OpenCV 2.0 with Windows Installation

Windows Installation Notes:

1. The library is better to be installed to a directorywithout a space in its name, such as the default C:/OpenCV2.0 - otherwise (e.g. if you install it to C:/Program Files/OpenCV2.0) you may get compile errors. This is a limitation of the current build scripts.

2. Due to many technical problems the installation package does not include pre-compiled OpenCV libraries for Visual Studio users.

   • Instead, it includes libraries built with MinGW 4.3.3 TDM-SJLJ.

   • They are good enough to run the C/C++ and Python samples and tests, but for developing your OpenCV-based applications using Visual Studio (or a Borland IDE, etc.) you need to build the libraries with your compiler using CMake, as explained here: 

   • http://opencv.willowgarage.com/wiki/InstallGuide

Procedure at a glance:

• 1. Download CMake from http://www.cmake.org/cmake/resources/software.html and install it.

• 2. Run CMake GUI tool and configure OpenCV there:
  

  • 2.1. select C:/OpenCV2.0 (or the installation directory you chose)as the source directory;

  • 2.2. choose some other directory name for the generated project files, e.g. C:/OpenCV2.0/vs2008, or D:/Work/OpenCV_MinGW etc.
    

  • 2.3. press Configure button, select your preferrable build environment
    

  • 2.4. adjust any options at your choice 2.5. press Configure again, then press Generate. 

• 3a. In the case of Visual Studio or any other IDE, open the generated solution/workspace/project ..., e.g.   C:/OpenCV2.0/vs2008/OpenCV.sln, build it in Release and Debug configurations.

• 3b. In the case of command-line Makefiles, enter the destination directoryand type "make" (or "nmake" etc.)

• 4. Add the output directories to the system path, e.g.: C:/OpenCV2.0/vs2008/bin/Debug;C:/OpenCV2.0/vs2008/bin/Release:%PATH% It is safe to add both directories, since the Debug OpenCV DLLs have the "d" suffix, which the Release DLLs do not have.

• 5. Optionally, add C:/OpenCV2.0/include/opencv to the list ofinclude directories in your IDE settings,and the

• output library directories(e.g. C:/OpenCV2.0/vs2008/lib/{Debug,Release}) to the list of library paths. 

• It is important to build both release and debug configurations, and link you code with the proper libraries in each configuration,

•  otherwise various compile-time or run-time errors are possible.

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Source from  OpenCV Monthly