About the Heif file format
- Name
- High Efficiency Image File
- Extension
- .heif
- Format
- Binary
- Category
- Raster Image
- Developer
- Apple
- Description
- Based on HEVC (High-Efficiency Video Coding), the HEIF format is an image file container with one or multiple images and is the default image format for Apple Live Photos. It replaced the JPEG format as it's smaller in size and has lossless compression ensuring high-quality photos.
- MIME Type
- image/heif
- Wikipedia
- .heif on Wikipedia
The Moving Picture Experts Group developed the High-Efficiency Image Format(HEIF) as a container format for individual and sequence images. Its animation feature allows it to store more information compared to both Animated_GIF and APNG. The file format includes media streams like the video, timed text, and audio.
HEIF can store both still and series of images using the .heif and .heic extensions, respectively. It uses HEVC compression or H.264/MPEG-4 AVC to get very small sized images. As a result, it has surpassed JPEG’s efficiency. Gaining credit due to its ability to reduce images by 50% while still maintaining the quality of the image.
Apple made HEIF hit the headlines when they made it their image default format. Images stored in HEIF format are automatically changed to the older JPEG format when sent out to a new system.
With the aid of editing instructions in the HEIF file, it allows editing of the images without destroying them. The file format can detect similarities between images, therefore, storing similar images under one file, reducing storage space.
Currently, Chrome, Microsoft Edge, Safari, Opera, Internet Explorer, and Firefox browsers support HEIF. It’s one interesting format for the internet as size and image quality play a major role in a web page performance.
