Solving the Wrong JPEG library version Error in Tesseract on Windows 10

Facing the `Wrong JPEG library version` error while using Tesseract in R on Windows 10? Discover the simple solution to fix this issue!
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This video is based on the question https://stackoverflow.com/q/72825460/ asked by the user 'Gakku' ( https://stackoverflow.com/u/13712930/ ) and on the answer https://stackoverflow.com/a/73005684/ provided by the user 'Rohan Mehta' ( https://stackoverflow.com/u/19562648/ ) at 'Stack Overflow' website. Thanks to these great users and Stackexchange community for their contributions.

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Troubleshooting Tesseract on Windows 10: The Wrong JPEG library version Error

If you are working with Tesseract in R and found yourself stuck with an error message that reads, “Wrong JPEG library version: library is 90, caller expects 80,” you’re not alone. This is a common issue that can arise when users attempt to perform Optical Character Recognition (OCR) on images. But don't worry; we have a straightforward solution that will help you bypass this error and successfully extract text from images.

Understanding the Problem

The error occurs when the Tesseract OCR engine attempts to use a version of the JPEG library that is incompatible with what the software expects. This situation may arise when:

The libraries Tesseract is trying to use (JPEG in this case) are out of sync or incorrectly configured.

There’s an issue with how Tesseract is reading the image provided, particularly if it's done via a URL.

The message breakdown reveals two clear problems:

The JPEG library version mismatch.

Tesseract failing to read the image stream correctly.

Step-by-Step Solution

Here’s how to resolve the issue without diving into complicated fixes:

Step 1: Download the Image Locally

Instead of passing a URL directly to Tesseract, the first step is to download the image to your local machine. You can do this using the magick package in R. This method often resolves the compatibility issue with the JPEG library.

[[See Video to Reveal this Text or Code Snippet]]

Step 2: Use the Local Image for Tesseract OCR

After successfully downloading the image locally, you can now use it with Tesseract. The following code snippet demonstrates how to carry out OCR on the downloaded image:

[[See Video to Reveal this Text or Code Snippet]]

Step 3: Check for Errors

Run your R script again after implementing these changes to ensure that the error related to the JPEG library is no longer present. If everything works correctly, Tesseract will extract the text from your image without further encountering the earlier error.

Conclusion

The Wrong JPEG library version error can be frustrating, especially when you're eager to get started with OCR tasks. By simply downloading the image locally and utilizing the magick package to facilitate Tesseract OCR, you can bypass the compatibility issues altogether. This approach is not only effective but also improves the overall stability of your image processing tasks in R.

Feel free to try this method in your upcoming projects, and don't hesitate to reach out if you encounter any other issues along the way!