Installation

This page summarizes common installation options for OpenCV in Python:

Installation with pip

The easiest way to install OpenCV is using pip:

pip install opencv-python

To install the version with additional contributions:

pip install opencv-contrib-python

Installation with Conda

If you use Conda or Miniconda:

conda install -c conda-forge opencv

Or create a specific Conda environment:

conda create -n opencv-env python=3.10
conda activate opencv-env
conda install -c conda-forge opencv

Platform-specific notes

macOS

# Make sure you have Homebrew installed
brew install python3

# Then install OpenCV
pip3 install opencv-python

Linux (Ubuntu/Debian)

# Install system dependencies
sudo apt-get update
sudo apt-get install python3-pip python3-dev

# Install OpenCV
pip3 install opencv-python

Windows

# Use PowerShell or CMD
python -m pip install opencv-python

Verify the installation

1. Create a verification script:

   Python

   import cv2
   import sys
   
   try:
       # Check version
       version = cv2.__version__
       print(f"✓ OpenCV {version} installed correctly")
   
       # Verify we can read an image
       img = cv2.imread("test.jpg") if len(sys.argv) > 1 else None
       if img is not None:
           print(f"✓ Image reading working")
           print(f"  Dimensions: {img.shape}")
       else:
           print("ℹ Create a 'test.jpg' image to test reading")
   
       # Verify basic operations
       test_img = cv2.imread("test.jpg") if len(sys.argv) > 1 else None
       if test_img is not None:
           gray = cv2.cvtColor(test_img, cv2.COLOR_BGR2GRAY)
           print("✓ Color conversion working")
   
   except ImportError as e:
       print(f"✗ Error: {e}")
       print("  Make sure you've installed opencv-python")
   except Exception as e:
       print(f"⚠ Warning: {e}")
   
   print("\nInstallation verified!")

2. Run the script:

   python verify_opencv.py

3. If this code runs without errors and prints a version, your installation is working.