AttributeError: 'NoneType' object has no attribute 'shape'

AttributeError: 'NoneType' object has no attribute 'shape' #

The Python "AttributeError: 'NoneType' object has no attribute 'shape'" occurs when we access the shape attribute on a None value, e.g. after passing an incorrect path to cv2.imread(). To solve the error, make sure to specify the correct path.

Here is a very simple example of how the error occurs.

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import cv2

# 👇️ None
img = cv2.imread('bad-path.png')

# ⛔️ AttributeError: 'NoneType' object has no attribute 'shape'
print(img.shape)

The imread method returns None when passed an incorrect path.

Trying to access the shape attribute on a None value causes the error.

You can get around the error by using an if statement to check if the variable is not None before accessing the shape attribute, but you'd still have to correct the path.

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import cv2

img = cv2.imread('bad-path.webp')

if img is not None:
    print('variable is not None')
    print(img.shape)
else:
    print('variable is None')

The if block is only run if the img variable does not store a None value, otherwise the else block runs.

You can pass a path to the os.path.exists() method to check if the path exists.

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import os

# 👇️ check if path exists
print(os.path.exists('thumbnail.webp'))

# 👇️ returns the current working directory
print(os.getcwd()) # 👉️ /home/borislav/Desktop/bobbyhadz_python

The os.getcwd() method returns the current working directory and can be used when constructing a path.

Conclusion #

The Python "AttributeError: 'NoneType' object has no attribute 'shape'" occurs when we access the shape attribute on a None value, e.g. after passing an incorrect path to cv2.imread(). To solve the error, make sure to specify the correct path.