HEIF/HEIC image format

[jarski]

HEIC won't survive: Who would want to say "Hee-ick" when you can just say "Jay-Peg?"

ok now I'm convinced. switch back to JPEG 🙂

seriously though, its the Lightroom decided go back. would still like to get few years of use of it. by then this format situation is hopefully more clear also.

 

[boojum]

To resurrect this thread, is anyone using HEIF? Reading the thread makes me think that it will be weighed down by a morass of patents while we can use JPG for free. Right away HEIF seems to have fallen in the starting gate. This is a shame as it is a better format. Well, once again greed will strangle a good thing.

 

[Godfrey]

What do you mean "using HEIF"?
My phone creates these image files and I use them. What else?

G

 

[Disappointed_Horse]

A serious downside to HEIC is that it's highly patented, and cannot be used in software without permission and paying for a licence. JPEG is patent- and licence-free. The huge number of patents (over 7000) is bound to lead to legal problems for HEIC in the future with patent sharks. Apple helped develop it, so they're pushing for adoption, but my personal view is that it won't gain much traction, and that JPEG will remain among the most widely used image formats fir a long time yet.

I was curious about this so I downloaded a photo I shot as a HEIC file on my iPhone to my Linux computer. It's an old MacBook Air running elementaryos 8.01. I was able to open the HEIC file with GIMP, but not with any of the other image editing apps I have.

 

[Godfrey]

It should be noted that JPEG was patented too. It's simply the case that the patents have long since expired, and the custodians of the patents have not seen fit to re-file.

JPEG is a very old format and has many limitations. As time goes on, it may become too kludgy to remain useful.

G

 

[boojum]

I am still pondering HEIF. Flickr will allow HEIF uploads but converts them to JPG on site. And there is some discussion that some JPG's are enhanced now and "better" than HEIF.

Does anyone know?

 

[Godfrey]

I am still pondering HEIF. Flickr will allow HEIF uploads but converts them to JPG on site. And there is some discussion that some JPG's are enhanced now and "better" than HEIF.

Does anyone know?

JPEG protocols have not been officially updated since "JPEG 2000" was released 26 years ago, to the best of my knowledge. And no one uses JPEG 2000. HEIF format was defined and implemented about 2013, Apple was an early adopter. I know the team there: they actively continue to work on and improve it.

Info on both:

High Efficiency Image File Format - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

JPEG - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

Flickr.com moves everything to JPEG as being more "universal" for compressed image formats.

G

Add: A quick search with google "what is the advantage of HEIF over JPEG?" ...

HEIC offers significant advantages over JPG, primarily by providing roughly 50% smaller file sizes without sacrificing image quality, allowing for double the storage capacity. It supports superior 16-bit color, better transparency, and features like Live Photos, making it ideal for modern, high-resolution, and storage-limited devices.
(Digital Photography School)

Key Advantages of HEIC over JPG:

- Efficient Compression: HEIC uses more advanced, modern compression methods than JPG, allowing for better quality images at significantly smaller file sizes.

- Superior Quality & Color: HEIC supports 16-bit color (compared to JPG's 8-bit), which allows for a wider, more vibrant color gamut.

- Versatility & Features: HEIC supports image sequences (like Apple's "Live Photos"), burst photos, transparency, and advanced editing, whereas JPG is limited to single, static images.

- Better Editing Capabilities: HEIC images can be edited, rotated, or cropped without needing to re-encode the entire file, preserving original data quality better than re-saving a JPG.
(Digital Photography School)

Main Disadvantage:

- Compatibility: While HEIC is superior for storage and quality, JPG is much more widely compatible with older devices, browsers, and websites, whereas HEIC may require conversion.
(Reddit)

Note: All of my current image processing apps (on macOS, iOS, and iPadOS) support HEIF.
I have never run Linux systems, and the last time I touched a Windows system was somewhere around 1989. 😉