What is Instance Segmentation? A Guide. [2025]

Instance segmentation is a computer vision technique that extends object detection by recognizing both the position and shape of objects within images, allowing for precise contour identification known as masks. Unlike object detection, which only predicts bounding boxes, instance segmentation provides detailed outlines, making it suitable for applications requiring exact object shapes, such as measuring object size or background removal. Although more labor-intensive to label and train, instance segmentation models offer a higher level of specificity compared to object detection and semantic segmentation, which classifies each pixel but cannot differentiate individual object instances. Roboflow provides tools for labeling and training instance segmentation models, supporting formats like COCO for data management, and offers automated machine learning solutions for deploying these models efficiently.