Installing OpenCV and getting started with it in C++ can seem like a daunting task, but it’s actually quite simple with the right steps. In this blog post, we will guide you through the process of installing OpenCV on your computer and show you how to start working with it in C++.
Step 1: Install OpenCV
The first step is to download and install OpenCV. You can download the latest version from the official OpenCV website (https://opencv.org/releases/). Once you have downloaded the package, extract it to a location on your computer.
Step 2: Set up the OpenCV environment
After extracting the package, you will need to set up the OpenCV environment. This can be done by adding the OpenCV bin folder to your system’s PATH environment variable. This will allow you to run OpenCV commands from the command line.
Step 3: Create a new C++ project
Now that you have set up the OpenCV environment, you can start working on your C++ project. Create a new C++ project in your IDE (Integrated Development Environment) of choice and make sure that it is configured to use the OpenCV library.
Step 4: Include the OpenCV header files
In order to use OpenCV in your C++ project, you will need to include the OpenCV header files. This can be done by adding the following line of code to the top of your main.cpp file:
#include <opencv2/opencv.hpp>
Step 5: Start working with OpenCV
With the OpenCV library included in your project, you can start working with it. For example, you can read an image file using the imread() function and display it on the screen using the imshow() function.
cv::Mat image = cv::imread("image.jpg");
cv::imshow("Image", image);
cv::waitKey();
This is just a simple example of what you can do with OpenCV in C++. There are many more functions and features available, so be sure to explore the official OpenCV documentation for more information.
Installing OpenCV and getting started with it in C++ may seem like a daunting task, but with these simple steps, you can have it up and running in no time. Happy coding!