pillow
Python Imaging Library (fork)
Decision gist · record as of 2026-08-14
Yes. Pillow is a foundational, actively maintained image library with no security vulnerabilities, permissive licensing, and broad platform support. Install it if you need to work with images in Python—it is the de facto standard for this task. The medium install friction is a minor trade-off for a mature, well-supported tool.AI-flagged interpretation of the facts on this page — verify before relying
Before you install
- Requires Python 3.10 or later; compiled dependencies may need system-level installation on some platforms.
- Medium install friction due to compiled dependencies, but pre-built wheels are available for common platforms (macOS, Linux, Windows across multiple architectures).
- Active maintenance with recent releases and strong community support.
License · maintenance · safety
MIT-CMU (permissive) — MIT-CMU license is permissive, allowing commercial and private use with minimal restrictions—no notable licensing barriers to adoption.
last release 2026-07-01 (44 days) · last repo commit 2026-08-13 · 13,751 stars
0 known vulnerabilities (OSV.dev, 2026-08-14) · 547,140,713 downloads/mo, #68 on PyPI
Alternatives
Verify before relying
pip install pillow
import pillow
# Open and manipulate image files
# See documentation for specific image processing operations- Specific image formats supported beyond the general 'extensive file format support' claim.
- Performance characteristics or memory efficiency for large-scale image processing workflows.
- Whether PyPy support (listed in classifiers) is actively tested and maintained.
- Concrete examples of image manipulation operations available in the API.
What it is and what it does
Pillow is a mature, widely-used fork of the Python Imaging Library that brings image processing to Python applications. It provides a core image library optimized for fast access to pixel data in common formats, along with image manipulation capabilities. The library is designed as a foundation for general image processing tools and integrates with many downstream packages in the Python ecosystem.
The package has medium install friction because it includes compiled extensions that need to be built or provided as pre-built wheels for your platform. However, wheels are available for Python 3.10, 3.11, 3.12, 3.13, and 3.14 across macOS (Intel and ARM), Linux (glibc and musl), and Windows (x86, x64, ARM64), so installation is straightforward on standard platforms. The project is actively maintained, backed by Tidelift and GitHub Sponsors, with no known security vulnerabilities.
Use it for
- Convert and process image files across multiple formats in batch operations.
- Generate image previews or thumbnails for web applications and galleries.
- Apply transformations and adjustments to images in data processing pipelines.
- Extract or analyze pixel data from images for computer vision preprocessing.
- Build image manipulation tools that work with photos programmatically.
Worth the install?
AI-flagged interpretation of the facts on this page. Verify before relying on it.
Yes.
Pillow is a foundational, actively maintained image library with no security vulnerabilities, permissive licensing, and broad platform support. Install it if you need to work with images in Python—it is the de facto standard for this task. The medium install friction is a minor trade-off for a mature, well-supported tool.
Install
pillow on PyPI
Before you install
Medium install friction due to compiled dependencies, but pre-built wheels are available for common platforms (macOS, Linux, Windows across multiple architectures). Active maintenance with recent releases and strong community support.
Requires Python 3.10 or later; compiled dependencies may need system-level installation on some platforms.
License in practice
MIT-CMU license is permissive, allowing commercial and private use with minimal restrictions—no notable licensing barriers to adoption.
Quickstart
pip install pillow
import pillow
# Open and manipulate image files
# See documentation for specific image processing operationsVerify before relying
- Specific image formats supported beyond the general 'extensive file format support' claim.
- Performance characteristics or memory efficiency for large-scale image processing workflows.
- Whether PyPy support (listed in classifiers) is actively tested and maintained.
- Concrete examples of image manipulation operations available in the API.
Package facts
| License | MIT-CMU permissive |
| Python support | Supports the current Python release >=3.10 |
| Install friction | Medium. Platform-specific wheel |
| Runtime dependencies | None |
| Maintenance | Actively maintained 44 days since the last release |
| Last repo commit | |
| First released | |
| Downloads | 547,140,713 / month, #68 on PyPI 30-day window, as of 2026-08-14 |
| Known vulnerabilities | None known OSV.dev, checked 2026-08-14 |
| Classifiers | Development Status :: 6 - MatureProgramming Language :: Python :: 3 :: OnlyProgramming Language :: Python :: 3.10Programming Language :: Python :: 3.11Programming Language :: Python :: 3.12Programming Language :: Python :: 3.13Programming Language :: Python :: 3.14Programming Language :: Python :: Implementation :: CPythonProgramming Language :: Python :: Implementation :: PyPyTopic :: Multimedia :: GraphicsTopic :: Multimedia :: Graphics :: Capture :: Digital CameraTopic :: Multimedia :: Graphics :: Capture :: Screen CaptureTopic :: Multimedia :: Graphics :: Graphics ConversionTopic :: Multimedia :: Graphics :: ViewersTyping :: Typed |
Evidence: pillow-12.3.0-cp310-cp310-macosx_10_10_x86_64.whl; pillow-12.3.0-cp310-cp310-macosx_11_0_arm64.whl; pillow-12.3.0-cp310-cp310-manylinux_2_27_aarch64.manylinux_2_28_aarch64.whl; pillow-12.3.0-cp310-cp310-manylinux_2_27_x86_64.manylinux_2_28_x86_64.whl; pillow-12.3.0-cp310-cp310-musllinux_1_2_aarch64.whl; pillow-12.3.0-cp310-cp310-musllinux_1_2_x86_64.whl; pillow-12.3.0-cp310-cp310-win32.whl; pillow-12.3.0-cp310-cp310-win_amd64.whl; pillow-12.3.0-cp310-cp310-win_arm64.whl; pillow-12.3.0-cp311-cp311-macosx_10_10_x86_64.whl; pillow-12.3.0-cp311-cp311-macosx_11_0_arm64.whl; pillow-12.3.0-cp311-cp311-manylinux_2_27_aarch64.manylinux_2_28_aarch64.whl; pillow-12.3.0-cp311-cp311-manylinux_2_27_x86_64.manylinux_2_28_x86_64.whl; pillow-12.3.0-cp311-cp311-musllinux_1_2_aarch64.whl; pillow-12.3.0-cp311-cp311-musllinux_1_2_x86_64.whl; pillow-12.3.0-cp311-cp311-win32.whl; pillow-12.3.0-cp311-cp311-win_amd64.whl; pillow-12.3.0-cp311-cp311-win_arm64.whl; pillow-12.3.0-cp312-cp312-macosx_10_13_x86_64.whl; pillow-12.3.0-cp312-cp312-macosx_11_0_arm64.whl
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