so the first step is to make sure that everything in the system is updated and upgraded:
$sudo apt-get update
$sudo apt-get upgrade
Now, you need to install many dependencies, such as support for reading and writing image
files, drawing on the screen, some needed tools, etc… This step is very easy, you only need to
write the following command in the Terminal:
$sudo apt-get install build-essential libgtk2.0-dev libjpeg-dev libtiff4-dev libjasper-dev libopenexr-dev cmake python-dev pythonnumpy python-tk libtbb-dev libeigen2-dev yasm libfaac-dev libopencore-amrnb-dev libopencore-amrwb-dev libtheora-dev libvorbisdev libxvidcore-dev libx264-dev libqt4-dev libqt4-opengl-dev sphinxcommon texlive-latex-extra libv4l-dev libdc1394-22-dev libavcodecdev libavformat-dev libswscale-dev
Time to get the OpenCV 2.4.1 source code:
$cd ~
$wget http://downloads.sourceforge.net/project/opencvlibrary/opencvunix/2.4.1/OpenCV-2.4.1.tar.bz2
$tar -xvf OpenCV-2.4.1.tar.bz2
$cd OpenCV-2.4.1
Now we have to generate the Makefile by using cmake. In here we can define which parts of
OpenCV we want to compile. Since we want to use Python, TBB, OpenGL, Qt, work with
videos, etc, here is where we need to set that. Just execute the following line at the terminal to
create the appropriate Makefile. Note that there are two dots at the end of the line, it is an
argument for the cmake program and it means the parent directory (because we are inside the
build directory, and we want to refer to the OpenCV directory, which is its parent).
$mkdir build
$cd build
$cmake -D WITH_TBB=ON -D BUILD_NEW_PYTHON_SUPPORT=ON -D WITH_V4L=ON -D INSTALL_C_EXAMPLES=ON -D INSTALL_PYTHON_EXAMPLES=ON -D BUILD_EXAMPLES=ON -D WITH_QT=ON -D WITH_OPENGL=ON ..
Check that the above command produces no error and that in particular it reports FFMPEG as
YES. If this is not the case you will not be able to read or write videos. Also, check that Python,
TBB, OpenGL, V4L, OpenGL and Qt are detected.
If anything is wrong, go back, correct the errors by maybe installing extra packages and then
run cmake again. You should see something similar to this:
Now, you are ready to compile and install OpenCV 2.4.1:
$make
$sudo make install
Now you have to configure OpenCV. First, open the opencv.conf file with the following code:
1 sudo gedit /etc/ld.so.conf.d/opencv.conf
Add the following line at the end of the file(it may be an empty file, that is ok) and then save it:
$/usr/local/lib
Run the following code to configure the library:
$sudo ldconfig
Now you have to open another file:
$sudo gedit /etc/bash.bashrc
Add these two lines at the end of the file and save it:
$PKG_CONFIG_PATH=$PKG_CONFIG_PATH:/usr/local/lib/pkgconfig
$export PKG_CONFIG_PATH
Finally, close the console and open a new one, restart the computer or logout and then
login again. OpenCV will not work correctly until you do this.
Now you have OpenCV 2.4.1 installed in your computer with Python, TBB, OpenGL, video,
and Qt support.