Technical requirements

This chapter and subsequent chapters are focused on Python (a programming language) and OpenCV (a computer vision library) concepts in connection with computer vision, machine learning, and deep learning techniques (among others). Therefore, Python (https://www.python.org/) and OpenCV (https://opencv.org/) should be installed on your computer. Moreover, some Python packages related to scientific computing and data science should also be installed (for example, NumPy (http://www.numpy.org/) or Matplotlib (https://matplotlib.org/)). 

Additionally, it is recommended that you install an integrated development environment (IDE) software package because it facilitates computer programmers with software development. In this sense, a Python-specific IDE is recommended. The de facto Python IDE is PyCharm, which can be downloaded from https://www.jetbrains.com/pycharm/. 

Finally, in order to facilitate GitHub activities (for example, cloning a repository), you should install a Git client. In this sense, GitHub provides desktop clients that include the most common repository actions. For an introduction to Git commands, check out https://education.github.com/git-cheat-sheet-education.pdf, where commonly used Git command-line instructions are summarized. Additionally, instructions for installing a Git client on your operating system are included. 

The GitHub repository for this book, which contains all the supporting project files necessary to work through the book from the first chapter to the last, can be accessed at https://github.com/PacktPublishing/Mastering-OpenCV-4-with-Python.

Finally, it should be noted that the README file of the GitHub repository for Mastering OpenCV with Python includes the following, which is also attached here for the sake of completeness:

• Code testing specifications
• Hardware specifications
• Related books and products