Object Detection with YOLO in 2026: Ultralytics (60k Stars) Tutorial - Detect Objects in Images and Video with 10 Lines

Ultralytics YOLO (60,218 stars, AGPL-3.0) is the easiest object detection library: 10 lines of Python detect 80+ object classes in images, video and live webcam feeds - free and GPU or CPU friendly.

💡 What You Will Learn

Ultralytics YOLO (60,218 stars, AGPL-3.0) is the easiest object detection library: 10 lines of Python detect 80+ object classes in images, video and live webcam feeds - free and GPU or CPU friendly.

## The short answer **Ultralytics YOLO** (60,218 stars, AGPL-3.0) bundles the YOLOv8/YOLO11 model family with a dead-simple Python API. Detection, segmentation, classification and pose estimation are each a few lines - no model architecture knowledge required. ## Detect objects in an image ```bash pip install ultralytics ``` ```python from ultralytics import YOLO model = YOLO("yolo11n.pt") # nano model: fast, small results = model("bus.jpg") # returns detections for r in results: for box in r.boxes: print(r.names[int(box.cls)], round(float(box.conf), 2)) ``` ## Detect in video or webcam ```python model = YOLO("yolo11s.pt") # small model: better accuracy model.predict("video.mp4", save=True) # annotated video file model.predict(source="0", show=True) # live webcam ``` ## Beyond detection | Task | One-liner | |:-----|:----------| | Instance segmentation | `model("image.jpg", task="segment")` | | Pose estimation | `model("image.jpg", task="pose")` | | Classification | `model("image.jpg", task="classify")` | | Training your own dataset | `model.train(data="custom.yaml", epochs=100)` | ## Real numbers - YOLO11n runs at 80+ FPS on a consumer GPU and ~2-5 FPS on CPU. - The COCO pretrained model detects 80 everyday object classes out of the box. - Ultralytics is used in production by thousands of companies for counting, inspection and security. ## FAQ **Q: Do I need to train it?** A: No - the pretrained COCO model works immediately. Train only when you need custom classes (e.g., specific products). **Q: License concerns?** A: AGPL-3.0 for the library; Ultralytics also sells enterprise licenses. For commercial closed-source use, check their licensing terms. **Q: Can I export to other formats?** A: Yes - `model.export(format="onnx")` exports to ONNX, TensorRT, CoreML, TFLite and more.