HEIF / HEIC
High Efficiency Image File Format
HEIF is an image format that stores photos at roughly JPEG quality in smaller files, with 10-bit colour; HEIC is the common HEVC-compressed variant.
HEIF (High Efficiency Image File Format) is a modern container for still images. Using HEVC compression (the result is usually called HEIC), it can hold a photo of similar visible quality to a JPEG in a noticeably smaller file, and it supports 10-bit colour, which helps smooth gradients and HDR display. iPhones have saved photos as HEIC by default for years, and many recent cameras from Canon, Sony, Nikon and Fujifilm offer HEIF as an alternative to JPEG.
Its weakness is compatibility: older software, some web tools and many galleries still expect JPEG.
How it works
A HEIF file packages one or more images, plus thumbnails and metadata, in a structure based on the ISO base media file format. Cameras that shoot HEIF often tie it to an HDR or 10-bit picture mode. Like a JPEG, a HEIF image is processed in camera, so white balance and picture style are baked in, unlike RAW.
An example: HDR stills
A landscape photographer shoots HEIF in a camera's HDR mode to show sunsets on an HDR-capable phone and TV. For a client gallery that only accepts JPEG, the same frames need converting first.
HEIF and CloudTether
CloudTether converts HEIC photos to high-quality JPGs before delivering them to cloud destinations, so they open everywhere — the help centre explains why. RAW files are never converted. When saving to the phone's photo library, HEIF is kept as it is. Geotag photos writes location into JPEGs only, so HEIF files pass through untagged. If a destination needs JPEG from the start, set the camera to JPEG or RAW+JPEG. More on file choices in JPEG-only and resized delivery.
When to use it
HEIF suits personal work viewed on modern devices and HDR displays. For client delivery, press and galleries, JPEG remains the safe choice.
Tips and common mistakes
- Check your gallery accepts HEIF before shooting it for a client.
- Shoot RAW+HEIF only if your editor reads the camera's HEIF files.
- HEIF from cameras and HEIC from iPhones are related but not always interchangeable in older software.
See also
Put it into practice
CloudTether tethers your camera to your phone and delivers every shot to the cloud, live as you shoot — no laptop.