Official agent skill

Image Annotations

by github in github/awesome-copilot

Annotate screenshots, diagrams, and images with callout rectangles, arrows, labels, and color-coded highlights using PIL.

OfficialMITAuto-check passedDevelopment

Install Image Annotations

skills CLI
$ npx skills add github/awesome-copilot --skill image-annotations -a claude-code

Project install by default; add -g for ~/.claude/skills/.

GitHub CLI
$ gh skill install github/awesome-copilot image-annotations --agent claude-code

Project scope by default; add --scope user for a personal install. Needs GitHub CLI 2.90.0 or later (public preview).

Manual copy
$ git clone --depth 1 https://github.com/github/awesome-copilot.git skills-src && mkdir -p .claude/skills && cp -r skills-src/skills/image-annotations .claude/skills/image-annotations && rm -rf skills-src

Use ~/.claude/skills/ instead of .claude/skills for a personal install. The folder must contain SKILL.md.

Claude Code skills documentation · loads skills from .claude/skills/

Facts

Skill name
image-annotations
GitHub stars
40k
Token cost
~6k tokens
SKILL.md length
838 words
Files
1
Skills in repo
417
Repo updated
First seen
Licence
MIT

At a glance

Annotate screenshots, diagrams, and images with callout rectangles, arrows, labels, and color-coded highlights using PIL.

  • Works in 6 steps: Ring search: candidates between… → Contrast scoring: prefers placements… → Joint resolution: candidates computed… → …
  • Tasks that involve Social media graphics
  • SKILL.md covers When to Use This Skill, Prerequisites, Color Rules and Font, plus 7 more sections
  • Calls pip

What it does

Image Annotations is an agent skill from github/awesome-copilot, published by the product's own GitHub organization. Annotate screenshots, diagrams, and images with callout rectangles, arrows, labels, and color-coded highlights using PIL. Includes rules for animated GIF annotations with timing and pacing.

Its SKILL.md is about 6k tokens, which your agent loads only when the skill is triggered. It is a single SKILL.md file with no bundled scripts.

It sits in Development, covering Social media graphics and Diagrams. The repository describes itself as: Community-contributed instructions, agents, skills, and configurations to help you make the most of GitHub Copilot. The licence is MIT.

When your agent uses it

  • Tasks that involve Social media graphics
  • Tasks that involve Diagrams

Example prompts

  • “/image-annotations”

Requirements

  • Python 3

Workflow steps

6 steps, taken from the first numbered list in SKILL.md.

  1. Ring search: candidates between MIN_ARROW (25px) and MAX_ARROW (120px) from element edge
  2. Contrast scoring: prefers placements where label text is readable — abs(avg_brightness - 147) - std * 0.3 - dist * 0.02
  3. Joint resolution: candidates computed independently, placed greedily (best score first)
  4. Hard blocks: labels cannot overlap any other annotation's element or breathing box
  5. Proximity penalty: labels within 40px of other placed boxes get a score penalty
  6. Arrow crossing penalty: -50 for arrows crossing already-placed arrows

What it can do on your machine

Read from SKILL.md and the folder at commit 727ff2e. It shows what the files ask for, not the result of running them.

  • Tool permissions

    Pre-approves nothing: there is no allowed-tools line, so your agent's usual permission prompts apply.

    From allowed-tools in the SKILL.md frontmatter.

  • Runs code

    Shell commands in SKILL.md call:

    • pip

    From the folder's file list and the shell code blocks in SKILL.md.

  • Network

    No URLs in SKILL.md. Its commands use pip, which can reach the network depending on how they are called.

    From URLs in SKILL.md, links to its own repository left out.

  • Credentials

    Names no API keys, tokens, secrets or passwords.

    From names ending in _API_KEY, _TOKEN, _SECRET, _KEY or _PASSWORD in SKILL.md.

Context cost

Image Annotations loads about 6k tokens when it runs. Until then it costs about 52 tokens; SKILL.md has 838 words of instructions outside code blocks.

Always · name and description, kept in context so the agent knows when to use it
~52
When it runs · the whole SKILL.md, loaded when a task matches
~6k

Estimates: characters ÷ 4, the usual rule of thumb; real counts depend on the model's tokenizer. Scripts and assets cost tokens only if the agent reads them.

Safety

Auto-check passed

The automated check found no risky patterns in SKILL.md.

Automated static check — not a guarantee. Review scripts before installing. It scans the text of SKILL.md for risky patterns (piping downloads into a shell, reading credential files, hidden Unicode, destructive commands); files beside SKILL.md are not scanned.

SKILL.md

The full file from github/awesome-copilot at commit 727ff2e, republished under its MIT licence (© github). 838 words, ~5,957 tokens.

Download SKILL.mdSave it as .claude/skills/image-annotations/SKILL.md (or your agent's skills folder).
name
image-annotations
description
Annotate screenshots, diagrams, and images with callout rectangles, arrows, labels, and color-coded highlights using PIL. Includes rules for animated GIF annotations with timing and pacing.

Image Annotations

Add visual callouts to any image — screenshots, diagrams, architecture docs, demo frames — using PIL/Pillow. Highlights what changed or what to look at, so reviewers don't have to guess.

When to Use This Skill

Use this skill when you need to:

  • Highlight a specific area in a screenshot for a PR description
  • Annotate before/after images to show what changed
  • Add labels and callouts to diagrams or architecture images
  • Create annotated frames for animated GIF demos

Prerequisites

bash
pip install Pillow -q

Color Rules

  • Red (#E63946) — only for "bad" / "removed" things (e.g., circling a bug being fixed)
  • Yellowish-orange (#FF9F1C) — for neutral highlights ("look here", "new feature", etc.)
  • Never use red just because it's eye-catching — red = bad/removed

Font

  • Use Ink Free (C:/Windows/Fonts/Inkfree.ttf) for a handwritten look on Windows
  • On Linux/macOS, fall back to ImageFont.load_default()
  • Size 36 for annotations on ~1400px-wide images
  • stroke_width=1 with stroke_fill=<same color as fill> — gives body without being too thick
  • Do NOT use white stroke — looks like a bad glow effect

Shapes

  • Prefer rounded rectangles over circles/ellipses — less pixelation at edges
  • draw.rounded_rectangle([x1, y1, x2, y2], radius=14, outline=color, width=5)
  • Padding 18px around the target content

Reference Snippet

python
from PIL import Image, ImageDraw, ImageFont

# Setup
font = ImageFont.truetype('C:/Windows/Fonts/Inkfree.ttf', 36)  # or load_default()
color = '#FF9F1C'  # orange for highlights
stroke = 5
pad = 18

img = Image.open('screenshot.png')
draw = ImageDraw.Draw(img)

# Rounded rect with padding
draw.rounded_rectangle(
    [x1 - pad, y1 - pad, x2 + pad, y2 + pad],
    radius=14, outline=color, width=stroke
)

# Leader line (same thickness as rect)
draw.line([x2 + pad, cy, x2 + pad + 40, cy - 30], fill=color, width=stroke)

# Label — same-color stroke for body, NO white stroke
draw.text(
    (x2 + pad + 45, cy - 60), 'label text',
    fill=color, font=font, stroke_width=1, stroke_fill=color
)

img.save('annotated.png')

Algorithmic Annotation — annotate.py

For images with multiple elements to annotate, use the annotate.py module below. Save it next to your script and import from it. It handles automatic label placement without overlapping.

Quick start
python
from annotate import annotate_image

result = annotate_image(
    'screenshot.png',
    [
        {'elem': (560, 275, 635, 390), 'label': 'button', 'draw_box': True},
        {'elem': (105, 453, 236, 470), 'label': 'status text'},
    ],
    debug=True,
)
result.save('annotated.png')
  • elem: (x1, y1, x2, y2) tight bounding box — must be exact pixel coordinates
  • label: text label (supports \n for multi-line)
  • draw_box: if True, draws a rounded rectangle around the element. If False (default), draws a V-arrowhead pointing at the element
  • debug: shows targeting rectangles and candidate heatmap for placement validation
Coordinate grid helper

Always use grid_image() before annotating an unfamiliar image. Scaled-down previews display images smaller than actual pixel dimensions — the error compounds as you move away from (0,0).

python
from annotate import grid_image

grid = grid_image('screenshot.png', step=100)
grid.save('grid.png')

Then verify with small crops:

python
from PIL import Image
img = Image.open('screenshot.png')
crop = img.crop((x1 - 20, y1 - 20, x2 + 20, y2 + 20))
crop.save('verify.png')
Algorithm overview
  1. Ring search: candidates between MIN_ARROW (25px) and MAX_ARROW (120px) from element edge
  2. Contrast scoring: prefers placements where label text is readable — abs(avg_brightness - 147) - std * 0.3 - dist * 0.02
  3. Joint resolution: candidates computed independently, placed greedily (best score first)
  4. Hard blocks: labels cannot overlap any other annotation's element or breathing box
  5. Proximity penalty: labels within 40px of other placed boxes get a score penalty
  6. Arrow crossing penalty: -50 for arrows crossing already-placed arrows
Debug mode colors
ColorMeaning
CyanTarget element box (elem + padding)
GrayExclusion zone (MIN_ARROW buffer)
Red→GreenCandidate heatmap (red=bad, green=good)
MagentaChosen label position
OrangeFinal rendered annotation
Arrow styles
  • draw_box=True: rounded rectangle + straight line to label, no arrowhead
  • draw_box=False: V-shaped arrowhead with rounded line caps
annotate.py — full module

Save this as annotate.py and import from it:

python
"""
Algorithmic screenshot annotation with automatic label placement.

pip install Pillow numpy
Optional for diff_images: pip install scipy
"""
import math
import numpy as np
from PIL import Image, ImageDraw, ImageFont

# --- Defaults ---
DEFAULT_FONT = 'C:/Windows/Fonts/Inkfree.ttf'
DEFAULT_FONT_SIZE = 32
DEFAULT_COLOR = '#FF9F1C'
DEFAULT_STROKE = 5
MIN_ARROW = 25
MAX_ARROW = 120
TEXT_PAD = 6
BREATH = 18
CROSSING_PENALTY = 50
PROXIMITY_MARGIN = 40
PROXIMITY_PENALTY = 50


def _rect_intersects(a, b):
    return a[0] < b[2] and a[2] > b[0] and a[1] < b[3] and a[3] > b[1]


def _segments_intersect(p1, p2, p3, p4):
    def cross(o, a, b):
        return (a[0] - o[0]) * (b[1] - o[1]) - (a[1] - o[1]) * (b[0] - o[0])
    d1, d2 = cross(p3, p4, p1), cross(p3, p4, p2)
    d3, d4 = cross(p1, p2, p3), cross(p1, p2, p4)
    return ((d1 > 0 and d2 < 0) or (d1 < 0 and d2 > 0)) and \
           ((d3 > 0 and d4 < 0) or (d3 < 0 and d4 > 0))


def _line_rect_exit(cx, cy, tx, ty, rect):
    x1, y1, x2, y2 = rect
    dx, dy = tx - cx, ty - cy
    tmin, tmax = 0.0, 1.0
    for lo, hi, p, d in [(x1, x2, cx, dx), (y1, y2, cy, dy)]:
        if abs(d) < 1e-9:
            continue
        t0, t1 = (lo - p) / d, (hi - p) / d
        if t0 > t1:
            t0, t1 = t1, t0
        tmin, tmax = max(tmin, t0), min(tmax, t1)
    return (cx + dx * tmax, cy + dy * tmax)


def _rect_gap(a, b):
    dx = max(a[0] - b[2], b[0] - a[2], 0)
    dy = max(a[1] - b[3], b[1] - a[3], 0)
    if dx == 0 and dy == 0:
        return 0
    return math.sqrt(dx**2 + dy**2)


def _find_candidates(pixels, W, H, cyan, pw, ph, font):
    cx, cy = (cyan[0] + cyan[2]) / 2, (cyan[1] + cyan[3]) / 2
    excl_zone = (cyan[0] - MIN_ARROW, cyan[1] - MIN_ARROW,
                 cyan[2] + MIN_ARROW, cyan[3] + MIN_ARROW)
    sx1 = max(0, cyan[0] - MAX_ARROW - pw)
    sy1 = max(0, cyan[1] - MAX_ARROW - ph)
    sx2 = min(W - pw, cyan[2] + MAX_ARROW)
    sy2 = min(H - ph, cyan[3] + MAX_ARROW)
    step_x = max(8, min(pw // 2, MAX_ARROW // 3))
    step_y = max(8, min(ph // 2, MAX_ARROW // 3))
    cands = []
    for px in range(sx1, sx2, step_x):
        for py in range(sy1, sy2, step_y):
            pink = (px, py, px + pw, py + ph)
            if _rect_intersects(pink, excl_zone):
                continue
            gl, gr = cyan[0] - pink[2], pink[0] - cyan[2]
            gt, gb = cyan[1] - pink[3], pink[1] - cyan[3]
            hd, vd = max(gl, gr, 0), max(gt, gb, 0)
            ed = math.sqrt(hd**2 + vd**2) if (hd > 0 and vd > 0) else max(hd, vd)
            if ed > MAX_ARROW:
                continue
            region = pixels[py:py + ph, px:px + pw, :3].astype(float)
            score = abs(np.mean(region) - 147) - np.std(region) * 0.3
            dist = math.sqrt((px + pw/2 - cx)**2 + (py + ph/2 - cy)**2)
            score -= dist * 0.02
            cands.append(((px, py), score))
    return cands


def _resolve_placements(annots, font):
    placed = []
    all_elem_zones = []
    for ann in annots:
        all_elem_zones.append(ann['cyan'])
        if ann.get('draw_box', False):
            c = ann['cyan']
            all_elem_zones.append((c[0]-BREATH, c[1]-BREATH, c[2]+BREATH, c[3]+BREATH))
    for ann in sorted(annots, key=lambda a: -a['best_score']):
        pw, ph = ann['pw'], ann['ph']
        cyan = ann['cyan']
        cx, cy = ann['cyan_center']
        draw_box = ann.get('draw_box', False)
        best_pos, best_score = None, -999
        valid = []
        for (px, py), score in ann['candidates']:
            pink = (px, py, px + pw, py + ph)
            ok = True
            for ez in all_elem_zones:
                if ez == cyan:
                    continue
                if ann.get('draw_box', False):
                    own_viz = (cyan[0]-BREATH, cyan[1]-BREATH, cyan[2]+BREATH, cyan[3]+BREATH)
                    if ez == own_viz:
                        continue
                if _rect_intersects(pink, ez):
                    ok = False; break
            if not ok:
                continue
            for p_pink, p_excl, p_viz, _ in placed:
                if _rect_intersects(pink, p_pink) or _rect_intersects(pink, p_excl):
                    ok = False; break
                if p_viz and _rect_intersects(pink, p_viz):
                    ok = False; break
            if not ok:
                continue
            for p_pink, p_excl, p_viz, _ in placed:
                for rect in [p_pink, p_excl, p_viz]:
                    if rect is None:
                        continue
                    gap = _rect_gap(pink, rect)
                    if gap < PROXIMITY_MARGIN:
                        score -= PROXIMITY_PENALTY * (1 - gap / PROXIMITY_MARGIN)
            for ez in all_elem_zones:
                if ez == cyan:
                    continue
                gap = _rect_gap(pink, ez)
                if gap < PROXIMITY_MARGIN:
                    score -= PROXIMITY_PENALTY * (1 - gap / PROXIMITY_MARGIN)
            tcx, tcy = px + pw/2, py + ph/2
            cand_start = _line_rect_exit(tcx, tcy, cx, cy, pink)
            if draw_box:
                viz = (cyan[0]-BREATH, cyan[1]-BREATH, cyan[2]+BREATH, cyan[3]+BREATH)
                cand_end = _line_rect_exit(cx, cy, tcx, tcy, viz)
            else:
                cand_end = _line_rect_exit(cx, cy, tcx, tcy, cyan)
            for _, _, _, pa in placed:
                if pa and _segments_intersect(cand_start, cand_end, pa[0], pa[1]):
                    score -= CROSSING_PENALTY; break
            valid.append(((px, py), score))
            if score > best_score:
                best_score, best_pos = score, (px, py)
        ann['valid_candidates'] = valid
        if best_pos is None:
            ann['pink'] = ann['tpos'] = ann['astart'] = ann['aend'] = ann['viz'] = None
            continue
        px, py = best_pos
        pink = (px, py, px + pw, py + ph)
        ann['pink'] = pink
        ann['tpos'] = (px + TEXT_PAD, py + TEXT_PAD)
        tcx, tcy = px + pw/2, py + ph/2
        ann['astart'] = _line_rect_exit(tcx, tcy, cx, cy, pink)
        if draw_box:
            viz = (cyan[0]-BREATH, cyan[1]-BREATH, cyan[2]+BREATH, cyan[3]+BREATH)
            ann['viz'] = viz
            ann['aend'] = _line_rect_exit(cx, cy, tcx, tcy, viz)
        else:
            ann['viz'] = None
            ann['aend'] = _line_rect_exit(cx, cy, tcx, tcy, cyan)
        placed.append((pink, ann['excl_zone'], ann['viz'], (ann['astart'], ann['aend'])))


def _draw_debug(img, annots, color):
    overlay = Image.new('RGBA', img.size, (0, 0, 0, 0))
    od = ImageDraw.Draw(overlay)
    for ann in annots:
        cands = ann.get('valid_candidates', ann['candidates'])
        if not cands:
            continue
        pw, ph = ann['pw'], ann['ph']
        scores = [s for _, s in cands]
        smin, smax = min(scores), max(scores)
        rng = smax - smin if smax > smin else 1
        for (px, py), score in cands:
            t = (score - smin) / rng
            if t < 0.5:
                r_c, g_c, b_c = 220, int(180 * (t * 2)), 0
            else:
                r_c, g_c, b_c = int(220 * (1 - (t-0.5)*2)), 200, 0
            alpha_fill = int(40 + 70 * t)
            alpha_out = int(80 + 120 * t)
            od.rectangle((px, py, px + pw, py + ph),
                         fill=(r_c, g_c, b_c, alpha_fill), outline=(r_c, g_c, b_c, alpha_out), width=1)
    for ann in annots:
        ez = ann['excl_zone']
        od.rectangle(ez, fill=(120, 120, 120, 50), outline=(160, 160, 160, 160), width=1)
        od.rectangle(ann['cyan'], fill=(0, 255, 255, 30), outline=(0, 255, 255, 180), width=2)
        if ann.get('pink'):
            od.rectangle(ann['pink'], fill=(255, 0, 255, 50),
                         outline=(255, 0, 255, 180), width=2)
    return Image.alpha_composite(img, overlay)


def _draw_annotations(img, annots, font, color, stroke_width):
    draw = ImageDraw.Draw(img)
    for ann in annots:
        if ann.get('viz'):
            draw.rounded_rectangle(ann['viz'], radius=12, outline=color, width=stroke_width)
        tpos = ann.get('tpos')
        astart, aend = ann.get('astart'), ann.get('aend')
        if not (tpos and astart and aend):
            continue
        sx, sy = int(astart[0]), int(astart[1])
        ex, ey = int(aend[0]), int(aend[1])
        draw.line([(sx, sy), (ex, ey)], fill=color, width=4, joint='curve')
        r = 2
        draw.ellipse([(sx-r, sy-r), (sx+r, sy+r)], fill=color)
        draw.ellipse([(ex-r, ey-r), (ex+r, ey+r)], fill=color)
        if not ann.get('draw_box', False):
            angle = math.atan2(ey - sy, ex - sx)
            al, spread = 18, 0.45
            ax = ex - al * math.cos(angle - spread)
            ay = ey - al * math.sin(angle - spread)
            bx = ex - al * math.cos(angle + spread)
            by = ey - al * math.sin(angle + spread)
            draw.line([(int(ax), int(ay)), (ex, ey)], fill=color, width=4)
            draw.line([(int(bx), int(by)), (ex, ey)], fill=color, width=4)
            for px_, py_ in [(int(ax), int(ay)), (int(bx), int(by))]:
                draw.ellipse([(px_-r, py_-r), (px_+r, py_+r)], fill=color)
        draw.text(tpos, ann['label'], fill=color, font=font,
                  stroke_width=1, stroke_fill=color)
    return img


def annotate_image(image_path, annotations, *,
                   debug=False,
                   font_path=DEFAULT_FONT,
                   font_size=DEFAULT_FONT_SIZE,
                   color=DEFAULT_COLOR,
                   stroke_width=DEFAULT_STROKE):
    """
    Annotate a screenshot with automatic label placement.

    Args:
        image_path: path to the input image
        annotations: list of dicts with keys:
            - elem: (x1, y1, x2, y2) tight bounding box of element
            - label: text label string
            - draw_box: (optional, default False) draw rounded rect around element
        debug: if True, draw developer rectangles (cyan/pink/gray/heatmap)
        font_path: path to TTF font file
        font_size: font size in pixels
        color: hex color for annotations (default orange #FF9F1C)
        stroke_width: width of orange highlight box outline

    Returns:
        PIL.Image with annotations drawn
    """
    font = ImageFont.truetype(font_path, font_size)
    img = Image.open(image_path).convert('RGBA')
    pixels = np.array(img)
    W, H = img.size
    annots = []
    for i, spec in enumerate(annotations):
        eb = spec['elem']
        em_pad = min(20, max(10, (eb[2] - eb[0]) // 10))
        cyan = (eb[0] - em_pad, eb[1] - em_pad, eb[2] + em_pad, eb[3] + em_pad)
        lines = spec['label'].split('\n')
        tw = max(font.getbbox(line)[2] - font.getbbox(line)[0] for line in lines)
        bbox = font.getbbox('Ay')
        line_h = bbox[3] - bbox[1]
        th = line_h * len(lines) + 4 * (len(lines) - 1)
        pw, ph = tw + 2 * TEXT_PAD, th + 2 * TEXT_PAD
        cands = _find_candidates(pixels, W, H, cyan, pw, ph, font)
        annots.append({
            'id': i,
            'label': spec['label'],
            'draw_box': spec.get('draw_box', False),
            'cyan': cyan,
            'cyan_center': ((cyan[0]+cyan[2])/2, (cyan[1]+cyan[3])/2),
            'excl_zone': (cyan[0]-MIN_ARROW, cyan[1]-MIN_ARROW,
                          cyan[2]+MIN_ARROW, cyan[3]+MIN_ARROW),
            'pw': pw, 'ph': ph,
            'candidates': cands,
            'best_score': max((s for _, s in cands), default=-999),
        })
    _resolve_placements(annots, font)
    annots.sort(key=lambda a: a['id'])
    if debug:
        img = _draw_debug(img, annots, color)
    img = _draw_annotations(img, annots, font, color, stroke_width)
    return img


def diff_images(before_path, after_path, *, threshold=30, min_pixels=300,
                dilate=5, debug=False):
    """Find changed regions between two screenshots and return cluster boxes.

    Returns (clusters, debug_img_or_None):
        clusters: list of (x1, y1, x2, y2, pixel_count) sorted largest-first
        debug_img: if debug=True, PIL Image with heatmap overlay and cluster boxes
    """
    from scipy import ndimage
    img_a = Image.open(before_path).convert('RGB')
    img_b = Image.open(after_path).convert('RGB')
    if img_a.size != img_b.size:
        raise ValueError(f"Image sizes differ: {img_a.size} vs {img_b.size}")
    arr_a = np.array(img_a, dtype=np.float32)
    arr_b = np.array(img_b, dtype=np.float32)
    W, H = img_a.size
    diff = np.abs(arr_b - arr_a).max(axis=2)
    mask = diff > threshold
    dilated = ndimage.binary_dilation(mask, iterations=dilate)
    labeled, n_clusters = ndimage.label(dilated)
    clusters = []
    for i in range(1, n_clusters + 1):
        ys, xs = np.where(labeled == i)
        if len(ys) < min_pixels:
            continue
        clusters.append((int(xs.min()), int(ys.min()),
                          int(xs.max()), int(ys.max()), len(ys)))
    clusters.sort(key=lambda c: -c[4])
    debug_img = None
    if debug:
        overlay = img_b.copy().convert('RGBA')
        norm = np.clip(diff / 255.0, 0, 1)
        show_mask = diff > 10
        r = np.clip((norm * 2) * 255, 0, 255).astype(np.uint8)
        g = np.clip((1 - np.abs(norm - 0.5) * 2) * 200, 0, 200).astype(np.uint8)
        b = np.clip((1 - norm) * 255, 0, 255).astype(np.uint8)
        a = np.where(show_mask, np.clip(norm * 200 + 40, 40, 220).astype(np.uint8), 0)
        heat = Image.fromarray(np.stack([r, g, b, a], axis=2), 'RGBA')
        overlay = Image.alpha_composite(overlay, heat)
        draw = ImageDraw.Draw(overlay)
        try:
            font = ImageFont.truetype('C:/Windows/Fonts/consola.ttf', 18)
        except OSError:
            font = ImageFont.load_default()
        for idx, (x1, y1, x2, y2, px_count) in enumerate(clusters):
            draw.rectangle([x1, y1, x2, y2], outline=(0, 255, 255, 200), width=3)
            label = f"#{idx+1}  {px_count:,}px"
            bbox = font.getbbox(label)
            tw, th = bbox[2] - bbox[0], bbox[3] - bbox[1]
            lx, ly = x1, max(0, y1 - th - 8)
            draw.rectangle([lx, ly, lx + tw + 8, ly + th + 4], fill=(0, 0, 0, 180))
            draw.text((lx + 4, ly + 2), label, fill=(0, 255, 255, 255), font=font)
        debug_img = overlay
    return clusters, debug_img


def grid_image(image_path, step=100):
    """Draw a coordinate grid on an image for precise element location."""
    img = Image.open(image_path).convert('RGBA')
    draw = ImageDraw.Draw(img)
    W, H = img.size
    try:
        font = ImageFont.truetype('C:/Windows/Fonts/consola.ttf', 14)
    except OSError:
        font = ImageFont.load_default()
    for x in range(0, W, step):
        draw.line([(x, 0), (x, H)], fill=(255, 0, 0, 120), width=1)
        draw.text((x + 2, 2), str(x), fill=(255, 0, 0, 200), font=font)
    for y in range(0, H, step):
        draw.line([(0, y), (W, y)], fill=(255, 0, 0, 120), width=1)
        draw.text((2, y + 2), str(y), fill=(255, 0, 0, 200), font=font)
    return img

Image Diffing

Find what changed between two screenshots programmatically. Use as a safety net for subtle changes — when the difference is obvious, annotate directly instead.

python
from annotate import diff_images

clusters, debug_img = diff_images(
    'before.png', 'after.png',
    threshold=30,     # pixel difference floor (0-255)
    min_pixels=300,   # ignore tiny noise clusters
    dilate=5,         # merge nearby changed pixels
    debug=True,       # render heatmap overlay
)

# clusters = [(x1, y1, x2, y2, pixel_count), ...] sorted largest-first
if debug_img:
    debug_img.save('diff-debug.png')

# Feed clusters into annotate_image:
annotations = [
    {'elem': (x1, y1, x2, y2), 'label': f'Change #{i+1}', 'draw_box': True}
    for i, (x1, y1, x2, y2, _) in enumerate(clusters[:3])
]

Debug heatmap colors: Blue = small difference, Yellow = medium, Red = large, Cyan boxes = cluster bounding boxes.

When to use: subtle opacity changes, dashed lines, minor color shifts, anti-aliasing differences. When NOT to use: any change you can see by eye — annotate directly for better labels.

Show full SKILL.md (331 more words)Show less

Animated GIF Annotations

Different from static images — animations have timing, transitions, and competing visual motion.

Element highlighting
  1. Rects for big areas, arrows for small elements — 500x300px area = rect, 200x25px element = arrow
  2. Labels go RIGHT NEXT to what they describe — short arrow (30-80px), label adjacent. Viewer's eye shouldn't travel more than ~100px
  3. Arrow must not cross its own label — pick the edge closest to the target
  4. No bottom bar / subtitle approach — eyes jump between content and bar. Contextual placement only
  5. Hero message gets a bigger font — main takeaway 64pt+, detail annotations 38pt
Timing and pacing
  1. Fade: 2-frame pop-in at 10fps — 50% → 100% opacity (0.2s total). Easing curves look bad at low FPS
  2. Type → pause → annotate — during fast action, show NO annotation. Pause, then add it
  3. Variable frame duration — fast during action (100ms), slow during pauses (600-800ms), long hold for hero (500ms)
  4. Higher FPS for smooth motion — 10fps minimum for typing/interaction
Pop-in fade implementation
python
# 2-frame pop-in at 10fps
FADE_ALPHAS = [0.50, 1.00]

for frame_idx in range(total_frames):
    if annotation_just_changed and local_idx < len(FADE_ALPHAS):
        alpha = FADE_ALPHAS[local_idx]
    else:
        alpha = 1.0
    # Apply alpha to annotation elements:
    # - pill background: fill=(r, g, b, int(base_alpha * alpha))
    # - text: fill=(*color, int(255 * alpha))
    # - rect outline: outline=(*color, int(255 * alpha))

Guidelines

  1. All elements same thickness — rect width, line width, and visual text weight should feel consistent (~5px)
  2. Place labels close to the rect — short leader line (25-35px)
  3. Labels can overlap content — the stroke gives enough contrast
  4. Show locally first — verify before uploading to a PR
  5. Take screenshots at native 1x, control display size in HTML — use <img width="300"> in markdown, never resize with PIL (creates artifacts)
  6. Always check Image.open(path).size first — HiDPI screenshots are larger than they appear (150% scaling = 1.5x CSS pixel dimensions)
  7. Short labels work better — wide labels have fewer valid placements. Use 1-3 words when possible
  8. Verify with debug=True — always check the first annotation of a new image with debug mode

Limitations

  • Ink Free font is Windows-only; other platforms need a fallback font
  • PIL text rendering is basic — no rich text, no markdown
  • Animated GIF annotations require frame-by-frame processing which can be slow for long recordings
  • Algorithmic placement works best with 2-6 annotations; more than that may produce crowded results

© github, MIT. Rendered from Markdown: HTML in the file is shown as text, images as links, and headings moved down two levels. Raw file

Files

Just SKILL.md in skills/image-annotations of github/awesome-copilot.

Open the folder on GitHubat commit 727ff2e

Compare with similar skills

Image Annotations next to the 5 skills that share the most tags, products or categories with it. Stars are the repository's; “used in” counts other GitHub owners with a copy.

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Image Annotations this skillgithub/awesome-copilot40k—~6kAutomated safety check: PassMIT
Beautify GitHub Readmeoil-oil/beautify-github-readme1.8k—~4.1kAutomated safety check: PassMIT
Archscribelazypay/Archscribe356—~1.9kAutomated safety check: PassMIT
Beautify GitHub ReadmeZergie/YAMMU1061 repos~3.2kAutomated safety check: PassGPL-3.0
Lanshu Animated Architecture Diagramcclank/lanshu-animated-architecture-diagram991—~1.1kAutomated safety check: PassMIT
Draw.io Diagram StudioAgents365-ai/drawio-skill10k—~2.4kAutomated safety check: NotesMIT

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Questions about Image Annotations

What does Image Annotations do?

Annotate screenshots, diagrams, and images with callout rectangles, arrows, labels, and color-coded highlights using PIL. Image Annotations is an agent skill from github/awesome-copilot, published by the product's own GitHub organization. Annotate screenshots, diagrams, and images with callout rectangles, arrows, labels, and color-coded highlights using PIL.

When should I use Image Annotations?

Image Annotations fits situations like: tasks that involve Social media graphics; tasks that involve Diagrams.

How do I install Image Annotations in Claude Code?

Run `npx skills add github/awesome-copilot --skill image-annotations -a claude-code`. Or copy the skill folder (skills/image-annotations in github/awesome-copilot) into .claude/skills/image-annotations in your project. Claude Code loads it when a task matches its description.

How do I install Image Annotations in Codex?

Run `npx skills add github/awesome-copilot --skill image-annotations -a codex`. Or copy the skill folder (skills/image-annotations in github/awesome-copilot) into .agents/skills/image-annotations in your project. Codex loads it when a task matches its description.

Can I use Image Annotations in Cursor, Gemini CLI or GitHub Copilot?

Cursor, Gemini CLI, GitHub Copilot and OpenCode also load SKILL.md folders. With the skills CLI, run `npx skills add github/awesome-copilot --skill image-annotations -a cursor` (or -a gemini-cli, github-copilot or opencode for the others). To copy it by hand, put the folder in .cursor/skills/image-annotations, .gemini/skills/image-annotations, .github/skills/image-annotations and .opencode/skills/image-annotations in your project.

What does Image Annotations need to run?

Going by SKILL.md and its folder, Image Annotations needs the command-line tools its instructions call (pip). Our summary lists: Python 3.

Does Image Annotations access the network?

SKILL.md contains no URLs. Its commands use pip, which can reach the network depending on how they are called. This is read from the text; nothing was executed.

Is Image Annotations safe to install?

Our automated static check of SKILL.md found no risky patterns, such as piping downloads into a shell, reading credential files or hidden Unicode. It is not a guarantee. Review the folder before installing.

What licence does Image Annotations use?

Image Annotations is published under the MIT licence (the repository's licence). It allows redistribution, so the full SKILL.md is shown on this page.

How many tokens does Image Annotations use?

About 6k tokens (SKILL.md is roughly 24k characters). Agents keep only the skill's name and description in context until a task matches; then they load SKILL.md in full.

What are the alternatives to Image Annotations?

Skills that share tags, products or a category with Image Annotations: Beautify GitHub Readme (oil-oil/beautify-github-readme, 1.8k stars), Archscribe (lazypay/Archscribe, 356 stars), Beautify GitHub Readme (Zergie/YAMMU, 106 stars) and Lanshu Animated Architecture Diagram (cclank/lanshu-animated-architecture-diagram, 991 stars). The comparison table on this page puts their stars, adoption, token cost, safety result and licence side by side.

Who maintains Image Annotations?

github (a GitHub organization, an official publisher) maintains it in github/awesome-copilot, which has 39,748 GitHub stars. The repository holds 417 skills in this directory. The repository was last updated on October 7, 2026.

Source: github/awesome-copilot on GitHub. Facts on this page come from the repository at the commit we read; the author's words are quoted as theirs.