HEIF
Also known as: heif vs heic, high efficiency image file format, heif file
HEIF (High Efficiency Image File Format) is the modern container behind the iPhone’s HEIC photos. It stores images at roughly half the size of JPEG at the same quality and can hold extras like depth maps and Live Photos — which is why switching to JPEG enlarges a library.
- Container format behind iPhone HEIC photos
- About half the size of JPEG at equal quality
- Can store depth maps, Live Photos, and transparency
HEIF vs HEIC
HEIF is the container format; HEIC is the specific name Apple uses for HEIF images compressed with the HEVC codec. In practice the terms are used interchangeably for iPhone photos saved as `.heic` files.
The format’s big advantage is efficiency: it stores JPEG-equivalent quality in about half the space, so a camera roll in HEIF takes far less room than the same photos in JPEG.
More than one image per file
HEIF can bundle multiple images and metadata in a single file — image sequences, Live Photo frames, depth data for portrait blur, and alpha transparency. Switching iPhone capture to JPEG under Settings > Camera > Formats loses these efficiencies and grows your library.