{"id":2163,"date":"2021-01-08T06:28:29","date_gmt":"2021-01-08T06:28:29","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.pythontutorial.net\/?page_id=2163"},"modified":"2021-10-23T11:00:34","modified_gmt":"2021-10-23T11:00:34","slug":"tkinter-photoimage","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/www.pythontutorial.net\/tkinter\/tkinter-photoimage\/","title":{"rendered":"Tkinter PhotoImage"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Summary<\/strong>: in this tutorial, you’ll learn how to use the Tkinter PhotoImage widget to display an image on another widget.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Introduction to the Tkinter PhotoImage widget #<\/a><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

In Tkinter, some widgets can display an image such as Label<\/a><\/code> and Button<\/a><\/code>. These widgets take an image<\/code> argument that allows them to display an image.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

However, you can’t just simply pass the path to an image file to the image<\/code> argument. Instead, you need to create a PhotoImage<\/code> object and pass it the image<\/code> argument.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

To create a new PhotoImage<\/code> object, you use the following syntax:<\/p>\n\n\n

photo_image = tk.PhotoImage(file=path_to_image)<\/code><\/span>Code language:<\/span> Python<\/span> (<\/span>python<\/span>)<\/span><\/small><\/pre>\n\n\n
In this syntax, you pass the path to the image to the file<\/code> argument to create a new PhotoImage<\/code> object.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Alternatively, you pass a bytes<\/code> object that contains image data to the data<\/code> argument.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
After creating a PhotoImage<\/code> object, you can use it in other widgets that accept an image<\/code> argument:<\/p>\n\n\n
label = ttk.Label(root, image=photo_image)<\/code><\/span>Code language:<\/span> Python<\/span> (<\/span>python<\/span>)<\/span><\/small><\/pre>\n\n\n
It’s important to note that you keep the reference to the PhotoImage<\/code> object in scope for as long as the image will be shown. Otherwise, the image won’t appear.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The following example attempts to display an image with the path '.\/assets\/python.png'<\/code> on the root window:<\/p>\n\n\n
import<\/span> tkinter as<\/span> tk\nfrom<\/span> tkinter import<\/span> ttk\n\n\nclass<\/span> App<\/span>(tk.Tk)<\/span>:<\/span>\n    def<\/span> __init__<\/span>(self)<\/span>:<\/span>\n        super().__init__()\n        python_image = tk.PhotoImage(file='.\/assets\/python.png'<\/span>)\n        ttk.Label(self, image=python_image).pack()\n\n\nif<\/span> __name__ == \"__main__\"<\/span>:\n    app = App()\n    app.mainloop()<\/code><\/span>Code language:<\/span> Python<\/span> (<\/span>python<\/span>)<\/span><\/small><\/pre>\n\n\n
If you run the program, you’ll notice that the window doesn’t show the image.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Why?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
That’s because the python_image<\/code> is destroyed as soon as the __init__()<\/code> is ended. Since the program has no reference to the PhotoImage<\/code> object, the image vanishes even though you’ve packed it into the layout.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
To fix this issue, you need to make sure the python_image<\/code> doesn’t go out of scope after the __init__()<\/code> method ends. For example, you can keep it in the instance of the App<\/code> class such as self.python_image<\/code>:<\/p>\n\n\n
import<\/span> tkinter as<\/span> tk\nfrom<\/span> tkinter import<\/span> ttk\n\n\nclass<\/span> App<\/span>(tk.Tk)<\/span>:<\/span>\n    def<\/span> __init__<\/span>(self)<\/span>:<\/span>\n        super().__init__()\n        self.title('Tkinter PhotoImage Demo'<\/span>)\n        self.geometry('320x150'<\/span>)\n\n        self.python_image = tk.PhotoImage(file='.\/assets\/python.png'<\/span>)\n        ttk.Label(self, image=self.python_image).pack()\n\n\nif<\/span> __name__ == \"__main__\"<\/span>:\n    app = App()\n    app.mainloop()<\/code><\/span>Code language:<\/span> Python<\/span> (<\/span>python<\/span>)<\/span><\/small><\/pre>\n\n\n
Tkinter PhotoImage file formats #<\/a><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Currently, the PhotoImage<\/code> widget supports the GIF, PGM, PPM, and PNG file formats as of Tkinter 8.6.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
To support other file formats such as JPG, JPEG, or BMP, you can use an image library such as Pillow to convert them into a format that the PhotoImage<\/code> widget understands.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
In fact, the Pillow library has a Tkinter-compatible PhotoImage<\/code> widget located in the PIL.ImageTk<\/code> module.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The following pip command<\/code> installs the Pillow<\/code> library:<\/p>\n\n\n
pip install Pillow<\/code><\/span>Code language:<\/span> Python<\/span> (<\/span>python<\/span>)<\/span><\/small><\/pre>\n\n\n
To use the Pillow library, you follow these steps:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
First, import the Image<\/code> and ImageTk<\/code> classes:<\/p>\n\n\n
from<\/span> PIL import<\/span> Image, ImageTk<\/code><\/span>Code language:<\/span> Python<\/span> (<\/span>python<\/span>)<\/span><\/small><\/pre>\n\n\n
Second, open the image file and create a new PhotoImage<\/code> object:<\/p>\n\n\n
image = Image.open('.\/assets\/python.jpg'<\/span>)\npython_image = ImageTk.PhotoImage(image)<\/code><\/span>Code language:<\/span> Python<\/span> (<\/span>python<\/span>)<\/span><\/small><\/pre>\n\n\n
Third, assign the ImageTk.PhotoImage<\/code> object to the image option:<\/p>\n\n\n
image_label = ttk.Label(root, image=python_image)<\/code><\/span>Code language:<\/span> Python<\/span> (<\/span>python<\/span>)<\/span><\/small><\/pre>\n\n\n
The following program illustrates how to use the PhotoImage<\/code> widget from the Pillow library:<\/p>\n\n\n
import<\/span> tkinter as<\/span> tk\nfrom<\/span> tkinter import<\/span> ttk\nfrom<\/span> PIL import<\/span> Image, ImageTk\n\n\nclass<\/span> App<\/span>(tk.Tk)<\/span>:<\/span>\n    def<\/span> __init__<\/span>(self)<\/span>:<\/span>\n        super().__init__()\n        self.title('Tkinter PhotoImage Demo'<\/span>)\n\n        self.image = Image.open('.\/assets\/python.jpg'<\/span>)\n        self.python_image = ImageTk.PhotoImage(self.image)\n\n        ttk.Label(self, image=self.python_image).pack()\n\n\nif<\/span> __name__ == '__main__'<\/span>:\n    app = App()\n    app.mainloop()<\/code><\/span>Code language:<\/span> Python<\/span> (<\/span>python<\/span>)<\/span><\/small><\/pre>\n\n\n
Summary #<\/a><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
  • Use the Tkinter PhotoImage<\/code> widget to display an image for a Label<\/code> or Button<\/code>.<\/li>
  • Tkinter PhotoImage<\/code> only supports the GIF, PGM, PPM, and PNG file formats.<\/li>
  • Use the PhotoImage<\/code> widget from the PIL.ImageTk<\/code> module to support other file formats.<\/li><\/ul>\n
    \n\t
    \n\t\t
    Was this tutorial helpful ?<\/div>\n\t\t
    \n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/path>\n\t\t\t\t<\/svg>\n\t\t\t\t Yes <\/span>\n\t\t\t<\/button>\n\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/path>\n\t\t\t\t<\/svg>\n\t\t\t\t No <\/span>\n\t\t\t<\/button>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t<\/header>\n\n\t
    \n\t\t
    \n\t\t\t
    <\/div>\n\t\t\t