Display an Image on Tkinter Window using Another Function in Python

Introduction

Python’s Tkinter library is a powerful tool for creating graphical user interfaces (GUIs). One common task in GUI development is displaying images. In this article, we’ll explore how to display an image on a Tkinter window using another function in Python. This approach allows for better code organization and flexibility in handling images.

Getting Started with Tkinter

Before diving into displaying images, let’s make sure you have Tkinter installed. Most Python installations come with Tkinter included, so you typically won’t need to install it separately. You can check if Tkinter is available by running the following code:

import tkinter as tk

print(tk.TkVersion)

If Tkinter is installed, this code will print the Tkinter version number. If it’s not installed, you’ll need to install it through your package manager or by using pip.

Setting Up the Tkinter Window

To display an image using Tkinter, you’ll first need to create a Tkinter window. Here’s a simple example:

import tkinter as tk

# Create a Tkinter window
root = tk.Tk()
root.title("Image Display")

# Set the window size
root.geometry("400x400")

# Start the Tkinter event loop
root.mainloop()

This code creates a basic Tkinter window with a title and sets its initial size. The `mainloop()` function starts the Tkinter event loop, allowing the window to respond to user interactions.

Displaying an Image

Now, let’s create a function that displays an image on the Tkinter window. We’ll use the Python Imaging Library (PIL) module, which provides tools for working with images.

First, install the PIL module if you haven’t already:

pip install Pillow

Next, create a function to display an image:

from tkinter import PhotoImage
from PIL import Image, ImageTk

def display_image(image_path):
    # Open the image using PIL
    pil_image = Image.open(image_path)

    # Convert PIL image to Tkinter PhotoImage
    tk_image = ImageTk.PhotoImage(pil_image)

    # Create a label widget to display the image
    image_label = tk.Label(root, image=tk_image)
    image_label.pack()  # Add the label to the window

    # Prevent the Tkinter PhotoImage from being garbage-collected
    image_label.photo = tk_image

# Example usage
display_image("flowers.jpg")

In this function:

Make sure to replace “flowers.jpg” with the path to your own image file.

Complete Code

Here’s a complete code that puts everything together:

import tkinter as tk
from tkinter import PhotoImage
from PIL import Image, ImageTk

def display_image(image_path):
    pil_image = Image.open(image_path)
    tk_image = ImageTk.PhotoImage(pil_image)
    image_label = tk.Label(root, image=tk_image)
    image_label.pack()
    image_label.photo = tk_image

# Create a Tkinter window
root = tk.Tk()
root.title("Image Display")
root.geometry("400x400")

# Display an image
display_image("flowers.jpg")

# Start the Tkinter event loop
root.mainloop()

Output

With this code, you can easily display images on a Tkinter window using the `display_image()` function, making your GUI applications more organized and visually appealing. Feel free to expand upon this foundation to create more complex and interactive GUIs with Python and Tkinter.