Revolutionize Your Photo Game: Transform HEIC Files to JPG with One Simple Click on Mac Preview!
In today’s digital age, photos are an essential part of our lives. We use them to capture memories, share our experiences on social media, and communicate with others. With the increasing popularity of iPhone and iPad, Apple has introduced the HEIC (High-Efficiency Image Format) file format. HEIC files are a great way to save space on your device and maintain high quality. However, not all devices and platforms support the HEIC format. So, if you want to share your photos with someone who doesn’t have an Apple device, you need to convert them to a more widely recognized format like JPG. Fortunately, with one simple click on Mac Preview, you can revolutionize your photo game by transforming HEIC files to JPG like a pro!
Why Convert HEIC Files to JPG?
HEIC files have several advantages over JPG files. They offer higher image quality, smaller file size, and better color depth. However, they are not supported by all devices and platforms. For example, if you want to share your photos on social media platforms like Facebook, Instagram, or Twitter, you may encounter issues with the HEIC format. Not all platforms support it, and even if they do, they may not display the images correctly. Furthermore, if you want to print your photos or store them on a non-Apple device, you will need to convert them to a more widely recognized format like JPG.
The Simple Solution: Converting HEIC Files to JPG on Mac Preview
Mac Preview is a simple and effective tool for converting HEIC files to JPG. Mac Preview is a built-in image viewer and editor for macOS users. It is a versatile application that supports various image file formats, including HEIC and JPG. To convert a HEIC file to JPG using Mac Preview, follow these simple steps:
Open the HEIC file in Mac Preview: To open the HEIC file, double-click on it, and it will automatically open in Mac Preview.
Click on “File”: Once the HEIC file is open, click on the “File” tab located in the top left corner of the app.
Click on “Export…”: In the dropdown menu, click on “Export…”, or use the keyboard shortcut “Command + Shift + S.”
Choose the format: In the export window, choose “JPEG” as the format you need to export. Next, select the quality you want for the JPG image. The higher the quality, the larger the file size of the resulting JPG file.
Save the file: Once you have selected the appropriate settings, choose where you want to save the JPG file and click on “Save.”
Conclusion
HEIC files are a great way to save space and maintain image quality on your Apple devices. However, not everyone has an Apple device and HEIC files are not supported by all devices and platforms. If you want to share your photos with others or store them on non-Apple devices, you need to convert them to a more widely recognized format like JPG. With one simple click on Mac Preview, you can convert HEIC files to JPG like a pro! By following the steps outlined above, you can revolutionize your photo game and ensure that your memories are accessible to everyone, no matter what device or platform they are using. So what are you waiting for? Try it out now and experience the magic of Mac Preview!
When you transfer photos from your iPhone to your Mac, you may notice that some photos have an HEIC file extension format instead of the usual JPEG. An HEIC file contains one or more images saved in the High Efficiency Image Format (HEIF). This saves an image or a sequence of images in a higher quality than a typical JPEG file along with its respective metadata. These HEIF / HEIC file formats do work in Preview on newer versions on macOS but will not open natively on a Mac running an older version of macOS. Similarly, these may not open or work in other apps such as Adobe Lightroom.
HEIC files are usually automatically converted to JPEG files when uploaded to social media networks such as Facebook, etc., but you may want to easily convert them on your Mac to use with different apps. Preview is the easiest tool for you to convert any HEIC / HEIF to a JPEG file, and it comes pre-installed in all Macs.
Open the HEIC file in Preview on your Mac.
From the top menu, navigate to “File -> Export.”
In the sub-menu, choose “JPEG” from Format, select the file quality (we always recommend Best) and click on Save. You’ll also get an estimated file size.
That’s it. Your exported JPEG file will be available in the location you selected.
You can batch-select photos in Preview and export them to your desired JPEG quality. You can also use this method to export HEIC files to any other desired format (such as PNG, TIFF, etc.).
It’s important to know that converting to JPEG does not always result in a smaller file size. A 2MB HEIC file might end up to be as much as 3.2MB when exported to JPEG. If you’re looking to save some space on your Mac, keeping your files in HEIC format is beneficial.
If you find yourself converting your HEIC files to JPEG files repeatedly, you can follow this short guide to change your iPhone’s camera settings to shoot in JPEG instead of HEIC:
Open up the Settings app in your phone.
Scroll down and select “Camera.”
Choose “Most Compatible” instead of “High Efficiency.”
Or, if you want to shoot and store HEIC images on your iPhone camera but want them to automatically convert to JPEG when transferring them to your Mac:
In the Settings app, go to “Photos.”
Under “Transfer to Mac or PC” choose “Automatic” to automatically convert the HEIF images to JPEG upon file transfer.
By doing this, your iPhone will automatically save photos in JPEG format instead of HEIC. This will result in more space being taken up on your iPhone, but it will be easier for you to use these photos when you transfer them to your Mac.
Using the guide above, you’ll be able to easily convert existing HEIC files to JPEG as well as turn on automatic conversion when transferring these files.
Let us know in the comments section below if you have any question or confusion.
Shujaa Imran is MakeTechEasier’s resident Mac tutorial writer. He’s currently training to follow his other passion become a commercial pilot. You can check his content out on Youtube
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