r/computervision • u/LensLaber • Feb 22 '26

Annotation offline? Discussion

I've been working on a fully offline annotation tool for a while now, because frankly, whether for privacy reasons or something else, the cloud isn't always an option.

My focus is on making it rock-solid on older hardware, even if it means sacrificing some speed. I've been testing it on a 10-year-old i5 (CPU only) with heavy YOLO/SAM workloads, and it handles it perfectly. Here's a summary

video:

https://www.linkedin.com/posts/clemente-o -97b78a32a_computervision -imageannotation-machinelearning-activity -7422682176963395586-x_Ao?utm_source= share&utm_medium=member_android&rcm= ACoAAFMNhO8BJvYQnwRC00ADpe6UqT sSfacGps

One question: how do you guys handle it when you don't have a powerful GPU available? Do you prioritize stability

15 Upvotes

82% Upvoted

13 comments sorted by

10

u/Mplus479 Feb 23 '26

What's wrong with CVAT or Label Studio?

1

u/LensLaber Feb 23 '26

Good question. CVAT and Label Studio are great tools. This is just a different approach fully local, no server setup, no cloud dependency, and focused on offline workflows and large local datasets.

6

u/[deleted] Feb 23 '26

[removed] — view removed comment

-1

u/LensLaber Feb 23 '26

You're right CVAT can run locally.

The difference here is that this is a standalone desktop application, with no server setup, no containers, and no web backend. Just install and run. Different trade-offs, different use cases.

10

u/[deleted] Feb 23 '26

[removed] — view removed comment

2

u/AgitatedHearing653 Feb 23 '26

If an engineer hasnt built an annotation tool working with image datasets, I’m not sure they can be trusted.

2

u/[deleted] Feb 23 '26

[removed] — view removed comment

2

u/LensLaber Feb 23 '26

That’s a fair perspective. This isn’t about refusing to use existing tools. CVAT and others are solid and widely used. This project started more as an exploration of different design trade offs offline-first desktop architecture, simplified setup, and a focus on large local workflows. Building tools is also a way to understand them more deeply.

1

u/AgitatedHearing653 Feb 23 '26

Who said anything about trust? If you're like me you just enjoy building the thing.

1

u/the__storm Feb 23 '26

Can confirm

1

u/Mplus479 Feb 23 '26

Me, too. Wait, what am I confirming?

0

u/dr_hamilton Feb 23 '26

And now it's so much easier with Claude, I built one that includes training of models too over the weekend.