I'm not sure I understand your question. I assume you are doing something along the lines of:

import base64

with open("yourfile.ext", "rb") as image_file:
    encoded_string = base64.b64encode(image_file.read())

You have to open the file first of course, and read its contents - you cannot simply pass the path to the encode function.

Edit: Ok, here is an update after you have edited your original question.

First of all, remember to use raw strings (prefix the string with 'r') when using path delimiters on Windows, to prevent accidentally hitting an escape character. Second, PIL's Image.open either accepts a filename, or a file-like (that is, the object has to provide read, seek and tell methods).

That being said, you can use cStringIO to create such an object from a memory buffer:

import cStringIO
import PIL.Image

# assume data contains your decoded image
file_like = cStringIO.StringIO(data)

img = PIL.Image.open(file_like)
img.show()
Answer from Jim Brissom on Stack Overflow
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GitHub
gist.github.com › juliensalinas › 15789d241f28b1ce45f0c22e11ba894a
Encoding a file in base 64 in Python · GitHub
Encoding a file in base 64 in Python · Raw · base64_encode.py · This file contains hidden or bidirectional Unicode text that may be interpreted or compiled differently than what appears below.
Discussions

Base 64 Encode Python Files!
Nice, but base64 is not encryption, it won't stop people from getting the data. A better use would be when sending your programs or non ascii files though a medium, which can mess up formatting or doesn't support certain data types (pastebin, minecraft's book and quill). More on reddit.com
🌐 r/learnpython
6
1
October 20, 2018
Stupid Linux tricks - use base64 to perfectly preserve formatting when copy/pasting between terminals, ssh sessions, serial connections, etc.
🌐 r/linux
85
379
April 29, 2023
Converting Base64 file back to Excel
This seems to be what you want? https://stackoverflow.com/a/38935990/409025 More on reddit.com
🌐 r/learnjavascript
2
6
February 25, 2022
convet base64 string to audio
I used this not too long ago and I went with: base64.b64decode() The data I'm passing there must be a string, though I haven't tested it recently. More on reddit.com
🌐 r/learnpython
2
1
May 29, 2021
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Python
docs.python.org › 3 › library › base64.html
base64 — Base16, Base32, Base64, Base85 Data Encodings
The legacy interface does not support decoding from strings, but it does provide functions for encoding and decoding to and from file objects. It only supports the Base64 standard alphabet, and it adds newlines every 76 characters as per RFC 2045.
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Stack Abuse
stackabuse.com › encoding-and-decoding-base64-strings-in-python
Encoding and Decoding Base64 Strings in Python
September 4, 2023 - Without using 'rb', Python would assume we are reading a text file. We then use the read() method to get all the data in the file into the binary_file_data variable. Similar to how we treated strings, we Base64 encoded the bytes with base64.b64encode and then used the decode('utf-8') on base64_encoded_data to get the Base64 encoded data using human-readable characters.
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iO Flood
ioflood.com › blog › python-base64-encode
Python Base64 Encode | b64encode() Function Guide
February 1, 2024 - The b64encode() function uses the standard base64 alphabet, while urlsafe_b64encode() uses a URL and filename safe base64 alphabet. ... Both methods have their own advantages and use cases.
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Envato Tuts+
code.tutsplus.com › home › coding fundamentals › oop
Base64 Encoding and Decoding Using Python | Envato Tuts+
April 11, 2022 - The first thing we have to do in order to use Base64 in Python is to import the base64 module: ... In order to encode the image, we simply use the function base64.b64encode(s).
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DEV Community
dev.to › tooleroid › base64-encoding-in-python-simplified-guide-examples-nan
Base64 Encoding in Python: Simplified Guide & Examples - DEV Community
December 16, 2024 - Encode files like images and videos for APIs. Safeguard binary data in text-based formats like JSON or XML. Decode received Base64 strings back into usable binary data. Python’s base64 module includes b64encode for encoding text or binary data.
Find elsewhere
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Reddit
reddit.com › r/learnpython › base 64 encode python files!
r/learnpython on Reddit: Base 64 Encode Python Files!
October 20, 2018 -
import base64, os
path = ""
path2 = ""
flag = False
while not os.path.isfile(path):
    if flag:
        print("File path does not exist!\n")
    path = input("Enter path to python file to base64 encode: ")
    flag = True
    
path2 = input("Enter path to save base64 encoded python file: ")
if os.path.isfile(path):
    contentb64 = ""
    with open(path, "r") as file:
        content = file.read()
        contentb64 = base64.b64encode(content.encode()).decode()

    contentb64 = 'import base64; exec(base64.b64decode(b"%s").decode())' % contentb64
    with open(path2, "w") as file:
        file.write(contentb64)

    print("dOnE!")
    input(); exit()

Base 64 encodes python code, can be useful if you don't want people to see your code, just modify this one to do it multiple times as you wish.

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Base64Encode.org
base64encode.org › enc › python
Base64 Encoding of "python" - Online
Encode python to Base64 format with various advanced options. Our site has an easy to use online tool to convert your data.
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Python
docs.python.org › 2.0 › lib › module-base64.html
12.12 base64 -- Encode and decode MIME base64 data
Encode the contents of the input file and write the resulting base64 encoded data to the output file. input and output must either be file objects or objects that mimic the file object interface.
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YouTube
youtube.com › neuralnine
Base64 Encoding Binary Files in Python - YouTube
In this video we learn how to encode binary data or files using Base64 in Python.◾◾◾◾◾◾◾◾◾◾◾◾◾◾◾◾◾📚 Programming Books & Merch 📚🐍 The Python Bible Book: ht...
Published: June 1, 2023
Views: 18K
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Cybrosys Technologies
cybrosys.com › odoo blogs
Base64 Encoding & Decoding Using Python
The Python base64 module provides an easy way to encrypt and decrypt binary data using the Base64 encoding technique. It is also extremely simple to use.
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GeeksforGeeks
geeksforgeeks.org › python › encoding-and-decoding-base64-strings-in-python
Encoding and Decoding Base64 Strings in Python - GeeksforGeeks
August 7, 2024 - The below image provides us with a Base64 encoding table. ... In Python the base64 module is used to encode and decode data. First, the strings are converted into byte-like objects and then encoded using the base64 module.
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Python Module of the Week
pymotw.com › 2 › base64
base64 – Encode binary data into ASCII characters - Python Module of the Week
A basic example of encoding some text looks like this: import base64 # Load this source file and strip the header.
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AskPython
askpython.com › python › examples › encoding-image-with-base64
Encoding an Image File With BASE64 in Python - AskPython
April 29, 2023 - To encode an image, first, import the base64 module. Then, open the image file in binary mode and read its content. Use the base64.b64encode() function to convert the image content into a Base64 string.
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MojoAuth
mojoauth.com › binary-encoding-decoding › base64-with-python
Base64 with Python | Binary Encoding Techniques Across Programming Languages
Encoding binary data into text is a common requirement for transmitting or storing files in text-based systems. Python's built-in base64 module makes this straightforward, handling the complexities of the encoding process. This guide will walk you through using base64 for common encoding and ...
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Base64.Guru
base64.guru › home › developers › python
Python Base64 Encode | Python | Developers | Base64
data (required string) - Text or binary content that you want to encode · altchars (optional string; default None) - Two characters that should replace “+” and “/” · str - On success, it returns the Base64 value, typically longer by about 33% than data ... from base64 import b64encode data = 'guru' print(b64encode(data)) #-> 'Z3VydQ==' SyntaxError: bytes can only contain ASCII literal characters. Example #2 (fix the “TypeError: a bytes-like object is required, not 'str'” error on Python 3):
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Linux Hint
linuxhint.com › base64-encoding-decoding-python
How to do Base64 Encoding and Decoding in Python? – Linux Hint
We have first created an empty document in the Home directory of our Ubuntu 20.04 system and have named it “EncodeDecode.py.” In this Python script file, we have imported the “base64” library so that we can conveniently encode and decode our desired text.
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O'Reilly
oreilly.com › library › view › python-standard-library › 0596000960 › ch04s11.html
The base64 Module - Python Standard Library [Book]
May 10, 2001 - Using the base64 Module to Encode Strings · File: base64-example-2.py import base64 MESSAGE = "life of brian" data = base64.encodestring(MESSAGE) original_data = base64.decodestring(data) print "original:", repr(MESSAGE) print "encoded data:", repr(data) print "decoded data:", repr(original_data) ...
Author: Fredrik Lundh
Published: 2001
Pages: 304
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W3Schools
w3schools.com › python › ref_module_base64.asp
Python base64 Module
Python Overview Python Built-in Functions Python String Methods Python List Methods Python Dictionary Methods Python Tuple Methods Python Set Methods Python File Methods Python Keywords Python Exceptions Python Glossary · Built-in Modules Random Module Requests Module Statistics Module Math Module cMath Module · Remove List Duplicates Reverse a String Add Two Numbers · Python Examples Python Compiler Python Exercises Python Quiz Python Challenges Python Practice Problems Python Server Python Syllabus Python Study Plan Python Interview Q&A Python Training ... import base64 s = "Linus".encode() b = base64.b64encode(s) print(b) print(base64.b64decode(b).decode()) Try it Yourself »