Efficient lossy compression provides a relatively small file size, smaller than JPEG of the same quality. Like JPEG, HEIC is intended for the long-term storage of digital photographs, and was intended to be a more modern replacement for JPEG. Unlike Webp, which has a similar compression efficiency, the HEVC compression algorithm is not open as it is protected by patents, which is a major obstacle to maximizing its support by various programs and devices. In addition to the image itself, HEIF, like JPEG, allows you to store metadata inside the file in EXIF and XMP formats. It is thanks to HEVC that it is possible to achieve a higher degree of compression of graphic information than in the popular JPEG. The HEIC format includes two components: the High Efficiency Image File Format (HEIF) container format in combination with the High Efficiency Video Coding (HEVC) compression format of the image itself. High Efficiency Image Coding ( HEIC) is a digital photo storage format that gained popularity when Apple made it the default format for storing iPhone photos since iOS version 11 because it provides a smaller file size with the same image quality as the equivalent JPEG.

IPhone 11 Pro Max camera shooting in HEIC format Why doesn't Windows support HEIC by default?.

Heic image viewer windows