Free HEIC Image Tools

What are HEIC Images?

The HEIC image format is a type of file developed by Apple in 2017 to be the new standard image format across iOS and Mac devices. HEIC stands for High Efficiency Image Container. It builds upon the High Efficiency Image Format (HEIF) which uses advanced compression technology called High Efficiency Video Coding (HEVC) to significantly reduce image file sizes. A key benefit of the HEIC format is that it can store images at half the size of JPEG files while retaining the same image quality. The smaller file footprint allows users to store more photos and images on their Apple devices without taking up as much storage capacity compared to other formats like JPEG.

Despite the space savings, the HEIC format does have some drawbacks in terms of compatibility. Since it's relatively new, it hasn't achieved widespread adoption or support, especially outside of Apple products and services. This can create issues with editing or sharing HEIC images across different platforms and apps. However, Apple devices automatically use HEIC as the default image format because of its advanced compression capabilities that allow for smaller file sizes without sacrificing photo quality or metadata.