How to Perform Bitwise OR Operation on Two Images in OpenCV Python

OpenCV is an open-source computer vision library that provides tools for various image processing tasks such as image manipulation, object detection, tracking, and more. In this article, we will discuss how to perform bitwise OR operation on two images in OpenCV using the Python programming language.

Understanding Bitwise OR Operation

The bitwise OR operation is a binary operation that takes two integer values as input, and for each bit, returns 1 if either of the bits is 1. In other words, for each pixel in the two input images, the bitwise OR operation returns 1 if either of the pixels has a non-zero value.

The bitwise OR operation can be used in image processing for various tasks such as masking, blending, and more. In OpenCV, the bitwise OR operation is performed using the cv2.bitwise_or() function.

Performing Bitwise OR Operation on Two Images in OpenCV Python

To perform bitwise OR operation on two images in OpenCV Python, we need to first import the necessary libraries and read the two input images. Let’s assume we have two input images named image1.jpg and image2.jpg, and our task is to perform bitwise OR operation on these two images.

import cv2

# Read the two input images 
image1 = cv2.imread('image1.jpg')
image2 = cv2.imread('image2.jpg')

Next, we need to resize the two images to ensure that they have the same dimensions. The cv2.resize() function can be used for this purpose.

# Resize the two images to ensure they have the same dimensions
image1 = cv2.resize(image1, (500, 500))
image2 = cv2.resize(image2, (500, 500))

Now, we can perform bitwise OR operation on the two images using the cv2.bitwise_or() function. This function takes two input images as arguments and returns the resulting output image.

# Perform bitwise OR operation on the two images
result = cv2.bitwise_or(image1, image2)

Finally, we can display the resulting output image using the cv2.imshow() function.

# Display the resulting output image
cv2.imshow('Result', result)
cv2.waitKey(0)
cv2.destroyAllWindows()

The complete code for performing bitwise OR operation on two images in OpenCV Python is given below.

import cv2

# Read the two input images 
image1 = cv2.imread('image1.jpg')
image2 = cv2.imread('image2.jpg')

# Resize the two images to ensure they have the same dimensions
image1 = cv2.resize(image1, (500, 500))
image2 = cv2.resize(image2, (500, 500))

# Perform bitwise OR operation on the two images
result = cv2.bitwise_or(image1, image2)

# Display the resulting output image
cv2.imshow('Result', result)
cv2.waitKey(0)
cv2.destroyAllWindows()

Conclusion

In conclusion, the bitwise OR operation is a binary operation that takes two integer values as input and returns 1 for each bit if either of the bits is 1. In OpenCV Python, the cv2.bitwise_or() function can be used to perform bitwise OR operation on two images. By following the simple steps outlined in this article, you can easily perform bitwise OR operation on two images in OpenCV Python and use the resulting image for various image processing tasks.