Have you noticed any difference in the iOS 11 when it saves images? HEIC vs. JPG? When you take a picture using your iPhone camera, it now saves it as a HEIC file instead of the previously standard JPG format. So, what's up with that, and will it affect your images?

About HEIC

First, HEIC is Apple's proprietary version of the HEIF or High-Efficiency Image File format. The file format is intended to be better for saving images. The HEIC file format offers better compression while preserving image quality.

That may sound terrific, but HEIC is not compatible with certain apps or devices. Even worse, you might not be able to open a HEIC photo after moving it from your phone to your computer. So we're going to show you how to stop taking pictures in HEIC format altogether and how to convert a HEIC to a JPG if you do shoot in HEIC.

Which is better: HEIC or JPG?

It's a good thing overall whenever you can compress an image size without losing image quality. That means that HEIC is better than JPG. However, you still have the issue of which apps and devices do or don't support HEIC. As of this writing, it is not a broadly accepted format, although that's changing.

How to Stop taking HEIC photos

If you'd like to stop taking HEIC format, these are the three easy steps to follow:

Go to Settings.
Tap Camera > Formats.
Select Most Compatible.

How to send photos from your iPhone as JPG instead of HEIC

If you'd like to keep shooting as HEIC and then share images as JPGs, here are four steps to convert a HEIC to JPG:

Open the Settings app.
Tap Photos.
Scroll down to the Transfer to Mac or PC section.
Choose Automatic.

How to convert HEIC on a Mac

Let's say you already have some HEIC images on your Mac and want to open them or convert them to JPG or PNG. There are two ways to accomplish this:

Use an app created for this purpose (more below).
There are ways to convert those files to JPG format.

Apps for opening a HEIC file?

Several Apple apps will open HEIC files, including Preview, Photos, iMovie, and others created by Apple. Then there are apps like Adobe Photoshop that will open HEIC files (only on a Mac). Adobe Lightroom will let you import a HEIC, although it will automatically convert the file to a JPG.

Convert HEIC to JPG or PNG using Preview

The Preview app offers one of the easiest ways to convert HEIC to JPG on Mac:

Open the HEIC file in Preview.
Click File > Export.
From the Format drop-down menu, select either JPG or PNG.
Click Save.

Convert HEIC to JPG or PNG using Photos

The Photo's app on your Mac offers another way to convert from HEIC to JPEG or PNG following these six steps:

Open the Photos app; find the file you want to convert.
Select the file.
Click File > Export > Export Photo.
Choose JPG or PNG from the Photo Kind drop-down menu.
Click Export.
Select the location where you want to save your picture and click Export.

How to convert HEIC to JPG on a Windows computer

It's a bit more challenging to open and view a HEIC file on a Windows computer because the options - for now - are limited. Read on for our tips.

Software to open HEIC on Windows?

Luckily, Microsoft has released a HEIF Image Extensions codec for Windows 10 only. (If you're using an older operating system, you'll need to use an app.) Once you install it, you can view and open HEIC files because your computer sees HEIC photos like any other image file.

Conclusion

Yes, it can be a bit extra work dealing with HEIC files on your iPhone. However, they are helpful because they optimize image size while preserving its quality. Besides, they're not an end-all, be-all. As this article shows, it is possible to convert HEIC with a few simple steps!

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