OpenSlide Python

OpenSlide Python is a Python interface to the OpenSlide library.

OpenSlide is a C library that provides a simple interface for reading whole-slide images, also known as virtual slides, which are high-resolution images used in digital pathology. These images can occupy tens of gigabytes when uncompressed, and so cannot be easily read using standard tools or libraries, which are designed for images that can be comfortably uncompressed into RAM. Whole-slide images are typically multi-resolution; OpenSlide allows reading a small amount of image data at the resolution closest to a desired zoom level.

OpenSlide can read virtual slides in several formats:

• Aperio (.svs, .tif)
• ARGOS (.avs)
• DICOM (.dcm)
• Hamamatsu (.ndpi, .vms, .vmu)
• Huron (.tif)
• Leica (.scn)
• MIRAX (.mrxs)
• Philips (.tiff)
• Sakura (.svslide)
• Trestle (.tif)
• Ventana (.bif, .tif)
• Zeiss (.czi)
• Generic tiled TIFF (.tif)

Requirements

• Python ≥ 3.10
• OpenSlide ≥ 3.4.0
• Pillow

Installation

OpenSlide Python requires OpenSlide. Install both components from PyPI with:

pip install openslide-python openslide-bin

Or, see the OpenSlide Python documentation for instructions on installing so OpenSlide Python can find OpenSlide.

More Information

• API documentation
• Changelog
• Website
• GitHub
• Sample data

License

OpenSlide Python is released under the terms of the GNU Lesser General Public License, version 2.1. The Deep Zoom example code includes JavaScript released under the BSD license, the MIT license, and released into the public domain.

OpenSlide Python is distributed in the hope that it will be useful, but WITHOUT ANY WARRANTY; without even the implied warranty of MERCHANTABILITY or FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE. See the GNU Lesser General Public License for more details.