How to Install CV2 in Python

Downloading and Installing OpenCV

Now that you have Python & pip set up, let's proceed with downloading & installing OpenCV. 

Let’s see how you can do it:

1. Open a terminal or command prompt on your system.
 

2. Type the following command to install OpenCV using pip:

   pip install opencv-python

This command will download & install the latest version of OpenCV along with its dependencies.

3. Wait for the installation process to complete. Pip will download the necessary packages & install them on your system. You will see the progress in the terminal or command prompt.
 

4. Once the installation is finished, you can verify that OpenCV is installed correctly by running the following command:

   python -c "import cv2; print(cv2.__version__)"

This command will import the OpenCV library & print its version number. If OpenCV is installed correctly, you should see the version number printed in the terminal or command prompt. For example:

   4.5.3

That's it! You have successfully installed OpenCV (cv2) in Python. You can now start using OpenCV in your Python projects & scripts.

Let’s see an example to test if OpenCV is working correctly:

import cv2
# Read an image
img = cv2.imread('image.jpg')
# Display the image
cv2.imshow('Image', img)
cv2.waitKey(0)
cv2.destroyAllWindows()

This code snippet reads an image file named 'image.jpg' using OpenCV, displays it in a window, & waits for a key press before closing the window.

Make sure to replace 'image.jpg' with the actual path & filename of an image you want to test.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I use OpenCV with Python 2?

OpenCV supports both Python 2 & Python 3. However, it is recommended to use Python 3 as Python 2 has reached its end of life.

What if I encounter an error during the installation?

If you encounter an error, make sure you have the latest version of pip & try running the installation command again. If the error persists, check the OpenCV documentation or seek help from the OpenCV community forums.

Can I install OpenCV using conda instead of pip?

Yes, you can install OpenCV using conda, which is a package manager for Python. The command to install OpenCV using conda is:

conda install -c conda-forge opencv

Conclusion

In this article, we learned how to install OpenCV (cv2) in Python. We started by ensuring that Python & pip are preinstalled on the system. Then, we proceeded with downloading & installing OpenCV using the pip package manager. We also verified the installation by importing OpenCV & printing its version number. Finally, we provided an example to test if OpenCV is working correctly.

You can also checkout our other blogs on Code360.