Read 16-bit tif with opencv

Question

I'm trying to read 16-bit color TIFs using opencv 2.4.3. The problem is that I can't get anything satisfying. All I get is a succession of black and grey lines.

I have tried different way to read the image :

cv::Mat cvimage = cv::imread(imageFile, CV_LOAD_IMAGE_COLOR | CV_LOAD_IMAGE_ANYDEPTH);
cv::Mat cvimage = cv::imread(imageFile, CV_LOAD_IMAGE_UNCHANGED);

cv::imshow("image", cvimage);

type of cvimage is CV_16UC3 , as expected.

What is the correct way to read 16-bit images using opencv ?

Answer 1

Try:

cv::Mat cvimage = cv::imread(imageFile
                             , CV_LOAD_IMAGE_ANYCOLOR | CV_LOAD_IMAGE_ANYDEPTH);

If this doesn't work, you can first convert it to PNG as OpenCV can read and even write 16bit PNG files correctly. You can convert your TIFF to PNG without loss.

cv::Mat cvimage = cv::imread(imageFile, -1);