Custom Training

In many cases, Fast Train is the optimal method for creating a model. However, some advanced use cases require granular control over pre-processing and hyperparameter tuning. In these situations, you can use the Custom Training method (also called "Advanced Training") to create models. With Custom Training, you can control how the image is sized and cropped before model training, what augmentations are applied during training, and how many epochs (cycles) the training goes through.

The Custom Training process is designed for users who are familiar with machine learning concepts and understand how the different settings impact the resulting model. If you don't have a background in machine learning, we recommend using the Fast Train method instead.

Run Custom Training

1. Open the project you want to train.
2. Click the downward-facing arrow next to Train and select Custom Training.
   Select Custom Training
3. Select a dataset from the drop-down menu. You can select from the dataset currently on the Build page (the current version) or an existing dataset snapshot. If you select the current version, LandingLens creates a dataset snapshot of that data.
   Select a Dataset
4. If you selected the current version dataset and some labeled images don't have splits assigned, assign splits. Otherwise, the splits display and cannot be changed. For detailed information, go to Split Setup.
5. Click Next.
   Set Up or Review Splits
6. Configure the hyperparameters, transforms, and augmentations. When processing images, LandingLens applies changes in the following order: rescale/resize, crop, augmentations.
   1. To edit a setting, hover over the value and click the Edit icon that appears. 
   2. To add a setting, click the Add icon.
   3. To see how the settings impact the images, click the Preview icon. For more information, go to Preview Transforms and Augmentations.
      
      Manage Training Settings
7. After configuring the settings, click Train.
   Train
8. LandingLens runs the Model Training process and creates a model. Once training completes, you can view and compare the model's performance on the Models page.

Add or Duplicate Models

Custom Training allows you to create multiple models for a dataset at once, each using different training settings. The selected dataset and splits remain the same. This is useful if you want to see how a certain setting impacts model performance. 

There are two ways to do this:

• Click Add Another Model. This adds a row with the default settings.
• Hover over a row and click Duplicate. This adds a row with the same settings as that row.

Add a Set of Training Settings

Split Setup

The second step of Custom Training is setting up or reviewing splits. The options depend on which dataset you selected, and if images have splits already:

• If You Selected the Current Version of the Dataset and Images Don't Have Splits Yet
• If You Selected a Snapshot or Images Already Have Splits

If You Selected the Current Version of the Dataset and Images Don't Have Splits Yet

If you selected the current version of the dataset, you can assign splits to labeled images that don't have splits assigned to them yet. If some labeled images in the dataset already have splits, you can only assign splits to the remaining images that don't have splits. 

By default, the Assign Split setting is toggled on. This setting automatically assigns labeled images in each class into splits based on these percentages:

• Train: 70%
• Dev: 20%
• Test: 10%

In situations in which the resulting number of images isn't a whole number, the algorithm rounds up or down to the nearest whole number of images. For example, if Class A has 11 images, 70% of that is 7.70 images. Multiple splits can't be applied to an image, so the algorithm would add 8 images to the Train split.

The Preview section shows how the images are assigned. You can view the splits By Class or By Split.

Assign Splits

If You Selected a Snapshot or Images Already Have Splits

If you selected a snapshot or you selected the current version of the dataset and images in that dataset already have splits applied to them, LandingLens uses the assigned splits. Split assignment is part of a dataset snapshot, and data in a snapshot can't be changed. 

In these situations, you can preview your splits (if you're using the current version of the dataset, you can return to the Build page and change split assignment there). You can view the splits By Class or By Split.

Review Splits

Hyperparameters

A hyperparameter is a setting used to control the speed and quality of the learning process. Hyperparameters include these settings:

• Epoch
• Model Size

Hyperparameters

Epoch

When your model trains, it works through your dataset multiple times. The completion of one cycle is called an epoch. Enter the number of cycles you want the model to perform in the Epoch field.

Model Size

The Model Size refers to the architecture and number of parameters used to train the model. The options depend on your project type, but each has a trade-off between speed and performance.

Object Detection

• RtmDet-[9M]: This option leads to the fastest training and inference times. Uses the RTMDet architecture and 9 million parameters.
• RepPoints-[20M]: Train and run inferences faster than with RepPoints-[37M]. Uses the RepPoints architecture and 20 million parameters.
• RepPoints-[37M]: Capture more complex patterns in the training data. Training and running inferences will take longer. Uses the RepPoints architecture and 37 million parameters.

Segmentation

• FastViT-[14M]: Train and run inferences faster. Uses the FastViT transformer architecture and 14 million parameters.
• SegFormer-[14M]: Capture more complex patterns in the training data. Training and running inferences will take longer. Uses the SegFormer semantic segmentation framework and 14 million parameters.

Classification

• ConvNeXt-[16M]: Train and run inferences faster. Uses the ConvNeXt architecture and 16 million parameters.
• ConvNeXt-[29M]: Capture more complex patterns in the training data. Training and running inferences will take longer. Uses the ConvNeXt architecture and 29 million parameters.

Transforms

A transform setting allows you to rescale, resize, and crop all the images in your dataset before model training starts. This is an important feature because all training images need to be a standard input size for your model. When processing images, LandingLens applies changes in the following order: rescale/resize, crop, augmentations.

Any transforms applied here are also applied to images you run inference on.

Make sure that the objects or regions you are trying to detect are clearly visible after applying these transforms. For example, if you crop images, make sure that the objects of interest are not cropped out.

You must apply either a Resize or a Rescale with Padding, but not both.

Transform Settings

Rescale Images (Maintain the Aspect Ratio)

The Rescale with Padding setting scales the images to the Height and Width you enter, while maintaining the original aspect ratio. If the dimensions entered don't match the aspect ratio, LandingLens adds padding—rows or columns of pixels—to either the top and bottom or sides to maintain the aspect ratio.

If you enter dimensions that maintain the original aspect ratio, LandingLens doesn't add any padding.

For example, let’s say the original size of an image is 1200x800, which is a 4:3 aspect ratio. You then rescale it to 512x512, which is a 1:1 aspect ratio. To maintain the 4:3 aspect ratio, LandingLens scales down the actual image to 512x341, and then adds padding to the top and bottom. 

By default, the color of the padding is black. You can change it to be black, white, or a shade of gray. To do this, enter the grayscale value for the color of the padding in the Padding Value field. The range is 0 (black) to 255 (white).

Enter the Dimensions and Padding Color

Resize Images

The Manual Resize setting resizes your images to the Height and Width you enter, and does not maintain the original aspect ratio. For example, if the entered dimensions don't match the original aspect ratio, the image will be squeezed or stretched. 

For example, the screenshot below shows an image that was originally 1200x800 (a 4:3 aspect ratio) that was resized to 512x512 (a 1:1 aspect ratio). The image is stretched vertically to "fill in" the extra space at the top and bottom.

Enter the Dimensions

Maximum Size for Rescaling and Resizing

There is a maximum size for rescaling and resizing images. The specific size depends on the project type. The maximum is based on the total area, not a specific height or width. Example dimensions are provided in the following table as guidelines.

For example, let's say you want to resize images in an Object Detection project:

• A resize of 1000x600px will work because the area is 600,000px, which is smaller than 2,250,000px.
• A resize of 1500x1501px will not work because the area is 2,251,500px, which is bigger than 2,250,000px.

Large Image Support

You can resize your images in Object Detection and Segmentation projects to be up to 36MP. 

If you resize images to be larger than the following dimensions, the images are considered to be "large images":

• Object Detection: Over 1500x1500px
• Segmentation: Over 1024x1024px

If you resize your images to be "large images", you will only be able to deploy the model using LandingEdge. Cloud Deployment and Docker don't support models that were created with large images. Additionally, you won't be able to run the Predict tool on these models.

Crop Images

The Crop setting allows you to apply the same crop to all images. If you add a Crop, you must either rescale or resize the image first. This prevents the crop from falling outside the boundaries of images.

There are a few ways to select the locations and dimensions of the cropped area:

• Enter the points of each corner of the cropped area in the X min, Y min, X max, and Y max fields.
• Click and drag the handles of the crop box.
• Click inside the crop box and drag it.

Enter the Dimensions or Move the Crop Box

Augmentations

The Augmentation settings apply changes to your images—like increasing brightness and adding blurs—before the model trains on the images. This increases the variations of your images, which allows the model to "prepare" for more situations, like changes in lighting. Augmentations are applied after resizes/rescales and crops.

When you set up an augmentation you choose the probability that the augmentation will be applied during training. The augmentations are applied at each epoch, which prevents overfitting. For example, if you add the Random Brightness augmentation with a probability of 50%, then half of the images might be brightened during the first epoch, another half during the second epoch, and so on.

By setting up automated augmentations in LandingLens, you get the benefits of a greater variety of images without having to take those images or edit them.

LandingLens offers these augmentations for Custom Training:

• Random Brightness
• Blur, Motion Blur, Gaussian Blur
• Hue Saturation Value
• Random Contrast
• Horizontal Flip
• Vertical Flip
• Random Augment
• Random Rotate

Random Brightness

Apply Random Brightness for a chance that the images in your dataset will randomly brighten.

The Random Brightness setting is helpful if the lighting conditions might change. For example, if you take images at night, the objects you want to detect might be dark. If it's possible that sometimes you will run inference on images taken during the day, then the Random Brightness setting can show your model what the images might look like during the day.

If the lighting conditions will be consistent, then the Random Brightness setting might not be relevant. For example, if you're taking images in a cleanroom with no windows, you might not need Random Brightness.

The image and table below describe the settings for Random Brightness.

Random Brightness Settings 

Blur, Motion Blur, Gaussian Blur

Apply one of the blur modifications for a chance that the images in your dataset will randomly blur. LandingLens offers these types of blurs:

• Blur: Makes the entire image look out of focus. This is a heavy blur.
  Example: Blur
• Motion Blur: Makes the entire image look like it's in motion.
  Example: Motion Blur
• Gaussian Blur: Makes the entire image look out of focus. This is a natural blur.
  Example: Gaussian Blur

The image and table below describe the settings for Blur, Motion Blur, and Gaussian Blur.

Blur Settings (Applicable to Blur, Motion Blur, and Gaussian Blur)

Hue Saturation Value

Apply Hue Saturation Value for a chance that the color intensity of the images will randomly change. Saturation is how "pure" the hue is. A saturation of 0 is black and white.

For example, some objects can be different colors, like a fish. You may want to change the hue (color of the image), so the model trains on fish with different colors.

The image and table below describe the settings for Hue Saturation Value.

Hue Saturation Value Settings

Random Contrast

Apply Random Contrast for a chance that the tone of the images will randomly change. Random Contrast helps simulate different camera settings or environments that a model might encounter.

• A low-contrast image looks washed out or slightly dimmed.
• A high-contrast image looks somewhat overexposed, and the colors merge into each other.

The image and table below describe the settings for Random Contrast.

Random Contrast Settings

Horizontal Flip

Apply Horizontal Flip for a chance that the image will randomly be mirrored (flipped) horizontally.

The Horizontal Flip augmentation has only one setting: Probability. Probability is the likelihood that the image will randomly be flipped horizontally. The range is 0 to 1.

Horizontal Flip

Vertical Flip

Apply Vertical Flip for a chance that the image will randomly be mirrored (flipped) vertically.

The Vertical Flip augmentation has only one setting: Probability. Probability is the likelihood that the image will randomly be flipped vertically. The range is 0 to 1.

Vertical Flip

Random Augment

Select Random Augment to randomly apply a set of augmentations to your dataset. The table below describes the possible augmentations.

Random Augment Settings

The image and table below describe the settings for Random Augment.

Random Augment

Random Rotate

Apply Random Rotate for a chance that images will randomly rotate.

The image and table below describe the settings for Random Rotate.

Random Rotate

Preview Transforms and Augmentations

Click the Preview icon in the Transforms and Augmentations columns to see how the effects can impact the images.

Preview the Effects

Because most Augmentations have a chance of not being applied, or of having a range of intensities, you can click Re-Apply to see more possible variations. For example, the Random Brightness augmentation could have a range of -1 to 1, and a Probability of being applied of 0 to 1. If you multiply the ranges (20 x 11), there are 220 possible outcomes for each image.

Apply a Different Variation of the Effects

Custom Training FAQ

Is Advanced Training the same thing as Custom Training?

Yes.

When should I use Custom Training?

If the performance results of your model are unsatisfactory after a Fasting Train, switch to Custom Training.

I'm unfamiliar with machine learning. Can I use Custom Training?

We recommend using Fast Training so that LandingLens can fine-tune your model settings for you.

What happens if I switch from Custom Training to Fast Training?

I applied Custom Training settings and trained a model. If I want to train a second model with identical settings, can I click the "Train" (Fast Train) button?

The "Train" button uses default configurations which are different than "Train with Custom Options". However, if you click "Train with Custom Options", your previous settings will be remembered.

What are your thoughts on "hyperparameter sweeps"?

After you create a model with Custom Training, you can fine-tune the Custom Training settings based on data and model performance. We do not recommend repeatedly training models with all possible settings (known as "hyperparameter sweeps") because that approach can quickly burn through your credits.