What is HEIC and HEIF?

This article provides a clear overview of the HEIC and HEIF image formats, explaining what they are, how they compare to the traditional JPEG format, their benefits, and how to easily convert them for better device compatibility.

Understanding HEIF and HEIC

HEIF stands for High Efficiency Image File Format. Developed by the Moving Picture Experts Group (MPEG) in 2015, HEIF is a container format designed to store individual images and image sequences.

HEIC (High Efficiency Image Coding) is the specific file extension Apple chose to use for HEIF files that are encoded using the HEVC (High Efficiency Video Coding) standard. When Apple adopted this format in 2017 with iOS 11, it became the default saving format for photos taken on iPhones and iPads.

Essentially, HEIF is the format standard, while HEIC is the actual file extension you see on your Apple devices.

Key Benefits of HEIC over JPEG

Compared to the older JPEG format, HEIC offers several significant technological advantages:

• Better Compression: HEIC files are roughly half the file size of a JPEG with the exact same visual quality, allowing you to store twice as many photos on your device.
• Superior Image Quality: HEIC supports 16-bit color, whereas JPEG only supports 8-bit. This allows HEIC to display a wider range of vibrant colors and smoother gradients.
• Advanced Features: HEIC acts as a container, meaning it can store multiple images in a single file (ideal for Live Photos, burst shots, and animations), depth maps, image thumbnails, and editing history (allowing you to undo edits later).
• Transparency Support: Unlike JPEGs, HEIC images support transparency (alpha channels), similar to PNG files.

The Downside: Compatibility Issues

The primary disadvantage of HEIC is compatibility. Because JPEG has been the industry standard for decades, almost every device, operating system, and website supports it.

Conversely, HEIC is not universally supported. While Apple devices handle them natively, opening HEIC files on older Windows computers, Android devices, or importing them into certain editing software can result in errors.

How to Convert HEIC to JPEG

Because of these compatibility hurdles, you will often need to convert your HEIC images to JPEG before sharing them or uploading them online.

To solve this issue quickly and securely, you can use the online Bulk HEIC/HEIF to JPEG conversion tool. This web-based tool allows you to upload multiple files at once and instantly convert them to the universally accepted JPEG format without losing image quality.