how to download and display an image from an URL in R?

this could work too here

library("jpeg")

library("png")

x <- "http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/5/5d/AaronEckhart10TIFF.jpg"    

image_name<- readJPEG(getURLContent(x)) # for jpg

image_name<- readPNG(getURLContent(x)) # for png

After downloading the image, you can use base R to open the file using your default image viewer program like this:

file.show(yourfilename)

If I try your code it looks like the image is downloaded. However, when opened with windows image viewer it also says it is corrupt. The reason for this is that you don't have specified the mode in the download.file statement.

Try this:

download.file(y,'y.jpg', mode = 'wb')

For more info about the mode is see ?download.file

This way at least the file that you downloaded is working.

To view the image in R, have a look at

jj <- readJPEG("y.jpg",native=TRUE)
plot(0:1,0:1,type="n",ann=FALSE,axes=FALSE)
rasterImage(jj,0,0,1,1)

or how to read.jpeg in R 2.15 or Displaying images in R in version 3.1.0