ImportError: No module named PIL

I use this command in the shell to install PIL:

easy_install PIL

then I run python and type this: import PIL. But I get this error:

Traceback (most recent call last):
  File "<console>", line 1, in <module>
ImportError: No module named PIL

I've never had such problem, what do you think?

Solution 1:

In shell, run:

pip install Pillow

Attention: PIL is deprecated, and pillow is the successor.

Solution 2:

On some installs of PIL, you must do

import Image

instead of import PIL (PIL is in fact not always imported this way). Since import Image works for you, this means that you have in fact installed PIL.

Having a different name for the library and the Python module is unusual, but this is what was chosen for (some versions of) PIL.

You can get more information about how to use this module from the official tutorial.

PS: In fact, on some installs, import PIL does work, which adds to the confusion. This is confirmed by an example from the documentation, as @JanneKarila found out, and also by some more recent versions of the MacPorts PIL package (1.1.7).

Solution 3:

On a different note, I can highly recommend the use of Pillow which is backwards compatible with PIL and is better maintained/will work on newer systems.

When that is installed you can do

import PIL 

or

from PIL import Image

etc..

Solution 4:

At first install Pillow with

pip install Pillow

or as follows

c:\Python35>python -m pip install Pillow

Then in python code you may call

from PIL import Image

"Pillow is a fork of PIL, the Python Imaging Library, which is no longer maintained. However, to maintain backwards compatibility, the old module name is used." From pillow installed, but "no module named pillow" - python2.7 - Windows 7 - python -m install pillow