Beginner

Installing OpenCV

Get OpenCV up and running on your machine in minutes with pip, conda, or a custom build from source.

Quick Install with pip

The easiest way to install OpenCV is using pip. There are two packages available:

Terminal - pip install
# Main package (most users need this)
pip install opencv-python

# Full package with contrib modules (extra algorithms)
pip install opencv-contrib-python
✅
Which package? Use opencv-python for standard functionality. Use opencv-contrib-python if you need extra algorithms like SIFT, SURF, or advanced tracking. Don't install both - they conflict.

Install with Conda

Terminal - conda install
# From conda-forge (recommended)
conda install -c conda-forge opencv

# Create a dedicated environment
conda create -n cv python=3.11 opencv -c conda-forge
conda activate cv

Verify Installation

Python - Verify OpenCV
import cv2
print(f"OpenCV version: {cv2.__version__}")
print(f"Build info: {cv2.getBuildInformation()[:200]}")

# Quick test: create a blank image
import numpy as np
img = np.zeros((100, 100, 3), dtype=np.uint8)
cv2.rectangle(img, (10, 10), (90, 90), (0, 255, 0), 2)
print("OpenCV is working correctly!")

Build from Source (Advanced)

Building from source gives you full control over which modules are included and enables CUDA GPU acceleration:

Terminal - Build from source (Linux)
# Install dependencies
sudo apt update
sudo apt install cmake g++ wget unzip libgtk-3-dev

# Download and build
wget -O opencv.zip https://github.com/opencv/opencv/archive/4.x.zip
unzip opencv.zip
mkdir -p build && cd build
cmake ../opencv-4.x -DCMAKE_BUILD_TYPE=Release \
  -DWITH_CUDA=ON -DOPENCV_DNN_CUDA=ON
cmake --build . --parallel $(nproc)
sudo make install

Common Installation Issues

⚠
  • ImportError: libGL.so.1: Install libgl1-mesa-glx on Ubuntu or use opencv-python-headless for server environments.
  • Package conflicts: Never install both opencv-python and opencv-contrib-python. Uninstall one first.
  • No GUI on servers: Use pip install opencv-python-headless for Docker containers and headless servers.

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