How To Install OpenCV On Raspberry Pi?

The Art of Embracing Computer Vision with OpenCV on Raspberry Pi

In the vibrant world of technology, the convergence of Raspberry Pi and OpenCV presents a gateway to boundless possibilities in computer vision. Equipping your Raspberry Pi with OpenCV unleashes a realm of creative innovation, enabling the understanding and processing of visual data. This amalgamation breathes life into a myriad of projects, from motion detection and object recognition to augmented reality applications and beyond. Delving into this synergy of hardware and software unfurls a canvas where imagination meets technical prowess.

Unveiling the Prerequisites:

Preparing the Raspberry Pi Environment

Before embarking on the journey of installing OpenCV on your Raspberry Pi, ensuring a well-prepped environment stands as the cornerstone. Commence by updating and upgrading your Pi’s operating system. Utilize the command-line interface with the following commands:

sudo apt-get update
sudo apt-get upgrade

These commands pave the way for a seamless installation process, fetching the latest software versions and security patches. Following this, installing essential dependencies is pivotal. Python is indispensable for OpenCV functionality. Ascertain Python’s presence by entering:

python --version

If Python isn’t installed, fetch it using:

sudo apt-get install python3

With Python in place, supplement your arsenal with essential libraries by executing:

sudo apt-get install build-essential cmake pkg-config
sudo apt-get install libjpeg-dev libtiff-dev libpng-dev
sudo apt-get install libavcodec-dev libavformat-dev libswscale-dev libv4l-dev
sudo apt-get install libxvidcore-dev libx264-dev
sudo apt-get install libfontconfig1-dev libcairo2-dev
sudo apt-get install libgdk-pixbuf2.0-dev libpango1.0-dev
sudo apt-get install libgtk-3-dev
sudo apt-get install libatlas-base-dev gfortran
sudo apt-get install libhdf5-dev libhdf5-103
sudo apt-get install libharfbuzz0b libharfbuzz-dev
sudo apt-get install libhdf5-serial-dev
sudo apt-get install libqtgui4 libqtwebkit4 libqt4-test python3-pyqt5
sudo apt-get install python3-dev

This comprehensive ensemble of libraries fuels the computational engine of OpenCV, ensuring a robust foundation for its installation.

The Meticulous Installation of OpenCV:

Crafting the Visual Intelligence

Once the stage is set, the installation of OpenCV on Raspberry Pi beckons. A crucial step involves the setup of a virtual environment, a sanctuary for OpenCV to flourish without interfering with system-wide Python installations. Invoke the virtual environment by executing:

sudo apt-get install python3-venv
python3 -m venv cv
source cv/bin/activate

This encapsulated environment provides a pristine canvas for OpenCV’s installation, shielding it from conflicts with other Python packages.

Next, embark on acquiring the OpenCV codebase, steering toward its compilation. Clone the OpenCV repository and the associated contrib repository:

mkdir ~/opencv_build && cd ~/opencv_build
git clone https://github.com/opencv/opencv.git
git clone https://github.com/opencv/opencv_contrib.git

Traversing into the OpenCV directory, create a build directory to organize the compilation process:

cd ~/opencv_build/opencv
mkdir build && cd build

With the groundwork laid, initiate the configuration of OpenCV, incorporating additional modules from the contrib repository to enhance functionality:

cmake -D CMAKE_BUILD_TYPE=RELEASE \
      -D CMAKE_INSTALL_PREFIX=/usr/local \
      -D OPENCV_EXTRA_MODULES_PATH=~/opencv_build/opencv_contrib/modules \
      -D ENABLE_NEON=ON \
      -D ENABLE_VFPV3=ON \
      -D BUILD_TESTS=OFF \
      -D INSTALL_PYTHON_EXAMPLES=OFF \
      -D OPENCV_ENABLE_NONFREE=ON \
      -D CMAKE_SHARED_LINKER_FLAGS=-latomic \
      -D BUILD_EXAMPLES=OFF ..

Following successful configuration, proceed with the compilation of OpenCV. This process is resource-intensive and may take a considerable amount of time:

make -j$(nproc)

Upon compilation, install OpenCV on your Raspberry Pi:

sudo make install
sudo ldconfig

With OpenCV gracefully installed, deactivate the virtual environment:

deactivate