Image Annotation Tools are available in API, C++ Classes, COM, ActiveX, VCL, and .NET Components.

A variety of annotation (document markup) options can be added to document, grayscale, and color images. When programming advanced annotation support into a software application, look for these features:

Repositionable Freehand Annotation Objects
The end-user can reposition nodes of an existing freehand object, which prevents the user from having to redraw the object.

Enhanced Redact Annotation objects
Allow you to restore parts of an image that were blacked out. When combined with annotation security, these redact objects provide a means of granting user-level access to parts of an image.

Annotation security
An Encrypt/Decrypt object to encode an area of the image without introducing any new colors, thereby maintaining higher quality with lossy compressions. Annotation objects can be stored as a separate object layer, or can be burned or embedded into the actual image.

Read or Write Annotations as an External File
Ability to read or write annotations as an external file or as DICOM or Wang annotation tags within a TIFF file.

High Level and Low Level Access to the Annotations
Ability to choose between low level access to the annotations, or implementing annotation support through a fully automated mode with a ready to use floating, customizable toolbar, and pop-up menus.

In addition, you may want to look for the ability to:

  • Rotate WMF/EMF Stamp objects
  • Text object can import and export from and to a file
  • Text object supports tokens (date, time, username, etc..)
  • Save an object or group as a file in memory (this is useful for database support)
  • Save an object or group in a database using OLEDB or VB data binding
  • Control where optional annotation name or title is displayed
  • Multi-page annotation support
  • Mask areas of an image with encryption
  • All processes and changes to annotation objects fire an event message
  • Horizontal alignment property for text objects
  • UserData property for all objects that is loaded and saved with the annotation object

Image Annotation Components

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