You may have noticed that the picture files captured with your iPhones are now stored in a new format, HEIC. Most devices except iPhones still use the tried and tested JPEG format to store images. This can be an issue for users who want to transfer these images to unsupported devices and view them.
In these cases, conversion of the HEIC images to JPEG is essential in order to make them usable. Thankfully, Apple has some in-built options in iOS to mitigate this issue. In this article, you will get a glimpse of some great tools that you can use to convert the images in HEIC to JPEG and use them on any device you want. But, first let’s take a look at what these formats are, and how they compare to each other.
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What are HEIC and JPG formats?
The format of stored images generally indicates the compression algorithm used on it. Some formats signify lossy compression that focuses on reliability and efficient data storage. Other formats emphasize lossless quality with no regard to data storage. Take a look at the main features of JPEG and HEIC, and get an idea about how they work.
JPEG
JPEG was introduced as a method of lossy compression for images to store on devices with limited storage spaces. JPEG also enabled inserting images to webpages and posting them to social media when it was first introduced. It is now used as an international standard for image compression and can be adjusted to make changes to the level of compression in regards to the storage size.
HEIC
The new HEIC format was introduced by Moving Picture Experts Group (MPEG) in 2015, and it can store the same amount of detail of JPEG images, but in a smaller package. Since then, it has been adopted by Apple as the default file format for the images captured on iOS. HEIF format also enables 16-bit color support for images, while JPEG can only support up to 8-bit.
Best Ways to Convert HEIC to JPG
There are several ways in which you can either stop your iPhone from storing photos in HEIC or convert this format to JPEG for convenience. Take a look at some of the ways to do so.
Make Changes to iPhone Camera Settings for Storing Images in JPEG
In case you don’t want to use the HEIC image format at all, then you can make some changes in the camera settings in iOS to set the default image format to JPEG. Here’s how to do it in few simple steps:
- Open the ‘Settings’ app on your iPhone.
- Navigate to Camera, then look for ‘Formats’.
- Once you open ‘Formats’, you will have the options – ‘High Efficiency’ and ‘Most Compatible’.
- Select ‘Most Compatible’ to start saving images captured on your iPhone in JPEG.
If you still want to capture images in HEIC for saving storage space and quality on your iPhone, then the next steps will elaborate upon how to convert HEIC to JPEG for compatibility with a wide variety of devices.
How to Convert HEIC to JPEG/JPG in Devices Running macOS
Using the ‘Preview’ App
In case you want to convert HEIC images to JPEG on your Mac device, you can use the ‘Preview’ app to do so. This app is in-built in macOS, and enables the user to view and edit photos in a simple and intuitive manner. Take a look at how you can use this app to convert HEIC to JPG using Preview.
- Open the Preview app in your Mac device.
- Navigate to the stored HEIC files.
- Click on File, and then Export.
- You will be presented with a lot of format options in a drop-down menu.
- Select JPG, and tap on the ‘Save’ button.
The converted JPEG should be stored in the same directory as the HEIC, unless specified otherwise. You can now use this JPEG file on any device out there, without any worries about cross-compatibility.
Using the ‘Photos’ App
There is another way you can convert your images from HEIC to JPG using an in-built solution in macOS. The ‘Photos’ app that you use for browsing images on your device can also export the images after conversion to JPEG/JPG. Take a look at how to do so.
- Open the image that you want to convert.
- The image should be loaded up in the ‘Photos’ app.
- Navigate to ‘File’ located in the top bar.
- From the drop-down menu, choose ‘Export’.
- Click on ‘Export Photo’ to get the format options for the exported image.
- Choose JPG and the location you want to save it in.
Once done, you should have the JPEG version of the image you originally had in HEIC format saved in your desired location for future use.
How to Convert HEIC to JPEG in Windows Computers?
Opening and converting HEIC to JPG is not as hassle-free as with Mac devices, as HEIC is not natively compatible with Windows machines. Although, there are several ways in which you can do so using third-party tools. Take a look at some of the ways you can convert HEIC to JPEG in Windows PCs.
Using CopyTrans HEIC
The aforementioned software allows you to easily open and view HEIC files on Windows, and convert them to JPEG using an option from the right-click menu.
- Download and install CopyTrans HEIC for Windows.
- Once done, you just need to right click on the HEIC image in your PC to bring up the context menu.
- From here, choose the option “Convert to JPEG with CopyTrans”.
- The HEIC format will be converted to JPEG, and the exported file will be stored in the same folder as the original image.
Using iMazing HEIC Converter
This software enables you to convert batches of HEIC images to JPG at once with a simple drag and drop user interface. Take a look at how to use this app to do the same.
- Download and install iMazing HEIC converter for Windows.
- Once you open the app, you need to drag and drop the images or the entire folder containing the images into the app.
- Next, choose whether you want your exported images in JPEG or PNG.
- Select JPEG, and choose the quality using the slider. The recommended value for a balance between picture quality and storage space is 97%.
- Click on ‘Convert’.
- Specify the location where you want to save the converted images.
- Select ‘OK’, and the process should be completed.
Conclusion
Using HEIC files might be a bit jarring because of the lack of good cross-compatibility. But, keep in mind that HEIC is superior to JPEG in almost every single way, and it is slowly being accepted by most major organizations as the standard. Currently, it can be a problem to handle these files, and hence the ways listed above should help you to convert HEIC images to the conventional JPEG format.
