Using Google Drive Images in Scripts

Option 1: Direct Download Link (Simplest)

Right-click the image in Google Drive and select "Share"

Set sharing to "Anyone with the link" (if appropriate for your use case)

Get the share link

Modify the link to create a direct download URL:

Original format: https://drive.google.com/file/d/FILE_ID/view?usp=sharing

Download format: https://drive.google.com/uc?export=download&id=FILE_ID

In your script, you can then use this URL directly:

# Python example

import requests

image_url = "https://drive.google.com/uc?export=download&id=YOUR_FILE_ID"

response = requests.get(image_url)

if response.status_code == 200:

    with open('downloaded_image.jpg', 'wb') as f:

        f.write(response.content)

So,

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1Y0Y7WDpmRH0YAH6dcMG6Cul8jA5WJus2/view?usp=drive_link

becomes

https://drive.google.com/uc?export=download&id=1Y0Y7WDpmRH0YAH6dcMG6Cul8jA5WJus2

Option 2: Google Drive API (More Robust)

For more control and security, use the Google Drive API:

Set up a Google Cloud Platform project

Enable the Google Drive API

Create credentials (OAuth client ID or service account)

Install the Google Client Library for your language

# Python example using Google Drive API

from googleapiclient.discovery import build

from google.oauth2 import service_account

# Authenticate

credentials = service_account.Credentials.from_service_account_file(

    'service-account.json', scopes=['https://www.googleapis.com/auth/drive.readonly'])

drive_service = build('drive', 'v3', credentials=credentials)

# Get the file

file_id = 'YOUR_FILE_ID'

request = drive_service.files().get_media(fileId=file_id)

response = request.execute()

# Save the file

with open('downloaded_image.jpg', 'wb') as f:

    f.write(response)

Option 3: Google Drive Desktop Sync

If your script runs on a computer with Google Drive desktop sync:

Ensure the image is synced to your local Google Drive folder

Reference the file using its local path in your script

# Python example

import shutil

local_path = "/path/to/your/google/drive/image.jpg"

project_path = "/path/to/project/default_image.jpg"

shutil.copy2(local_path, project_path)

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