OpenCV is an open source computer vision library that can be used for image processing and computer vision. It contains over 500 functions and supports Windows, Linux, and MacOS. The OpenCV library consists of three main modules: CV for computer vision algorithms, HighGUI for GUI and image/video input and output, and CXCore for basic data structures. To use OpenCV, developers need a C/C++ compiler like GCC and dependencies like CMake, Git, and Python. OpenCV can then be installed from source by cloning the GitHub repository, configuring with CMake, and building and installing with Make. Useful OpenCV functions and more information sources are also provided.