How to Install OpenCV in Ubuntu 16.04 LTS for C / C++

In this post we will see How to Install OpenCV in Ubuntu for C/C++
OpenCV is an image processing library created by Intel and later supported by Willow Garage and now maintained by Itseez. OpenCV means Intel® Open Source Computer Vision Library. It is a collection of C functions and a few C++ classes that implement some popular Image Processing and Computer Vision algorithms. OpenCV is Available on Mac, Windows, Linux (Terminal environment).

Step 1 – Updating Ubuntu

$ sudo apt-get update

$ sudo apt-get upgrade

$ sudo apt-get update

$ sudo apt-get upgrade

Step 2 – Install dependencies

$ sudo apt-get install build-essential cmake git libgtk2.0-dev pkg-config libavcodec-dev libavformat-dev libswscale-dev

$ sudo apt-get install python3.5-dev python3-numpy libtbb2 libtbb-dev

$ sudo apt-get install libjpeg-dev libpng-dev libtiff5-dev libjasper-dev libdc1394-22-dev libeigen3-dev libtheora-dev libvorbis-dev libxvidcore-dev libx264-dev sphinx-common libtbb-dev yasm libfaac-dev libopencore-amrnb-dev libopencore-amrwb-dev libopenexr-dev libgstreamer-plugins-base1.0-dev libavutil-dev libavfilter-dev libavresample-dev

$ sudo apt-get install build-essential cmake git libgtk2.0-dev pkg-config libavcodec-dev libavformat-dev libswscale-dev

$ sudo apt-get install python3.5-dev python3-numpy libtbb2 libtbb-dev

$ sudo apt-get install libjpeg-dev libpng-dev libtiff5-dev libjasper-dev libdc1394-22-dev libeigen3-dev libtheora-dev libvorbis-dev libxvidcore-dev libx264-dev sphinx-common libtbb-dev yasm libfaac-dev libopencore-amrnb-dev libopencore-amrwb-dev libopenexr-dev libgstreamer-plugins-base1.0-dev libavutil-dev libavfilter-dev libavresample-dev

Step 3 – Get OpenCV

$ sudo -s

$ cd /opt

/opt$ git clone https://github.com/Itseez/opencv.git

/opt$ git clone https://github.com/Itseez/opencv_contrib.git

$ sudo -s

$ cd /opt

/opt$ git clone https://github.com/Itseez/opencv.git

/opt$ git clone https://github.com/Itseez/opencv_contrib.git

Step 4 – build and install OpenCV

/opt$ cd opencv

/opt/opencv$ mkdir release

/opt/opencv$ cd release

/opt/opencv/release$ cmake -D BUILD_TIFF=ON -D WITH_CUDA=OFF -D ENABLE_AVX=OFF -D WITH_OPENGL=OFF -D WITH_OPENCL=OFF -D WITH_IPP=OFF -D WITH_TBB=ON -D BUILD_TBB=ON -D WITH_EIGEN=OFF -D WITH_V4L=OFF -D WITH_VTK=OFF -D BUILD_TESTS=OFF -D BUILD_PERF_TESTS=OFF -D CMAKE_BUILD_TYPE=RELEASE -D CMAKE_INSTALL_PREFIX=/usr/local -D OPENCV_EXTRA_MODULES_PATH=/opt/opencv_contrib/modules /opt/opencv/

/opt/opencv/release$ make -j4

/opt/opencv/release$ make install

/opt/opencv/release$ ldconfig

/opt/opencv/release$ exit

/opt/opencv/release$ cd ~

/opt$ cd opencv

/opt/opencv$ mkdir release

/opt/opencv$ cd release

/opt/opencv/release$ cmake -D BUILD_TIFF=ON -D WITH_CUDA=OFF -D ENABLE_AVX=OFF -D WITH_OPENGL=OFF -D WITH_OPENCL=OFF -D WITH_IPP=OFF -D WITH_TBB=ON -D BUILD_TBB=ON -D WITH_EIGEN=OFF -D WITH_V4L=OFF -D WITH_VTK=OFF -D BUILD_TESTS=OFF -D BUILD_PERF_TESTS=OFF -D CMAKE_BUILD_TYPE=RELEASE -D CMAKE_INSTALL_PREFIX=/usr/local -D OPENCV_EXTRA_MODULES_PATH=/opt/opencv_contrib/modules /opt/opencv/

/opt/opencv/release$ make -j4

/opt/opencv/release$ make install

/opt/opencv/release$ ldconfig

/opt/opencv/release$ exit

/opt/opencv/release$ cd ~

Now to check if OpenCV is installed on a machine, run the following commands

$ pkg-config --modversion opencv
3.2.x

1 2	$ pkg-config --modversion opencv 3.2.x

We will get the opencv version installed
in this case it’s 3.2.x

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Create a C++ program

Follow the commands

$ mkdir cpp_test

$ cd cpp_test

$ touch main.cpp

$ mkdir cpp_test

$ cd cpp_test

$ touch main.cpp

The above command will create a folder called cpp_test and create a main.cpp file inside it
Now place any .jpeg image inside the cpp_test folder.
So Now your cpp_test folder will contain two files as follows
.
├── sample.jpeg
└── main.cpp

Now open the main.cpp and add the following code

#include <opencv2/highgui.hpp>
#include <iostream>

int main( int argc, char** argv ) {
  
  cv::Mat image;
  image = cv::imread("sample.jpeg" , CV_LOAD_IMAGE_COLOR);
  
  if(! image.data ) {
      std::cout <<  "Could not open or find the image" << std::endl ;
      return -1;
    }
  
  cv::namedWindow( "Display window", cv::WINDOW_AUTOSIZE );
  cv::imshow( "Display window", image );
  
  cv::waitKey(0);
  return 0;
}

#include <opencv2/highgui.hpp>

#include <iostream>

int main( int argc, char** argv ) {

cv::Mat image;

image = cv::imread("sample.jpeg" , CV_LOAD_IMAGE_COLOR);

if(! image.data ) {

std::cout << "Could not open or find the image" << std::endl ;

return -1;

}

cv::namedWindow( "Display window", cv::WINDOW_AUTOSIZE );

cv::imshow( "Display window", image );

cv::waitKey(0);

return 0;

}

Now compile your code with the following command

g++ main.cpp -o output `pkg-config --cflags --libs opencv`

1	g++ main.cpp -o output `pkg-config --cflags --libs opencv`

Now run the C++ program with the following command

$ ./output

1	$ ./output

press ESC to exit

Video instruction – How to Install OpenCV in Ubuntu 16.04 LTS for C / C++

Post Views: 61,885

Raul Alexander

Package opencv was not found in the pkg-config search path.
Perhaps you should add the directory containing `opencv.pc’
to the PKG_CONFIG_PATH environment variable
No package ‘opencv’ found
Raul Alexander

Package opencv was not found in the pkg-config search path.
Perhaps you should add the directory containing `opencv.pc’
to the PKG_CONFIG_PATH environment variable
No package ‘opencv’ found https://uploads.disquscdn.com/images/e079f0ae50f33017e24db8d8690d3d29ce58a8b2fb44994835f2df22ec0a1306.png
- Roy
  
  Hello! I am having the same error. Did you find any solution for this?
  - sadek mostafa
    
    try this one it works with me
    
    sudo apt-get install libopencv-dev
nipunasudha

Thank you, this really helped!
Prashant Singh

Thanks. Can you also show how to use opencv in python using a simple example.
Does this build also work for use in python.
Prashant Singh

I followed the procedure above. For c++ it’s running fine but for python its throwing error.
What mistake I am doing. Please solve this.
https://uploads.disquscdn.com/images/10592378160c3560490f804150b29de092d1c4e3921549418d4d5803e7690724.png
- Yogesh Patel
  
  try the python program in
  http://www.codebind.com/python/install-opencv-ubuntu-16-04-lts-python/
陳文遠

Thanks for sharing~ It success on my computer.
Chinmesh Manjrekar

In step 4, 5th command onwards, the current working directory is /opt/opencv/releases, and not /opt/opencv

Its missleading, please correct it.
- Yasmine Sidhom
  
  thanks. that was really helpful
- Hassan Bakrim
  
  In order to use #include and #include
  in opencv project, we need to install
  libvtk5-dev and libeigen3-dev:
  sudo apt-get isntall libvtk5-dev
  sudo apt-get isntall libeigen3-dev
  
  and turn on the build composantes in cmake. Also, the path /opt/opencv/ stil correct:
  
  /opt/opencv/release$ cmake … -D WITH_EIGEN=ON -D WITH_V4L=ON … /opt/opencv/
Amel

My Installation was successful but now I have a big Problem, my Computer isn´t working anymore.
When I´m starting the login comes up on my Ubuntu 16.04, then I type the right Datas.
It shows me then only quick an Blackscreen with an error message(/dev/nvme0n1p2: clean, 359022/60407808 files, 9919453/241604864 blocks) and then it goes back to the login.
I think something with the screen resolution is wrong. Here I have another error messages:

X Error of failed request: BadWindow (invalid Window parameter)
Major opcode of failed request: 155 (NV-GLX)
Minor opcode of failed request: 4 ()
Resource id in failed request: 0x1400003
Serial number of failed request: 40
Current serial number in output stream: 40
gnome-session-check-accelerated: Helper exited with code 256
gnome-session-binary[25119]: CRITICAL: We failed, but the fail whale is dead. Sorry….
CRITICAL: We failed, but the fail whale is dead. Sorry….

Hopefully can someone help me with my Problem.
Manish Kumar

how to resolve this issue while installing opencv https://uploads.disquscdn.com/images/07d95776086306f69fc3ee5ad1c2b651a5a287ac8c32228cb47a88f35d91d915.png
Nic Lorenzo

Thanks bro!
Shivam Gupta

Hi. I followed all the steps mentioned above and it was completed successfully.
But I am facing this error now..
Anyone knows the solution for this?

https://uploads.disquscdn.com/images/a4cca9f1ff04bc913b3d0029b14458886c1fb71e94032d5c09e6ded46c1c89bb.png

Please help! 🙂
Trịnh Minh Toàn

Plz help me,
when i run .test, i have a problem: https://uploads.disquscdn.com/images/42ec1fc2db845c81c8762d60fd1a991517efc34a03e07f5922f0226984423bda.png
Tks,
jamal tavana

hello

https://uploads.disquscdn.com/images/d44241ab84e000378f7d6450e711d83972c8589ce192f87e61cc9c034f63984d.png

Why make a mistake?????????????????????????????????
My Linux version: 18.04 LTS Ubuntu
I failed to install libjasper-dev and python3.5-dev too.
Attached Files CMakeOutput.log and CMakeError.log.

http://mihanfarm.com/c/CMakeOutput.log

http://mihanfarm.com/c/CMakeError.log
- Mkadem Imen
  
  hey same mistake ,how did you solve it?
Emad Mojtahedifar

for openvc Version 4.0.0 (v4.0) , you must use -std=c++14:
g++ main.cpp -o output pkg-config --cflags --libs opencv -std=c++14
and change ‘CV_LOAD_IMAGE_COLOR ‘ to cv::IMAGE_COLOR