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: 76,774

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,
- Diego Carlos do Brasil
  
  You have to declare you opencv install system variables.
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?
- Diego Carlos do Brasil
  
  you have to manually install: https://ubuntu.pkgs.org/18.04/trinity-r14-builddeps-amd64/libjasper-dev_1.900.1-debian1-2.5ubuntu18.04.0+0_amd64.deb.html and it requires libjasper1.
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
LB

when i’m trying “sudo apt-get install build-essential cmake git libgtk2.0-dev pkg-config libavcodec-dev libavformat-dev libswscale-dev”, the terminal says:
Lecture des listes de paquets… Fait
Construction de l’arbre des dépendances
Lecture des informations d’état… Fait
Aucune version du paquet pkg-config n’est disponible, mais il existe dans la base
de données. Cela signifie en général que le paquet est manquant, qu’il est devenu obsolète
ou qu’il n’est disponible que sur une autre source

E: Impossible de trouver le paquet libgtk2.0-dev
E: Impossible de trouver de paquet correspondant à l’expression rationnelle « libgtk2.0-dev »
E: Impossible de trouver de paquet correspondant à l’expression rationnelle « libgtk2.0-dev »
E: Le paquet « pkg-config » n’a pas de version susceptible d’être installée
E: Impossible de trouver le paquet libavcodec-dev
E: Impossible de trouver le paquet libavformat-dev
E: Impossible de trouver le paquet libswscale-dev
Abanoub Mamdouh

When I type the cmake command, it says : CMake Error: The source directory "/opt/opencv" does not exist. Specify --help for usage, or press the help button on the CMake GUI.

I created the directory and I am typing the command from inside it, so it’s really strange!
- Diego Carlos do Brasil
  
  You must type inside /release bro
Pablo Fonovich

hi, I’m getting this error in ubuntu xenial:

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

Any hints?