HEIC is an engineering marvel. The ability to store images at half the file size of JPG with no discernible difference in image quality is astounding. But there is a downside. It’s been more than two years since Apple first implemented the feature on the iPhone, but cross-platform compatibility hasn’t worked out yet.
That’s why converting from HEIC to JPG is necessary at one time or another.
Apple’s iOS automatically converts HEIC images to JPG in two ways. When transferring them to an incompatible device or when sharing images with other applications (such as Mail, Notes, etc.). In either case, you’re bound to run into some problems.
For example, I use Google Photos as my primary photo backup solution. Although it supports HEIC format, it does not provide any means to re-download them in JPG format. That means I often have to manually convert HEIC to JPG on my PC.
Thankfully, it’s pretty easy to make your iPhone take photos in the older JPG format. Let’s see how you can do that.
Fun fact: HEIC, which stands for High Efficiency Image Coding, is also commonly referred to as HEIF, or High Efficiency Image Format.
Convert HEIC to JPG
To switch from HEIC to JPG, you must configure the image capture format using your iPhone’s Settings app. There are two camera shooting settings that you can choose from — High Performance and Most Compatible. The former will take pictures in HEIC format, while the latter will take pictures in JPG format.
If you switch to Most Compatible, that will also cause your camera to record video using the older H.264 compression standard. Otherwise, it will record in the newer HEVC video format using the H.265 compression standard. That’s something you need to keep in mind because there’s no way to just change the image capture format without affecting the video.
Step 1: Open the Settings app on your iPhone. Scroll down and tap Camera. Then, tap Format from the Camera settings list.
Step 2: In Camera Capture, tap Most Compatible.
That’s it. Your iPhone will now capture photos in JPG format directly, while videos will be saved in MOV format using H.264 (instead of H.265) encoding. You can change the format at any time by going to the Settings app.
Convert HEIC to JPG — Fact Sheet
As you just know, converting from HEIC to JPG is quite easy. However, there are a few things you should keep in mind. Let’s break them down below.
1. Old photos remain the same
Converting from HEIC to JPG won’t convert your iPhone’s existing photo library. Only the photos you will take after the conversion will be affected. Same goes for videos.
There are two ways to convert your existing library. Transfer them to a PC or Mac with the Automatic Transfer setting turned on (iPhone Settings > Photos > Transfer to Mac or PC > Automatic). Or you can use third-party HEIC to JPG converters downloaded via the App Store.
2. Fill up local storage faster
Taking pictures and recording videos in JPG and H.264 formats can consume significant storage space. If your iPhone doesn’t have too much space to begin with, then expect it to fill up quickly. As a rule of thumb, the storage required for both photos and videos will be twice that of HEIC and HEVC formats.
For videos, you can also check the Video Recording screen (iPhone Settings > Camera > Video Recording) to determine how much space they’ll take up if you shoot in either format.
3. Consume More iCloud Storage
If you use your iPhone’s internal storage and shoot in older photo and video formats, your iCloud storage will fill up faster. That happens when you turn on iCloud Photos. And considering that you have to pay to get anywhere over 5GB of storage, that can get complicated.
I recommend using a third-party cloud storage solution such as Google Photos to remove this effect with its unlimited photo and video storage services. You can also refer to my iCloud alternative photo storage guide for other backup services.
4. Fewer quality settings
While you will have access to all the default photo quality settings when shooting in JPG format, there are some limitations when it comes to video. Choose the Most Compatible setting, and you can’t shoot 4K video at 60fps or slow motion 1080p video at 240fps.
Most likely, this is a limitation to prevent your iPhone from consuming as much storage space as it needs when storing videos using H.264 encoding.
5. Technically inferior to HEIC
When you convert from HEIC to JPG, the resulting image may look a little better. That happens because of the lower compression associated with the JPG format. I have yet to notice any significant difference in quality.
But ignoring HEIC’s insane compression algorithm, it includes support for a much larger color gamut and additional depth data as opposed to the JPG format. If you want to edit your photos on screen with a wider color gamut, you’ll miss out on those details by switching from HEIC to JPG.
Don’t convert for the sake of it
Converting from HEIC to JPG is easy and is definitely covered by the compatibility issues you’ll encounter. However, I would advise against switching just for the sake of it. That’s because HEIC offers a lot of advantages, such as using less storage space and being technically advanced compared to JPG.
Apple has set it as the default setting for a reason. If your photos will only stay in the Apple ecosystem, then you should use HEIC, as there is no reason to switch.
Next: Having trouble backing up your photos to iCloud? Check out this troubleshooting guide and resolve any issues quickly.
Categories: How to
Source: thpttranhungdao.edu.vn/en/
