What Is EMGU and What Is Emgu CV?

EMGU is the name of the project and website behind Emgu CV, a cross-platform .NET wrapper for the OpenCV image-processing library. It lets you call OpenCV functions from .NET-compatible languages, and the wrapper can be compiled with Visual Studio and Unity to run on Windows, Linux, macOS, iOS, and Android. If your task is to use OpenCV-style image processing inside a .NET or Unity project rather than writing C++ directly, Emgu CV is the relevant tool.

What Emgu CV actually does

OpenCV is a native C++ library. Emgu CV sits between your .NET code and that library, so you write C# (or another .NET language) and call OpenCV functionality through the wrapper. The project describes itself as:

• A cross-platform .NET wrapper to the OpenCV image-processing library
• Callable from .NET-compatible languages
• Compilable by Visual Studio and Unity
• Runnable on Windows, Linux, macOS, iOS, and Android

The stated advantages are cross-platform support, cross-language use with example code included, and other conveniences listed on the site.

Platform and feature differences you should know

The site separates the open-source edition from a commercial optimized Windows edition. The comparison table shows these differences:

Two practical readings of this table:

• UWP / Windows Store apps are only covered by the commercial Windows release; the open-source edition targets Windows desktop.
• Code dispatch is a commercial-only feature, while Emgu.CV.UI and the debugger visualizer appear only in the open-source column.
• Windows Phone is no longer supported.

Release cadence and where to get it

Releases are published on GitHub and NuGet, with change logs and known issues linked from each announcement. Recent versions listed on the site:

Older releases back to 4.5.1 are also listed, with a news archive for earlier entries. The site does not state pricing for the commercial edition, so treat cost and licensing terms as something to confirm directly rather than assuming either edition is free.

How to decide whether it fits your task

Use Emgu CV when:

• Your application is written in a .NET language and you need OpenCV image processing without a separate C++ layer.
• You are building in Unity and want OpenCV functions available in that environment.
• You need to target multiple platforms (Windows, Linux, macOS, iOS, Android) from one wrapper.

Check the commercial edition when:

• You need UWP / Windows Store deployment.
• You want code dispatch.
• Your project's licensing cannot accommodate GPL — the open-source edition is GPL-licensed, and the commercial edition carries a commercial license.

Check the open-source edition when:

• You want Emgu.CV.UI or the debugger visualizer.
• Your project is GPL-compatible and desktop-focused.

A concrete example: a team building a Unity-based inspection tool for Windows and Android would use the open-source wrapper for its cross-platform reach, while a team shipping a Windows Store app would need the commercial Windows release because UWP support is listed only there.

First steps

1. Pick the edition based on the table above (UWP or code dispatch → commercial; UI tooling or GPL-compatible desktop → open source).
2. Get the package from NuGet or the GitHub release for the version you want; check the linked change log and known issues before upgrading.
3. Compile with Visual Studio 2019 or newer, or integrate into Unity as the site describes.
4. Verify on your target platform — the supported CPU architectures are i386, x86_64, and arm64, with CUDA limited to x86_64.

The main pitfall to watch is edition mismatch: features such as UWP support, code dispatch, Emgu.CV.UI, and the debugger visualizer are not available in both editions, so confirm the column you need before committing to a license.