diff --git a/.changeset/major-zoos-write.md b/.changeset/major-zoos-write.md
new file mode 100644
index 000000000000..7b40481c2ca9
--- /dev/null
+++ b/.changeset/major-zoos-write.md
@@ -0,0 +1,5 @@
+---
+"gradio": minor
+---
+
+feat:Fix PIL imports
diff --git a/gradio/components/annotated_image.py b/gradio/components/annotated_image.py
index ea01878ab610..5aea36c9eb85 100644
--- a/gradio/components/annotated_image.py
+++ b/gradio/components/annotated_image.py
@@ -15,8 +15,6 @@
 
 set_documentation_group("component")
 
-PIL.Image.init()  # fixes https://github.com/gradio-app/gradio/issues/2843
-
 
 class Annotation(GradioModel):
     image: FileData
diff --git a/gradio/components/base.py b/gradio/components/base.py
index 223cb5e686aa..67247a40b2ee 100644
--- a/gradio/components/base.py
+++ b/gradio/components/base.py
@@ -15,7 +15,6 @@
 from typing import TYPE_CHECKING, Any, Callable
 
 from gradio_client.documentation import set_documentation_group
-from PIL import Image as _Image  # using _ to minimize namespace pollution
 
 from gradio import utils
 from gradio.blocks import Block, BlockContext
@@ -34,7 +33,6 @@ class DataframeData(TypedDict):
 
 
 set_documentation_group("component")
-_Image.init()  # fixes https://github.com/gradio-app/gradio/issues/2843
 
 
 class _Keywords(Enum):
diff --git a/gradio/components/gallery.py b/gradio/components/gallery.py
index b61f5b54b96d..ab7858cd7d29 100644
--- a/gradio/components/gallery.py
+++ b/gradio/components/gallery.py
@@ -7,9 +7,9 @@
 from urllib.parse import urlparse
 
 import numpy as np
+import PIL.Image
 from gradio_client.documentation import document, set_documentation_group
 from gradio_client.utils import is_http_url_like
-from PIL import Image as _Image  # using _ to minimize namespace pollution
 
 from gradio import processing_utils, utils
 from gradio.components.base import Component
@@ -19,7 +19,7 @@
 set_documentation_group("component")
 
 
-GalleryImageType = Union[np.ndarray, _Image.Image, Path, str]
+GalleryImageType = Union[np.ndarray, PIL.Image.Image, Path, str]
 CaptionedGalleryImageType = Tuple[GalleryImageType, str]
 
 
@@ -47,7 +47,7 @@ class Gallery(Component):
 
     def __init__(
         self,
-        value: list[np.ndarray | _Image.Image | str | Path | tuple]
+        value: list[np.ndarray | PIL.Image.Image | str | Path | tuple]
         | Callable
         | None = None,
         *,
@@ -137,7 +137,7 @@ def preprocess(
         self, payload: GalleryData | None
     ) -> (
         List[tuple[str, str | None]]
-        | List[tuple[_Image.Image, str | None]]
+        | List[tuple[PIL.Image.Image, str | None]]
         | List[tuple[np.ndarray, str | None]]
         | None
     ):
@@ -179,7 +179,7 @@ def postprocess(
                     img, cache_dir=self.GRADIO_CACHE
                 )
                 file_path = str(utils.abspath(file))
-            elif isinstance(img, _Image.Image):
+            elif isinstance(img, PIL.Image.Image):
                 file = processing_utils.save_pil_to_cache(
                     img, cache_dir=self.GRADIO_CACHE
                 )
@@ -209,7 +209,7 @@ def convert_to_type(img: str, type: Literal["filepath", "numpy", "pil"]):
         if type == "filepath":
             return img
         else:
-            converted_image = _Image.open(img)
+            converted_image = PIL.Image.open(img)
             if type == "numpy":
                 converted_image = np.array(converted_image)
             return converted_image
diff --git a/gradio/components/image.py b/gradio/components/image.py
index b56de66f3df8..4799f1632276 100644
--- a/gradio/components/image.py
+++ b/gradio/components/image.py
@@ -18,7 +18,6 @@
 from gradio.events import Events
 
 set_documentation_group("component")
-PIL.Image.init()  # fixes https://github.com/gradio-app/gradio/issues/2843
 
 
 @document()
diff --git a/gradio/components/image_editor.py b/gradio/components/image_editor.py
index 68c6f5c40164..a4e231e90323 100644
--- a/gradio/components/image_editor.py
+++ b/gradio/components/image_editor.py
@@ -8,8 +8,8 @@
 from typing import Any, Iterable, List, Literal, Optional, TypedDict, Union, cast
 
 import numpy as np
+import PIL.Image
 from gradio_client.documentation import document, set_documentation_group
-from PIL import Image as _Image  # using _ to minimize namespace pollution
 
 import gradio.image_utils as image_utils
 from gradio import utils
@@ -18,10 +18,9 @@
 from gradio.events import Events
 
 set_documentation_group("component")
-_Image.init()  # fixes https://github.com/gradio-app/gradio/issues/2843
 
 
-ImageType = Union[np.ndarray, _Image.Image, str]
+ImageType = Union[np.ndarray, PIL.Image.Image, str]
 
 
 class EditorValue(TypedDict):
@@ -218,11 +217,11 @@ def __init__(
     def convert_and_format_image(
         self,
         file: FileData | None,
-    ) -> np.ndarray | _Image.Image | str | None:
+    ) -> np.ndarray | PIL.Image.Image | str | None:
         if file is None:
             return None
 
-        im = _Image.open(file.path)
+        im = PIL.Image.open(file.path)
 
         if file.orig_name:
             p = Path(file.orig_name)
@@ -282,7 +281,7 @@ def postprocess(self, value: EditorValue | ImageType | None) -> EditorData | Non
             return None
         elif isinstance(value, dict):
             pass
-        elif isinstance(value, (np.ndarray, _Image.Image, str)):
+        elif isinstance(value, (np.ndarray, PIL.Image.Image, str)):
             value = {"background": value, "layers": [], "composite": value}
         else:
             raise ValueError(
@@ -293,7 +292,7 @@ def postprocess(self, value: EditorValue | ImageType | None) -> EditorData | Non
             [
                 FileData(
                     path=image_utils.save_image(
-                        cast(Union[np.ndarray, _Image.Image, str], layer),
+                        cast(Union[np.ndarray, PIL.Image.Image, str], layer),
                         self.GRADIO_CACHE,
                     )
                 )
@@ -312,7 +311,7 @@ def postprocess(self, value: EditorValue | ImageType | None) -> EditorData | Non
             layers=layers,
             composite=FileData(
                 path=image_utils.save_image(
-                    cast(Union[np.ndarray, _Image.Image, str], value["composite"]),
+                    cast(Union[np.ndarray, PIL.Image.Image, str], value["composite"]),
                     self.GRADIO_CACHE,
                 )
             )
diff --git a/gradio/image_utils.py b/gradio/image_utils.py
index 045f8212bcf2..06c169a9dd54 100644
--- a/gradio/image_utils.py
+++ b/gradio/image_utils.py
@@ -4,20 +4,20 @@
 from typing import Literal
 
 import numpy as np
-from PIL import Image as _Image  # using _ to minimize namespace pollution
+import PIL.Image
 
 from gradio import processing_utils
 
-_Image.init()
+PIL.Image.init()  # fixes https://github.com/gradio-app/gradio/issues/2843 (remove when requiring Pillow 9.4+)
 
 
 def format_image(
-    im: _Image.Image | None,
+    im: PIL.Image.Image | None,
     type: Literal["numpy", "pil", "filepath"],
     cache_dir: str,
     name: str = "image",
     format: str = "png",
-) -> np.ndarray | _Image.Image | str | None:
+) -> np.ndarray | PIL.Image.Image | str | None:
     """Helper method to format an image based on self.type"""
     if im is None:
         return im
@@ -51,12 +51,12 @@ def format_image(
         )
 
 
-def save_image(y: np.ndarray | _Image.Image | str | Path, cache_dir: str):
+def save_image(y: np.ndarray | PIL.Image.Image | str | Path, cache_dir: str):
     # numpy gets saved to png as default format
     # PIL gets saved to its original format if possible
     if isinstance(y, np.ndarray):
         path = processing_utils.save_img_array_to_cache(y, cache_dir=cache_dir)
-    elif isinstance(y, _Image.Image):
+    elif isinstance(y, PIL.Image.Image):
         fmt = y.format
         try:
             path = processing_utils.save_pil_to_cache(
@@ -81,7 +81,7 @@ def save_image(y: np.ndarray | _Image.Image | str | Path, cache_dir: str):
     return path
 
 
-def crop_scale(img: _Image.Image, final_width: int, final_height: int):
+def crop_scale(img: PIL.Image.Image, final_width: int, final_height: int):
     original_width, original_height = img.size
     target_aspect_ratio = final_width / final_height
 
diff --git a/gradio/templates.py b/gradio/templates.py
index 94d62358f6a4..0c5f5a1a30c9 100644
--- a/gradio/templates.py
+++ b/gradio/templates.py
@@ -4,7 +4,7 @@
 from typing import Any, Callable, Iterable, Literal
 
 import numpy as np
-from PIL import Image as _Image  # using _ to minimize namespace pollution
+import PIL.Image
 
 from gradio import components
 from gradio.components.audio import WaveformOptions
@@ -79,7 +79,7 @@ class Sketchpad(components.ImageEditor):
 
     def __init__(
         self,
-        value: str | _Image.Image | np.ndarray | None = None,
+        value: str | PIL.Image.Image | np.ndarray | None = None,
         *,
         height: int | str | None = None,
         width: int | str | None = None,
@@ -148,7 +148,7 @@ class Paint(components.ImageEditor):
 
     def __init__(
         self,
-        value: str | _Image.Image | np.ndarray | None = None,
+        value: str | PIL.Image.Image | np.ndarray | None = None,
         *,
         height: int | str | None = None,
         width: int | str | None = None,
@@ -215,7 +215,7 @@ class ImageMask(components.ImageEditor):
 
     def __init__(
         self,
-        value: str | _Image.Image | np.ndarray | None = None,
+        value: str | PIL.Image.Image | np.ndarray | None = None,
         *,
         height: int | None = None,
         width: int | str | None = None,