ImportError+cannot+import+name+imread+from+scipy+misc

Not specified by the original author.

How to fix ImportError: cannot import name 'imread' from 'scipy.misc'

scipy removed imread/imresize/imsave in 1.3. Replace from scipy.misc import imread with imageio (from imageio import imread) or PIL (Image.open(path)). imageio is scipy's own recommended replacement and returns the same numpy array.

The exact error

ImportError: cannot import name 'imread' from 'scipy.misc'

Fix it

1. python -m pip install imageio Expected: installed

2. Replace from scipy.misc import imread with from imageio import imread. Expected: same numpy array back

3. For imresize: use Image.fromarray(arr).resize((w, h)) from PIL. Expected: equivalent resize

When this applies

old code/tutorials doing from scipy.misc import imread on scipy>=1.3

When this does NOT apply

you just need any image reader (use imageio or PIL directly)

Versions

scipy >= 1.3

Why it happens

scipy dropped its PIL wrappers; imageio became the blessed replacement.

Edge cases

imageio v3 changed the API slightly; imageio.v2.imread keeps the old behavior.

Asked about: ImportError: cannot import name 'imread' from 'scipy.misc' (gh:oarriaga/faceclassification#160). The verified fix: scipy removed imread/imresize/imsave in 1.3. Replace from scipy.misc import imread with imageio (from imageio import imread) or PIL (Image.open(path)). imageio is scipy's own recommended replacement and returns the same numpy array. Full thread: https://github.com/oarriaga/faceclassification/issues/160

Not specified by the original author.

TL;DR: your statsmodels is too old for your scipy. scipy removed factorial from scipy.misc, so upgrade statsmodels to a release that no longer uses it, or pin an older scipy.

The error

ImportError: cannot import name 'factorial' from 'scipy.misc'

Fix it

1. Upgrade statsmodels:

   pip install -U statsmodels

   Expected: installs a release fixed for modern scipy.

2. Verify:

   python -c "import statsmodels; print(statsmodels.__version__)"

   Expected: imports cleanly.

3. Workaround if you cannot upgrade statsmodels: pin scipy below the removal:

   pip install "scipy<1.13"

   Expected: the old name exists again.

When this applies

Use this when import statsmodels raises this error with a recent scipy.

When it does not apply

If your own code imports factorial from scipy.misc, use math.factorial or scipy.special.factorial instead. If statsmodels is current, reinstall it.

Compatibility

statsmodels releases before the scipy-compat fix; scipy 1.13+ where scipy.misc.factorial is gone.

Root cause

scipy.misc was a grab-bag module that scipy emptied out over several releases; factorial moved to scipy.special long ago and the scipy.misc alias was finally deleted. statsmodels imported the old path, so the deletion broke it at import.

Edge cases

The same scipy.misc cleanup also removed imread, imsave, and comb; old statsmodels hit factorial first, but grep for scipy.misc imports when upgrading. Pinning old scipy can break packages that need new scipy.

GitHub issue statsmodels/statsmodels#5619 reports ImportError: cannot import name 'factorial' from 'scipy.misc' when importing statsmodels with a modern scipy. The verified resolution: scipy removed factorial from scipy.misc, so old statsmodels broke at import; the fix is upgrading statsmodels to a release that imports factorial from its new location (or pinning an older scipy as a workaround). Full thread: https://github.com/statsmodels/statsmodels/issues/5619

Not specified by the original author.

TL;DR: your msmexplorer is too old for your seaborn. seaborn removed the private scipyunivariate_kde helper, so upgrade msmexplorer to a release that no longer uses it, or pin an older seaborn.

The error

ImportError: cannot import name '_scipy_univariate_kde' from 'seaborn.distributions'

Fix it

1. Upgrade msmexplorer:

   pip install -U msmexplorer

   Expected: installs a release fixed for modern seaborn.

2. Verify:

   python -c "import msmexplorer; print('ok')"

   Expected: imports cleanly.

3. Workaround if you cannot upgrade msmexplorer: pin seaborn below the removal:

   pip install "seaborn<0.12"

   Expected: the private name exists again.

When this applies

Use this when import msmexplorer raises this error with a recent seaborn.

When it does not apply

If your own code imports the private helper, vendor a KDE implementation instead of depending on seaborn internals. If msmexplorer is current, reinstall it.

Compatibility

msmexplorer releases before the seaborn-compat fix; seaborn 0.12+ where the helper is gone.

Root cause

scipyunivariate_kde was a private (underscore-prefixed) helper inside seaborn.distributions, never public API. seaborn removed it during cleanup, and msmexplorer imported it directly, so msmexplorer broke at import time.

Edge cases

Pinning old seaborn can break other packages that need new seaborn; upgrading msmexplorer is the durable fix. Private-name imports are always at risk; treat any of them as a bug in the importing package.

GitHub issue msmbuilder/msmexplorer#125 reports ImportError: cannot import name 'scipyunivariatekde' from 'seaborn.distributions' with a modern seaborn installed. The verified resolution: scipyunivariatekde was a private seaborn helper that seaborn removed, so old msmexplorer broke at import; the fix is upgrading msmexplorer to a release that no longer uses it (or pinning an older seaborn as a workaround). Full thread: https://github.com/msmbuilder/msmexplorer/issues/125