change in state occurs each time the attribute answer changes. The objectHash within the object_actions is the attribute answer’s ID.
label_statusIndicates whether the data unit has been labeled.
export_historyContains a record of the export history for this data unitExporting labels to confirm export history generates an export history entry.
export_hashThe hash for this particular export instanceThe ‘hash’ represents a unique identifier
exported_atThe date and time when a particular export instance took place.
annotation_task_statusShows the task status of Manual QA Projects.annotation_task_status is only applicable for Manual QA Projects and will be deprecated in January 2024.


DICOM

The export contains a list of JSON objects, with each JSON object representing a single data unit and containing detailed information for all exported labels.

The following example describes all the keys for a single exported data unit.


[
  {
    "label_hash": "781dd0ff-e4c2-48f1-bcd1-09f2f0756701",
    "created_at": "2023-03-23 11:42:14",
    "last_edited_at": "2023-10-02 13:53:03",
    "dataset_hash": "4a4141ed-8d8b-4518-b1f7-97a5c53e992b",
    "dataset_title": "BB: CT thin slices",
    "data_title": "9c58",
    "data_hash": "9c588f63-ad87-4987-a074-06ba0d6980cd",
    "data_type": "dicom",
    "is_image_sequence": null,
    "video_link": null,
    "data_units": { },
    "classification_answers": { },
    "object_actions": { },
    "label_status": "LABELLED",
    "export_history": [
      {
        "export_hash": "02b56519-9664-4e38-9713-4817a5caf648",
        "exported_at": "Mon, 02 Oct 2023 14:35:30 UTC",
        "user_email": "david.babuschkin@encord.com"
      },
      {
        "export_hash": "2e0ee531-41ce-4ce9-a859-b6b47697e5d2",
        "exported_at": "Mon, 02 Oct 2023 13:47:45 UTC",
        "user_email": "david.babuschkin@encord.com"
      }
    ],
    "export_hash": "02b56519-9664-4e38-9713-4817a5caf648",
    "exported_at": "Mon, 02 Oct 2023 14:35:30 UTC",
    "annotation_task_status": "RETURNED"
  }
]

KeyDescriptionNotes
label_hashThe Label Row hashThe ‘hash’ represents a unique identifier
created_atTime and date the label was created
last_edited_atTime and date the label was last edited
dataset_hashThe dataset’s hashThe ‘hash’ represents a unique identifier
data_typeThe data unit’s file formatAlways “dicom” in a DICOM series
is_image_sequence“true” when the data unit is an image sequenceAlways “null” for a DICOM series
video_linkLink to the video or image sequenceAlways “null” for a DICOM series
data_unitsList of all files the data unit is composed ofDetails of the export information for `data_units“ can be found below.
object_answersAll the object attributes in this data unitThe object attribute are identified using their hash
classification_answersAll the classifications in a particular data unitThe classification labels are identified using their hash
object_actionsThe number of states a dynamic attribute can be in.A change in state occurs each time the attribute answer changes. The objectHash within the object_actions is the attribute answer’s ID.
label_statusIndicates whether the data unit has been labeled.
export_historyContains a record of the export history for the data unitExporting labels to confirm export history generates an export history entry.
export_hashThe hash for this particular export instanceThe ‘hash’ represents a unique identifier
exported_atThe date and time when a particular export instance took place.
annotation_task_statusShows the task status of Manual QA Projects.annotation_task_status is only applicable for Manual QA Projects and will be deprecated in January 2024.


Ontology shapes

All ontology shapes can be represented within an export.

Exporting Bitmasks

Bitmask labels are exported as rleStrings. See our SDK documentation to learn how to decode an rleString.

We strongly recommend exporting Bitmask labels using the Encord SDK. Bitmasks are exported in the JSON format.

Exporting data using the Python SDK

Go here to learn how to export JSON files from Encord’s Python SDK. Reach out to us to if you need to export COCO labels.