> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://avala.ai/docs/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Bounding Box Tool

> Draw axis-aligned rectangular boxes around objects in images and video frames

The Bounding Box tool draws axis-aligned rectangular boxes around objects. It is the most common annotation type for object detection tasks.

## When to Use

Use bounding boxes when:

* You need to localize objects without precise boundary outlines
* The task requires object detection (e.g., YOLO, Faster R-CNN, SSD)
* Objects are roughly rectangular or the exact shape is not important
* Speed is more important than pixel-perfect accuracy

Consider a different tool when:

* You need precise object boundaries -- use the [Polygon](/docs/annotation/guides/tools/polygon) or [Segmentation](/docs/annotation/guides/tools/segmentation) tool instead
* You need 3D localization in point clouds -- use the [3D Cuboid](/docs/annotation/guides/tools/cuboid-3d) tool
* Objects are highly irregular and overlapping -- polygons or segmentation masks give better results

## Usage

1. Press `B` or select the **Box tool** from the toolbar
2. Click and drag from one corner to the opposite corner
3. Release to complete the box
4. Select a label from the label dropdown

## Editing

* **Move**: Click inside the box and drag
* **Resize**: Drag any edge or corner handle
* **Adjust precisely**: Use the properties panel to enter exact pixel values for x, y, width, and height

## Shortcuts

| Shortcut               | Action                         |
| ---------------------- | ------------------------------ |
| `B`                    | Activate the Bounding Box tool |
| `Shift` + drag         | Constrain to a square          |
| `Delete` / `Backspace` | Delete selected box            |
| `Ctrl+Z` / `⌘Z`        | Undo                           |
| `Ctrl+Shift+Z` / `⌘⇧Z` | Redo                           |

## Common Mistakes

* **Box too loose**: The box should tightly fit the visible extent of the object with minimal padding
* **Missing occluded objects**: Include partially occluded objects -- the box should cover the visible portion
* **Merging overlapping objects**: Draw separate boxes for each distinct object, even when they overlap
* **Including shadows**: Unless your project guidelines say otherwise, exclude shadows from the box

## Advanced Tips

* Hold `Shift` while dragging to constrain the box to a perfect square
* Use the properties panel for pixel-exact adjustments when precision matters
* In video mode, bounding boxes can be interpolated across frames -- annotate key frames and let the system fill in between
* When objects are partially cut off at the image edge, extend the box to the image boundary

## Related Tools

* [Polygon](/docs/annotation/guides/tools/polygon) -- For precise object outlines with arbitrary shapes
* [3D Cuboid](/docs/annotation/guides/tools/cuboid-3d) -- For 3D bounding boxes in point clouds
* [Segmentation](/docs/annotation/guides/tools/segmentation) -- For pixel-level object masks
* [Classification](/docs/annotation/guides/tools/classification) -- For image-level labels without geometry