First, you need the following information to create the image:
- Width: 301 pixels
- Height: 260 pixels
- Each pixel value (intensity) is 0 ~ 255: an 8-bit unsigned integer
- Supports all RGB colors: 3 channels
- Initial color: black = (B, G, R) = (0, 0, 0)
You can create the Image using cv::Mat:
Mat grHistogram(260, 301, CV_8UC3, Scalar(0, 0, 0));
The 8U means the 8-bit Usigned integer, C3 means 3 Channels for RGB color, and Scalar(0, 0, 0) is the initial value for each pixel. Similarly,
line(grHistrogram,pt1,pt2,Scalar(255,255,255),1,8,0);
is to draw a line on grHistogram from point pt1 to point pt2. The color of line is white (255, 255, 255) with 1-pixel thickness, 8-connected line, and 0-shift.
Sometimes you don't need a RGB-color image, but a simple grayscale image. That is, use one channel instead of three. The type can be changed to CV_8UC1 and you only need to specify the intensity for one channel, Scalar(0) for example.
Back to your problem,
Why this happening since, both create a Mat image structure?
Because you need to specify the type of the Mat. Is it a color image CV_8UC3 or a grayscale image CV_8UC1? They are different. Your program may not work as you think if you use Scalar(255) on a CV_8UC3 image.
What is the purpose of const cv:Scalar &_s ?
cv::Scalar is use to specify the intensity value for each pixel. For example, Scalar(255, 0, 0) is blue and Scalar(0, 0, 0) is black if type is CV_8UC3. Or Scalar(0) is black if it's a CV_8UC1 grayscale image. Avoid mixing them together.