OpenCV Python

What is OpenCV?

OpenCV is an open source python module that is based around visual tracking. OpenCV has the ability to locate and process visual images. This means it can recognize images and can process these images to be used in any project. OpenCV is available on Windows, Linux, and Mac.

There are many python interpreters that support the use of OpenCV. OpenCV is pip supported. This means that it can be installed using “pip install opencv-python”. The numpy python module will be automatically installed as OpenCV uses the numpy arrays for image and video detection.

Advantages of OpenCV

If you have ever used Sikuli or any other image recognition program, you probably understand how powerful image detection is when needing to automate processes. Building step by step automation that utilizes image processing does not require programs to be API supported, as a bot would just need to scan your computer screen for an image to move on to the next line of code.

How to Install OpenCV?

You can either go to the PyPi website and download the files from there or you can use the “pip install opencv-python” python command to get it installed in seconds. If you need to install opencv headless mode, the command to run is “pip install opencv-python-headless”. If you face issues when installing, make sure you have the numpy module installed as this is a required dependency for OpenCV.

OpenCV in Digital Finance

The possibilities of OpenCV in Digital Finance are endless. When working with ERP’s, whether the software is cloud-based or a downloadable application, configuring the ERP to download reports or code credit memos can be a laborious process. What if the ERP was not API supported? The solution is OpenCV. Since OpenCV revolves around manipulating images, it can work with any program that is visible on the screen. If we needed to code an invoice one hundred times, we would just have to tell OpenCV to interact with the computer by locating the images specified and completing a step such as clicking or typing. Does this sound familiar? SikuliX works the same way. Sikuli uses OpenCV as its image processing module to determine where the image is located on your screen.