HEIC 파일이란? 알아야 할 모든 것

If you’ve transferred photos from an iPhone to your computer, you may have encountered files ending in .heic. Here’s everything you need to know about this modern image format.

What is HEIC?

HEIC stands for High Efficiency Image Container. It’s a file format based on the HEVC (H.265) video compression standard. Apple adopted HEIC as the default photo format starting with iOS 11 in 2017.

Think of HEIC as a container that can hold:

• One or more images
• Live Photo video components
• Depth maps (for Portrait mode)
• Burst photo sequences
• All in a single file

Why Apple uses HEIC

The main reason is compression efficiency. A HEIC photo is roughly half the size of an equivalent-quality JPEG:

Format	12MP Photo Size
JPEG (high quality)	~3-5 MB
HEIC (equivalent quality)	~1.5-2.5 MB

For iPhone users taking thousands of photos, this savings adds up to gigabytes of storage.

HEIC vs JPEG: Technical comparison

Feature	HEIC	JPEG
Compression	HEVC (H.265)	DCT (1992)
Bit depth	16-bit	8-bit
Transparency	Yes	No
Multiple images	Yes	No
Depth maps	Yes	No
Browser support	Safari only	All browsers

Where HEIC causes problems

Despite its technical advantages, HEIC has compatibility issues:

1. Windows — requires a $0.99 codec from Microsoft Store
2. Android — supports HEIC viewing but not all editing apps
3. Web apps — most don’t accept HEIC uploads
4. Email clients — may display as attachments rather than inline

How to convert HEIC to JPG

Use heicgo.com to convert HEIC files in your browser. No upload, no software install, and EXIF data is preserved.

Further Reading

• How to Convert HEIC to JPG — the fastest conversion method
• HEIC vs JPEG Comparison — see how they stack up
• Why Are iPhone Photos HEIC? — Apple’s reasoning explained