Annotating images

General

You can save additional information with an infrared image by using annotations. Annotations make reporting and post-processing more efficient by providing essential information about the image, e.g., conditions and information about where an image is taken.

Annotations are added to the image file and can be viewed and edited in the camera or in a FLIR Thermography software.

  • You can set the camera to display annotation tools when an image is saved. Select (Settings) > Save options & storage > Add annotation after saving.

  • You can also add annotations to a saved image in the image archive.

Note

This section describes the procedures for adding annotations to a saved image in the image archive. Adding annotations when saving an image works in a similar way.

Adding a note

You can add a text note to the image file. Using this feature, you can annotate images by entering free-form text.

Follow this procedure:

  1. Open the image in the image archive.

  2. Push the navigation pad to display the top toolbar.

  3. On the top toolbar, select the icon and push the navigation pad.

  4. On the right toolbar, select the icon and push the navigation pad.

  5. A soft keyboard is displayed, where you can enter text by touching the screen.

  6. When completed, touch Done on the soft keyboard.

Adding a text comment table

You can save a table with textual information to the image file. This feature is a very efficient way of recording information when you are inspecting a large number of similar objects. The idea behind using a table with textual information is to avoid filling out forms or inspection protocols manually.

The camera ships with an example text comment table template. You can also create your own templates. For more information, see section Creating a text comment table template.

Follow this procedure:

  1. Open the image in the image archive.

  2. Push the navigation pad to display the top toolbar.

  3. On the top toolbar, select the icon and push the navigation pad.

  4. On the right toolbar, select the icon and push the navigation pad. This displays a table.

  5. (Optional step.) On the top toolbar, do one of the following:

    • To clear the content of the current table, select the icon and push the navigation pad.

    • To select another table template, select the icon and push the navigation pad.

  6. For each row in the table, do the following:

    • Push the navigation pad. This displays the predefined values.

    • Push the navigation pad up/down to select a predefined value. Push the navigation pad to confirm.

    • Instead of selecting a predefined value, you can select the keyboard icon and enter other text by touching the screen.

      Note

      Text entered by the keyboard will be saved to the text comment table template. Next time you add a text comment table annotation, the entered text will be displayed as a predefined value.

  7. When completed, select Save & Exit at the bottom of the table. Push the navigation pad to confirm.

Creating a text comment table template

You can create a text comment file manually. You can also create a text comment file using a FLIR Thermography software.

Manually creating a table template

A text comment file (*.tcf) is an annotation format that is proprietary to FLIR Systems. It defines a table structure that can be used to add text table annotations to FLIR images. You can create text comment files (*.tcf files) and use these files as table templates in the camera.

The camera ships with an example text comment table file: example_text_comment.tcf. The file is stored on the memory card in the subfolder \TextTableTemplates. You can make a copy of the example file and modify it using a text editor such as Microsoft Notepad.

When creating or modifying a text comment file, keep the following rules in mind:

  1. Lines starting with “#” are regarded as comments and will be ignored.

  2. Lines that start with “<” and end with “>” are labels and will appear on the left-hand side of the table.

  3. Non-empty lines under a label line are regarded as values and will be displayed as options to the label above.

  4. When you save the file, select UTF-8 encoding. With UTF-8 encoding, the file will support all languages currently supported by the camera.

  5. The template will be updated by the camera if you add or remove values in the text table annotations dialog in the camera. This enables you to modify its content while you are working with the camera.

  6. The camera will find all text table template files if:

    • They are placed on the memory card in the subfolder \TextTableTemplates.

    • They have an ASCII filename and the file extension .tcf. (ASCII characters include a–z, A–Z, 0–9, and basic punctuation, and spaces can be used. The file can contain non-ASCII text, but the filename must be ASCII.)

Example mark-up structure

The file format for the text comment table template is *.tcf. This code sample is an example mark-up structure of such a file, and shows how the mark-up appears in a text editor such as Notepad.

<Site>
Company A
Company B
<Location>
Substation A
<Object>
Engine
Vent
Vault
Door
<ObjectID>
A1a1
A1b2
A1c3
<Deviation>
Overload
Moisture
Draft
<Remedy>
Replace
Fix
No action
<Severity>
Critical
Non-critical
<Severity>

Adding a voice annotation

A voice annotation is an audio recording that is saved to the infrared image file. The recording can be played back in the camera, and in image analysis and reporting software from FLIR Systems.

The voice annotation is recorded using the built-in microphone. You can also use a Bluetooth-enabled headset. For information on how to pair a headset with the camera, see section Pairing Bluetooth devices.

Follow this procedure:

  1. Open the image in the image archive.

  2. Push the navigation pad to display the top toolbar.

  3. On the top toolbar, select the icon and push the navigation pad.

  4. On the right toolbar, select the icon and push the navigation pad.

  5. A context menu is displayed.

  6. To start a recording, select (Record) and push the navigation pad.

  7. To stop the recording, select (Stop) and push the navigation pad.

  8. To listen to the recording, select (Play) and push the navigation pad.

  9. To delete the recording, select (Delete) and push the navigation pad.

  10. When completed, select (Done) and push the navigation pad.

Adding a sketch

You can add a freehand drawing to an infrared image.

Follow this procedure:

  1. Open the image in the image archive.

  2. Push the navigation pad to display the top toolbar.

  3. On the top toolbar, select the icon and push the navigation pad.

  4. On the right toolbar, select the icon and push the navigation pad.

  5. You are now in sketch mode. Draw the sketch by touching the screen.

  6. (Optional step.) Push the navigation pad. This displays a context menu. Do one or more of the following:

    • To change the color of the sketch tools, select (Draw) and push the navigation pad. Select the color and push the navigation pad.

    • To erase, select (Eraser) and push the navigation pad. Erase parts of the sketch by touching the screen.

    • To add an arrow, circle, or cross, select (Stamp sketch) and push the navigation pad. Select the type of stamp and push the navigation pad. The stamp is displayed in the center of the screen. You can move the stamp by using the navigation pad or by touching the screen. When completed, push the navigation pad.

    • To clear, select (Clear all) and push the navigation pad.

    • When the sketch is completed, select (Save) and push the navigation pad.