All about HEIC file format

HEIC (High-Efficiency Image Container) is a container file format that holds one or more High-Efficiency Image Format (HEIF) image files. HEIF (also known as h.265) image files are the default image files on Apple’s mobile devices especially IOS 11 and macOS High Sierra.

It was developed by Moving Picture Experts Group (MPEG) to have small size images of better quality than JPEG. With HEIC image file format, you can take smaller photos of high resolution and still save on storage space.

They hold a sequence of images and the metadata for each image. HEIF photos files may be displayed using HEIC file extension, especially on iPhones and iPads. Android 9 Pie has also introduced the native support for the HEIF format.

Microsoft also supports the HEIC format in the Windows 10 released in October 2018 however, in their earlier Windows 10 April release, you will have to install the Microsoft HEIF Image Extensions from their store.

For the iPhone users who want to share their HEIC photos with the non-iPhone users or social media, the images are automatically converted to JPEG to make it well-suited for the target platform. You also have the liberty to change the camera format setting on your iPhone and choose the most compatible format for your images.

Pros and Cons of HEIC file format

With HEIC, you are guaranteed of smaller file sizes than the JPEG and with a high-quality image. They can also replace the formats that support image sequences like GIF and GIFV.

Furthermore, HEIC files don’t only store images but they store image properties like HDR data, thumbnails, alpha and depth maps.

However, being developed by MPEG based on HEVC technology, they could have some patent issues like the HEVC patent claims that will not only affect Apple but the websites that use .heic image format as well.

HEIC is also not widely adopted by many platforms or users, and it will take time for people to come onboard.

How to open HEIC format

Apple users on iOS 11 and macOS High Sierra platforms should have no problem opening these files. When shared using Apple's multi-purpose share sheet to non-IOS users, the images will be automatically converted to .jpeg.

If you are using the earlier Windows versions that don’t support HEIC format, you have to use a file conversion tool to convert the HEIC image to a format compatible with your machine e.g. JPG, PNG.

Converting HEIC file format to JPG/PNG

Filestar is one of the best tools to use while converting .heic images to .png or.jpg. It is secure, easy to use, and you are guaranteed quality, non-altered images. To explore our conversion options for .heic, check the skills page for the file format here.

For the file conversion, simply download the Filestar desktop application and then follow these steps.

1. Right-click on one or more HEIC file(s) on your desktop

2. Click on Convert with Filestar from the drop-down menu

3. Type Convert to jpg/png in the search box on your display.

4. Click Run.

Your converted images will be automatically saved in the same location as your HEIC file.