diff --git a/bob/bio/vein/database/utfvp.py b/bob/bio/vein/database/utfvp.py
index 2fbcaadfb8164abf4899b306edec32a5690a7018..203a7a1d6c88a23c287c96a6537c0d1b47707405 100644
--- a/bob/bio/vein/database/utfvp.py
+++ b/bob/bio/vein/database/utfvp.py
@@ -10,7 +10,7 @@ from bob.bio.base.database import CSVDataset
 from bob.bio.base.database import CSVToSampleLoaderBiometrics
 from bob.extension import rc
 from bob.extension.download import get_file
-import bob.io.image
+import bob.io.base
 from sklearn.pipeline import make_pipeline
 from bob.bio.vein.database.roi_annotation import ROIAnnotation
 
@@ -169,7 +169,7 @@ class UtfvpDatabase(CSVDataset):
             protocol=protocol,
             csv_to_sample_loader=make_pipeline(
                 CSVToSampleLoaderBiometrics(
-                    data_loader=bob.io.image.load,
+                    data_loader=bob.io.base.load,
                     dataset_original_directory=rc.get(
                         "bob.bio.vein.utfvp.directory", ""
                     ),
diff --git a/bob/bio/vein/database/verafinger_contactless.py b/bob/bio/vein/database/verafinger_contactless.py
index e2095bdfeaaab82905e7847e736b62f533705fb5..35bd8d17b49b2fea161b1aa29c30457aefc3fb19 100644
--- a/bob/bio/vein/database/verafinger_contactless.py
+++ b/bob/bio/vein/database/verafinger_contactless.py
@@ -10,7 +10,7 @@ from bob.bio.base.database import CSVDataset
 from bob.bio.base.database import CSVToSampleLoaderBiometrics
 from bob.extension import rc
 from bob.extension.download import get_file
-import bob.io.image
+import bob.io.base
 
 
 class VerafingerContactless(CSVDataset):
@@ -64,7 +64,7 @@ class VerafingerContactless(CSVDataset):
             dataset_protocol_path=filename,
             protocol=protocol,
             csv_to_sample_loader=CSVToSampleLoaderBiometrics(
-                data_loader=bob.io.image.load,
+                data_loader=bob.io.base.load,
                 dataset_original_directory=rc.get(
                     "bob.bio.vein.verafinger_contactless.directory", ""
                 ),
diff --git a/bob/bio/vein/extractor/RepeatedLineTracking.py b/bob/bio/vein/extractor/RepeatedLineTracking.py
index 89a07929cf12b50343d28c569246949dcb63ec45..01613fbbaa7cfd05cc47bea6f7bc1328738c6f96 100644
--- a/bob/bio/vein/extractor/RepeatedLineTracking.py
+++ b/bob/bio/vein/extractor/RepeatedLineTracking.py
@@ -7,7 +7,6 @@ import scipy.ndimage
 
 import bob.core
 import bob.io.base
-import bob.ip.base
 
 from bob.bio.base.extractor import Extractor
 
diff --git a/bob/bio/vein/preprocessor/preprocessor.py b/bob/bio/vein/preprocessor/preprocessor.py
index be5463ee8ba30de39aec4f59163378710a8c9969..d93c40194660839ea165fa0bd622e50d876d4bdb 100644
--- a/bob/bio/vein/preprocessor/preprocessor.py
+++ b/bob/bio/vein/preprocessor/preprocessor.py
@@ -84,7 +84,7 @@ class Preprocessor (BasePreprocessor):
   def write_data(self, data, filename):
     '''Overrides the default method implementation to handle our tuple'''
 
-    f = bob.io.base.HDF5File(filename, 'w')
+    f = h5py.File(filename, 'w')
     f.set('image', data[0])
     f.set('mask', data[1])
 
@@ -92,5 +92,5 @@ class Preprocessor (BasePreprocessor):
   def read_data(self, filename):
     '''Overrides the default method implementation to handle our tuple'''
 
-    f = bob.io.base.HDF5File(filename, 'r')
+    f = h5py.File(filename, 'r')
     return f.read('image'), f.read('mask')
diff --git a/bob/bio/vein/script/compare_rois.py b/bob/bio/vein/script/compare_rois.py
index 126fa3f1628c306d81866941c7e87191bd727090..d84619b79a2869b13533512f9e0a53f5e8ffee39 100644
--- a/bob/bio/vein/script/compare_rois.py
+++ b/bob/bio/vein/script/compare_rois.py
@@ -173,8 +173,8 @@ def main(user_input=None):
   for k in gt:
     gt_file = os.path.join(args['<ground-truth>'], k)
     db_file = os.path.join(args['<database>'], k)
-    gt_roi = bob.io.base.HDF5File(gt_file).read('mask')
-    db_roi = bob.io.base.HDF5File(db_file).read('mask')
+    gt_roi = h5py.File(gt_file).read('mask')
+    db_roi = h5py.File(db_file).read('mask')
     metrics.append((
       k,
       utils.jaccard_index(gt_roi, db_roi),
diff --git a/bob/bio/vein/script/view_sample.py b/bob/bio/vein/script/view_sample.py
index 9216b0e06cad57ea742b87518f6d3706e0b41cc1..fd5a014e02550bc4738e422787ea57d0ac8a338b 100644
--- a/bob/bio/vein/script/view_sample.py
+++ b/bob/bio/vein/script/view_sample.py
@@ -58,7 +58,7 @@ import matplotlib.pyplot as mpl
 from ..preprocessor import utils
 
 import bob.io.base
-import bob.io.image
+import bob.io.base
 
 
 def save_figures(title, image, mask, image_pp, binary):
@@ -237,7 +237,7 @@ def main(user_input=None):
     image = f.load(db.original_directory, db.original_extension)
     pp_name = f.make_path(os.path.join(args['<processed>'], 'preprocessed'),
         extension='.hdf5')
-    pp = bob.io.base.HDF5File(pp_name)
+    pp = h5py.File(pp_name)
     mask  = pp.read('mask')
     image_pp = pp.read('image')
     try:
diff --git a/bob/bio/vein/tests/test_tools.py b/bob/bio/vein/tests/test_tools.py
index 80b39bb505f38291089a661417a23483eb6fc8e0..2933f81d0a22f280017dc16838fc8a4ada11707c 100644
--- a/bob/bio/vein/tests/test_tools.py
+++ b/bob/bio/vein/tests/test_tools.py
@@ -19,7 +19,7 @@ import nose.tools
 import pkg_resources
 
 import bob.io.base
-import bob.io.image
+import bob.io.base
 
 from ..preprocessor import utils as preprocessor_utils
 
@@ -136,8 +136,9 @@ def test_preprocessor():
   #preprocessor_utils.show_mask_over_image(preproc, mask)
 
   mask_ref = bob.io.base.load(output_fvr_filename).astype('bool')
-  preproc_ref = bob.core.convert(bob.io.base.load(output_img_filename),
-      numpy.uint8, (0,255), (0.0,1.0))
+  preproc_ref = bob.io.base.load(output_img_filename)
+  # convert range 0,255 and dtype to uint8
+  preproc_ref = numpy.round(preproc_ref * 255).astype('uint8')
 
   assert numpy.mean(numpy.abs(mask ^ mask_ref)) < 1e-2