description: Explore essential utilities in the Ultralytics package to speed up and enhance your workflows. Learn about data processing, annotations, conversions, and more.
keywords: Ultralytics, utilities, data processing, auto annotation, YOLO, dataset conversion, bounding boxes, image compression, machine learning tools
The `ultralytics` package comes with a myriad of utilities that can support, enhance, and speed up your workflows. There are many more available, but here are some that will be useful for most developers. They're also a great reference point to use when learning to program.
[YOLO Explorer](../datasets/explorer/index.md) was added in the `8.1.0` anniversary update and is a powerful tool you can use to better understand your dataset. One of the key functions that YOLO Explorer provides, is the ability to use text queries to find object instances in your dataset.
Dataset annotation is a very resource intensive and time-consuming process. If you have a YOLO object detection model trained on a reasonable amount of data, you can use it and [SAM](../models/sam.md) to auto-annotate additional data (segmentation format).
- [See the reference section for `annotator.auto_annotate`](../reference/data/annotator.md#ultralytics.data.annotator.auto_annotate) for more insight on how the function operates.
- Use in combination with the [function `segments2boxes`](#convert-segments-to-bounding-boxes) to generate object detection bounding boxes as well
Use to convert COCO JSON annotations into proper YOLO format. For object detection (bounding box) datasets, `use_segments` and `use_keypoints` should both be `False`
```{ .py .annotate }
from ultralytics.data.converter import convert_coco
For additional information about the `convert_coco` function, [visit the reference page](../reference/data/converter.md#ultralytics.data.converter.convert_coco)
With existing `x y w h` bounding box data, convert to segments using the `yolo_bbox2segment` function. The files for images and annotations need to be organized like this:
```
data
|__ images
├─ 001.jpg
├─ 002.jpg
├─ ..
└─ NNN.jpg
|__ labels
├─ 001.txt
├─ 002.txt
├─ ..
└─ NNN.txt
```
```{ .py .annotate }
from ultralytics.data.converter import yolo_bbox2segment
[Visit the `yolo_bbox2segment` reference page](../reference/data/converter.md#ultralytics.data.converter.yolo_bbox2segment) for more information regarding the function.
### Convert Segments to Bounding Boxes
If you have a dataset that uses the [segmentation dataset format](../datasets/segment/index.md) you can easily convert these into up-right (or horizontal) bounding boxes (`x y w h` format) with this function.
To understand how this function works, visit the [reference page](../reference/utils/ops.md#ultralytics.utils.ops.segments2boxes)
## Utilities
### Image Compression
Compresses a single image file to reduced size while preserving its aspect ratio and quality. If the input image is smaller than the maximum dimension, it will not be resized.
Automatically split a dataset into `train`/`val`/`test` splits and save the resulting splits into `autosplit_*.txt` files. This function will use random sampling, which is not included when using [`fraction` argument for training](../modes/train.md#train-settings).
See the [Reference page](../reference/data/utils.md#ultralytics.data.utils.autosplit) for additional details on this function.
### Segment-polygon to Binary Mask
Convert a single polygon (as list) to a binary mask of the specified image size. Polygon in the form of `[N, 2]` with `N` as the number of `(x, y)` points defining the polygon contour.
To manage bounding box data, the `Bboxes` class will help to convert between box coordinate formatting, scale box dimensions, calculate areas, include offsets, and more!
Many of the following functions (and more) can be accessed using the [`Bboxes` class](#bounding-box-horizontal-instances) but if you prefer to work with the functions directly, see the next subsections on how to import these independently.
When scaling and image up or down, corresponding bounding box coordinates can be appropriately scaled to match using `ultralytics.utils.ops.scale_boxes`.
Convert bounding box coordinates from (x1, y1, x2, y2) format to (x, y, width, height) format where (x1, y1) is the top-left corner and (x2, y2) is the bottom-right corner.
See docstring for each function or visit the `ultralytics.utils.ops` [reference page](../reference/utils/ops.md) to read more about each function.
## Plotting
### Drawing Annotations
Ultralytics includes an Annotator class that can be used to annotate any kind of data. It's easiest to use with [object detection bounding boxes](../modes/predict.md#boxes), [pose key points](../modes/predict.md#keypoints), and [oriented bounding boxes](../modes/predict.md#obb).
Want or need to use the formats of [images or videos types supported](../modes/predict.md#image-and-video-formats) by Ultralytics programmatically? Use these constants if you need.
### What utilities are included in the Ultralytics package to enhance machine learning workflows?
The Ultralytics package includes a variety of utilities designed to streamline and optimize machine learning workflows. Key utilities include [auto-annotation](../reference/data/annotator.md#ultralytics.data.annotator.auto_annotate) for labeling datasets, converting COCO to YOLO format with [convert_coco](../reference/data/converter.md#ultralytics.data.converter.convert_coco), compressing images, and dataset auto-splitting. These tools aim to reduce manual effort, ensure consistency, and enhance data processing efficiency.
### How can I use Ultralytics to auto-label my dataset?
If you have a pre-trained Ultralytics YOLO object detection model, you can use it with the [SAM](../models/sam.md) model to auto-annotate your dataset in segmentation format. Here's an example:
```python
from ultralytics.data.annotator import auto_annotate
auto_annotate(
data="path/to/new/data",
det_model="yolov8n.pt",
sam_model="mobile_sam.pt",
device="cuda",
output_dir="path/to/save_labels",
)
```
For more details, check the [auto_annotate reference section](../reference/data/annotator.md#ultralytics.data.annotator.auto_annotate).
### How do I convert COCO dataset annotations to YOLO format in Ultralytics?
To convert COCO JSON annotations into YOLO format for object detection, you can use the `convert_coco` utility. Here's a sample code snippet:
```python
from ultralytics.data.converter import convert_coco
convert_coco(
"../datasets/coco/annotations/",
use_segments=False,
use_keypoints=False,
cls91to80=True,
)
```
For additional information, visit the [convert_coco reference page](../reference/data/converter.md#ultralytics.data.converter.convert_coco).
### What is the purpose of the YOLO Data Explorer in the Ultralytics package?
The [YOLO Explorer](../datasets/explorer/index.md) is a powerful tool introduced in the `8.1.0` update to enhance dataset understanding. It allows you to use text queries to find object instances in your dataset, making it easier to analyze and manage your data. This tool provides valuable insights into dataset composition and distribution, helping to improve model training and performance.
### How can I convert bounding boxes to segments in Ultralytics?
To convert existing bounding box data (in `x y w h` format) to segments, you can use the `yolo_bbox2segment` function. Ensure your files are organized with separate directories for images and labels.
```python
from ultralytics.data.converter import yolo_bbox2segment
yolo_bbox2segment(
im_dir="path/to/images",
save_dir=None, # saved to "labels-segment" in the images directory
sam_model="sam_b.pt",
)
```
For more information, visit the [yolo_bbox2segment reference page](../reference/data/converter.md#ultralytics.data.converter.yolo_bbox2segment).
