python picamera OSError: dlopen(libmmal.so, 6): image not found
Question: I am trying to use picamera to do a video streaming on my Mac(python 2.7). I
have installed picamera by this command:

**(venv)55-213:video_streaming mreko$ pip install picamera  
  
Requirement already satisfied (use --upgrade to upgrade): picamera in
./venv/lib/python2.7/site-packages**

Then I wrote a py script trying to test the picamera:

**import time  
import picamera  
with picamera.PiCamera() as camera:  
       camera.resolution = (1024, 768)  
       camera.start_preview()  
       # Camera warm-up time  
      time.sleep(2)  
      camera.capture('foo.jpg')**  

However,when I compile this py script,it throws an error:

**(venv)55-213:video_streaming mreko$ python test.py  
  
  
Traceback (most recent call last): File "test.py", line 2, in import picamera
File "/Users/mreko/python_workstation/video_streaming/venv/lib/python2.7/site-
packages/picamera/__init__.py", line 258, in from picamera.exc import ( File
"/Users/mreko/python_workstation/video_streaming/venv/lib/python2.7/site-
packages/picamera/exc.py", line 41, in import picamera.mmal as mmal File
"/Users/mreko/python_workstation/video_streaming/venv/lib/python2.7/site-
packages/picamera/mmal.py", line 47, in _lib = ct.CDLL('libmmal.so') File
"/System/Library/Frameworks/Python.framework/Versions/2.7/lib/python2.7/ctypes/__init__.py",
line 365, in __init__ self._handle = _dlopen(self._name, mode) OSError:
dlopen(libmmal.so, 6): image not found**

I know the extention of lib on mac is 'dylib'.I change 'libmmal.so' into
'libmmal.dylib'.However,still it can't work.

Then I search the /usr/lib/,I found there is no dylib name 'libmmal'.

So I don't know how to solve this problem.Maybe the picamera can't support
Mac? Or is there any way that I can intall libmmal.dylib file to support the
picamera?

It really makes me upset!! Thanks a lot!


Answer: The files that `picamera` is referencing are part of the
[raspberry](https://github.com/raspberrypi/firmware/tree/master/hardfp/opt/vc/lib)
[firmware](https://github.com/raspberrypi/userland) and you would need to
recompile them for your mac.

As others asked in the comments, are you sure you have connected the thin
flexband of the camera to your apple laptop? If so, how? If not, are you
running a raspberry pi and connecting to it via your mac?

