Classic ML - Overview

In Dataloop's Annotation Platform, a Recipe is a comprehensive task-specific configuration that defines how data should be annotated. It includes the project’s ontology (labels and attributes), the annotation tools to be used, studio settings, and detailed PDF-based work instructions.

Recipes ensure consistency and structure across annotation workflows, allowing teams to standardize labeling practices and improve data quality for training machine learning models. Recipes can be easily created, cloned, customized, or switched per dataset, supporting both flexibility and scalability in annotation projects.

Core Components of a Recipe

• Ontology

  • Hierarchical label structure

  • Custom label colors

  • Import/export labels from TXT

  • Create and manage attributes:

    • Multi-select (checkbox)

    • Single-select (radio button)

    • Free-text

    • Range/scale

    • Yes/No options

    • Attributes include Section ID (for SDK reference)

• Annotation Tools & Studio Settings

  • Tools preconfigured based on the project need

  • Studio interface tailored for specific tasks

• Work Instructions

  • Attach PDF guides for annotators

  • Embed task-specific instructions directly into the recipe

Create Classic ML Recipes

1. Navigate to Recipes from the lift-side menu.

2. Click Create Recipe.

3. Recipe Name: Enter a name for the new recipe.

4. Select the Classic ML task type.

5. Click Create Recipe. The new recipe page is displayed.

6. Start Creating labels , or import ontology.

   1. To create labels, click New Label. The labels, tools, and attributes creating page is displayed.

7. Enter a name for the label and Press Enter.

8. Sub-labels: Click on the Sub-label icon to add sub-labels. A sub-label section will be displayed.

9. Enter a name for the sub-label. For example, the parent label name Labe-1 will be added to the name that you have given for the sub-label Sub-label-1: Label-1.Sub-label-1

10. Thumbnail: Click on the + icon under the Thumbnail column, and start browsing to add an image to the selected label or sub-label.

11. Tools: Select required annotation tools based on your task and item type.

12. Attributes: Click on the + icon under the Attributes column to select or create attributes for the selected labels.

13. To add a new label, click Add New Label.

14. To import multiple labels in a text file, click Upload Labels Files. Use the Download Example File to know the format.

15. Make changes in the Advanced Settings, if required.

16. Click Save. The new recipe will be saved.

Accessing Your Recipes

Select Recipes from the left-hand menu to view all the recipes you have access to within the project.

Labels

Labels are descriptive identifiers used to categorize or classify data elements—such as “Dog,” “Building,” or “Stop Sign.” They provide structured meaning to raw data (e.g., images, videos, or text), enabling its effective use in machine learning and AI workflows.

Purpose & Role in Ontology

Labels are defined within an ontology, ensuring:

• Consistency in how data is annotated

• Clarity across teams and projects

• Uniformity that supports accurate and scalable annotation processes

This structured approach allows ML models to reliably interpret and learn from labeled datasets.

System Labels (Special Case)

Certain labels are automatically added by the system (for example, when OCR is enabled, a “text” label is created by default). These follow strict rules:

• Disabled by default: System labels are initially disabled and cannot be activated or used unless specific system conditions are met.

• Non-editable hierarchy: Cannot be reordered, have new sub-labels, or be deleted.

• Customizable appearance: While the structure of a system label cannot be modified, its color can be changed for easier visualization in annotation tasks.

Add Sub Labels

Labels in the recipe have a Dot Name Spacing (dot-separated structure), allowing you to create tree-like label descriptions (sub-labels that are in a hierarchy with other labels). A well-defined labels hierarchy enables annotators to accurately classify annotations based on logical structure, with correlation with Dataloop advanced tools for labels-based search and filter on items and annotations level.

To add a Sub-Label:

1. Hover-over next to the label, and click on the Add sub-label icon.

2. Enter a name for the sub-label.

3. Press Enter key to save it. The sub-label will be added under the parent label.

In New Label, For example, the parent label name Labe-1 will be added to the name that you have given for the sub-label Sub-label-1: Label-1.Sub-label-1

• Lable_2

  • Label_2.M1

    • Label_2.M1.N1

Click on the > icon of the parent label to expand and view the sub-labels.

Search and Filter Labels

Use the search field to find labels by label name.

You can also filter labels using the following criteria:

Delete Labels

Dataloop allows you to delete single or multiple labels at a time.

1. Open your recipe page.

2. Select one or more labels from the list to delete.

3. Click on the Trash icon from the top bar. A confirmation message is displayed.

4. Click Delete to confirm the deletion. A successful message is displayed.

Label Colors

Each label created within a recipe is automatically assigned a default color. For most annotation tools—excluding Semantic Segmentation—this color is purely visual and affects only the platform's user interface, helping annotators distinguish between different labels across images, videos, and other data types.

However, for the Semantic Segmentation tool, the label color directly influences the output mask. If your model expects specific RGB values for segmentation masks, ensure that the corresponding label colors are set to match those values.

Changing the Default Label Color

The default color assigned t a label can be changed. Click the colored square to select a color from the palette, or enter RGBA or HEX values.

Changing Color for Semantic Segmentation

Changing the color of the label used for semantic segmentation will impact only new annotations from that point onward. The color of existing annotations is saved on the mask in the item's JSON, and therefore won't affect all existing JSON files.

For more information about the Semantic Segmentation tool, click here.

Add Images as Label Thumbnails

Enhance your labeling workflow by adding image thumbnails to labels within your recipe. This allows annotators to select labels based on visual similarity between the item and its associated thumbnail — especially useful for retail and product classification tasks.

To add an image thumbnail to a label, click the “+” icon next to the label and choose an image from your local directory.

To remove a thumbnail:

1. Hover-over next to the thumbnail. A trash icon is displayed next to the Thumbnail.

2. Click on the Trash icon.

3. Click Remove to confirm.

Reordering Labels

Labels can be reordered differently than creation order, to allow prioritizing and displaying at the top of the list during labeling tasks. To reorder labels, click on the Drag icon and drag & drop it to the desired position.

Keyboad Shortcuts

Keyboard shortcuts make it faster to create and manage sub-labels in Recipes, allowing you to add, navigate, and organize labels without using the mouse.

Labeling Tools

Labeling tools help you annotate items according to your project’s requirements. Dataloop’s recipes provide a variety of tools tailored to different data types — such as images, audio, video, and text — allowing you to choose the most suitable option for your task.

When you create a label in your recipe, all tools are selected by default. You can customize this selection to match your needs. Once specific tools are chosen, they will be available in the Annotation Studio exactly as configured in the recipe.

Configure Tools for Your Recipe

1. Open the Recipes from the left-side menu.

2. Click on the recipe to open it.

3. Select the Tools button.

4. Identify the tool from the list and make the following changes:

   1. Scope: Choose list of labels from the list where this tool should be able to use.

   2. Enable or disable: Enable if this tool must be available for the selected recipe.

   3. Tool Settings: Specific tools will have this option to set more advanced settings

5. Click Done to save it.

Tools List and Settings

Configure and customize annotation tools for different data types, enabling or disabling specific features to match your project’s labeling requirements.

Create Pose Templates

Standardize and expedite pose annotations in images or videos by providing predefined point structures, ensuring consistent labeling of complex forms like human bodies.

1. Open the Recipes from the left-side menu.

2. Click on the recipe to open it.

3. Select the Tools button.

4. Select the Point / Pose tool from the list.

5. Click Create New Template from the right-side panel. The Create Pose Template popup is displayed.

6. Search or select a label from the left-sde panel.

7. Click on the Canvas. The selected Label Point is displayed in the canvas and in the Label Order panel on the right-side.

8. Select the next label perform the above action.

9. To reorder, select the label from the Label Order panel, and drag and drop as required.

10. To Delete, double-click on the label in the canvas, or click on X icon next to the label in the label Order panel.

11. Show label Chips: Enable it to view the Label name as a chip in the canvas.

12. Add Points: Allows to add labels as points.

13. Add Line: Allows to add line between two points to show their relation.

14. Line Suggestions: Allows to provide line suggestion when hover-over between points.

15. Once complete, click Create Template to save the template.

Attributes

Attributes are created separately and can be mapped to specific labels, e.g. determining for each attribute the labels it applies to. Attribute has the following fields:

Scope

Where mapping to labels is done. The default applies any attribute to all labels, but individual selection can be done. By default, scoping a label applies the attribute automatically to all sub-labels.

Type

• Multiple Selection: It allows you to select multiple values while annotating.

  • Add the multiple values in the Insert a Value field.

• Single Selection: It allows you to select only a single value while annotating.

• Slider: Selecting from a range of values (for example, between 1 and 10)

• Yes/No: It allows you to add Yes or No value.

• Free text: Allows an annotator to enter free text to answer questions and provide information

• Number:

• Subject: The guidance/question presented to the annotator, on how to fill this attribute.

• Section ID: Allows referring to this attribute via JSON exports and metadata. It’s auto-populated with a running number but can be edited to any value.

Mandatory

Enforce annotators to answer attributes in Studio 2.0 before clicking Done and moving to the next item. The feature is enabled from recipe instructions, and applies to any attribute set as ‘Mandatory’.
While working in the Studio, mandatory attributes skipped will show with a red flag icon, requiring annotators’ attention.

Add Attributes

You can create attributes by using two ways. From the Labels main page or single label level.

1. Go to the Recipes section.

2. Find and open the recipe from the list.

3. Click Attributes as shown above.

4. Select the label from the list in which you need to add an attribute.

5. Update required fields. Refer to the Attributes section for detailed information.

6. Click Save to save the changes.

7. Click the Save icon to save the recipe.

Reordering Labels

Attributes can be reordered differently than creation order, to allow prioritizing and displaying at the top of the list during labeling tasks. To reorder attributes, click on the Drag icon and drag & drop it to the desired position.

Delete Attributes

1. Go to the Recipes section.

2. Find and open the recipe.

3. Click Attributes. The attributes page is displayed.

4. Hover over the attribute, and click on the Trash icon. A confirmation message is displayed as Deleting this attribute may effect active labeling or QA tasks.  

5. Click Delete.

6. Click Save to save the changes.

PDF Instructions

Annotation Instructions

Provide annotators with detailed guidelines on how to label data consistently and accurately, including label definitions, annotation tools, rules, and examples.

With Dataloop, you can upload and view your latest annotation instructions PDF document directly in the annotation studio.

To upload an annotation instruction:

1. Go to the Recipes section.

2. Find and open the recipe from the list.

3. Click Instructions. The PDF Instructions popup panel is displayed.

4. Click on the Annotation Instructions field, and click Upload PDF.

5. Select the Instructions PDF and Upload it. The PDF file will be uploaded and a preview of it will be displayed in a tab format.

To delete an annotation instruction:

1. Go to the Recipes section.

2. Find and open the recipe from the list.

3. Click Instructions. The PDF Instructions popup panel is displayed.

4. Click on the QA Instructions field, and hover-over the instruction to be deleted. A Trash icon is displayed next to the file name.

5. Click on the Trash icon to delete the file.

QA Instructions

Offer QA reviewers specific criteria for evaluating annotations, identifying issues, and providing feedback to annotators.

With Dataloop, you can upload and view your latest QA instructions PDF document directly in the annotation studio.

To upload a QA instruction:

1. Go to the Recipes section.

2. Find and open the recipe from the list.

3. Click Instructions. The PDF Instructions popup panel is displayed.

4. Click on the QA Instructions field, and click Upload PDF.

5. Select the Instructions PDF and Upload it. The PDF file will be uploaded and a preview of it will be displayed in a tab format.

To delete a QA instruction:

1. Go to the Recipes section.

2. Find and open the recipe from the list.

3. Click Instructions. The PDF Instructions popup panel is displayed.

4. Click on the QA Instructions field, and hover-over the instruction to be deleted. A Trash icon is displayed next to the file name.

5. Click on the Trash icon to delete the file.

Switch to Legacy View

Users working with the new recipe can access the previous version (Legacy View) by selecting Swtich to Legacy View.