Thread by @nyalldawson

Remember that curved #QGIS label callout I was experimenting with recently? Well it's available now in QGIS nightly releases, along with a whole bunch of other new callout sweetness 🎁👍Here's a little gallery of the new capabilities:

#1 A brand new "Balloon/Speech Bubble" callout style

which includes the ability to round off the corners, so you won't poke your eyes out. Showcased here with a nice subtle drop shadow for a little emphasis boost.

#2 The previously shown curved callout style. Shown in the beautiful example below by @imhere_asia which highlights the super-smart "automatic" curve orientation option.

What's that, you don't believe it's so smart? Well maybe this map will change your mind!

#3 Next up #QGIS now allows exact, interactive positioning of callout lines using the "move labels/callouts" tool (pro tip: holding shift constrains the movement to 15 degree angle increments!)

#4 If you've got specific logic you want to use to place callouts, you can now set the callout start and end placement on a feature-by-feature basis using attribute or expression derived values:

#5 The new option to trim away the start or end of line symbology unlocks a whole range of new callout symbol styles, including this one:

(here I've used a callout line style which trims 3 mm away from the end of the line, and then uses a marker line with "end" placement to show the circular outline highlight around the feature!)

... all very exciting stuff heading your way in #QGIS 3.20! (it's funny to think that not so long ago the only way to get callouts in QGIS was via fiddly hacks, and now it has truly world-class callout capabilities!) 😻