Python Imaging Library

Fredrik Lundh ❘ Open Source

Unlock Creative Potential with Python Imaging Library (PIL)

Elena Angelini

03/04/2025

The Python Imaging Library (PIL) is a reliable and versatile image processing tool that enables developers to manipulate images with ease, though it may feel outdated compared to more modern libraries.

Python Imaging Library (PIL) by Fredrik Lundh

The Python Imaging Library (PIL) by Fredrik Lundh is a powerful library for working with images in the Python programming language. It provides extensive support for image manipulation, processing, and file formats. Whether you are looking to resize images, apply filters, or work with different image file types, PIL has you covered.

Key Features:

Image Processing: PIL offers a wide range of image processing capabilities, including resizing, rotating, and cropping images. You can also apply various filters and effects to enhance your images.
File Format Support: PIL supports a variety of image file formats, such as JPEG, PNG, TIFF, and GIF. This allows you to work with different types of images seamlessly.
Image Enhancement: With PIL, you can adjust image brightness, contrast, and color balance. This feature is helpful for improving the overall quality of your images.
Image Drawing: The library includes functionality for drawing shapes and text on images. This can be useful for adding annotations or creating custom graphics.
Image Filters: PIL provides a collection of built-in filters that can be applied to images. These filters can be used to blur, sharpen, or modify the appearance of your images.

Who is it for?

Python Imaging Library (PIL) is suitable for developers and programmers who need to work with images in their Python projects. Whether you are building a web application that deals with user-uploaded images or creating a computer vision application, PIL can help you handle image-related tasks efficiently.

Upsides:

Comprehensive set of image processing features.
Support for a wide range of image file formats.
Easy-to-use API for working with images in Python.
Great for beginners and experts alike in image manipulation.

Downsides:

May have performance issues when working with large image files.
Lacks some advanced image processing capabilities compared to other libraries.

Overview

Python Imaging Library is a Open Source software in the category Development developed by Fredrik Lundh.

The latest version of Python Imaging Library is currently unknown. It was initially added to our database on 10/16/2009.

Python Imaging Library runs on the following operating systems: Windows.

Python Imaging Library has not been rated by our users yet.

Pros

Easy to use and integrate into Python applications.
Supports a wide range of image file formats (e.g., JPEG, PNG, BMP).
Provides powerful image manipulation capabilities (e.g., resizing, cropping, filtering).
Well-documented with extensive tutorials and examples.
Open-source and free to use, encouraging community contributions.

Cons

Development has ceased with the last updates dating back to 2009.
Some users may find it outdated compared to newer libraries like Pillow which is a maintained fork.
Limited support for high-performance operations or large-scale image processing tasks.
It may lack certain advanced features found in more modern imaging libraries.

FAQ

What is Python Imaging Library (PIL) by Fredrik Lundh?

Python Imaging Library (PIL) is a library for adding image processing capabilities to Python.

Is Python Imaging Library (PIL) still actively maintained?

No, Python Imaging Library (PIL) is no longer actively maintained. Its fork, Pillow, is the recommended alternative.

What is Pillow?

Pillow is the friendly PIL fork by Alex Clark and Contributors. It is the actively maintained fork of PIL.

Can Pillow be used as a drop-in replacement for PIL?

Yes, Pillow aims to be a drop-in replacement for PIL. Most of the functions and methods in PIL can be used directly in Pillow.

What image file formats are supported by Python Imaging Library (PIL) or Pillow?

Python Imaging Library (PIL) and Pillow support many image file formats including JPEG, PNG, GIF, BMP, and TIFF.

Can images be resized using Python Imaging Library (PIL) or Pillow?

Yes, both PIL and Pillow provide functions to resize images to specific dimensions or scale them by a factor.

Is it possible to apply filters to images using Python Imaging Library (PIL) or Pillow?

Yes, both PIL and Pillow offer a wide range of filters that can be applied to images such as blurring, sharpening, and edge detection.

Does Python Imaging Library (PIL) or Pillow support image manipulation operations like cropping and rotation?

Yes, both PIL and Pillow provide functionalities to crop images to specified regions and rotate them at different angles.

Can text and shapes be drawn on images using Python Imaging Library (PIL) or Pillow?

Yes, both PIL and Pillow support drawing text, lines, shapes, and other annotations on images.

Is there good documentation available for learning Python Imaging Library (PIL) or Pillow?

Yes, both PIL and Pillow come with detailed documentation that covers various aspects of using the libraries for image processing tasks.

Elena Angelini

I'm Elena, your go-to software reviewer at UpdateStar and tech enthusiast. Whether you're a user seeking the latest software titles or software news I've got you covered. When I'm not diving into the latest software, you can find me exploring nature trails, camping under the stars, or competing in online multiplayer games. My reviews are designed to be fun, engaging, and packed with all the details you need to make informed decisions.

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