Uncover the Secret to Easily Transforming HEIF Images to JPG on Mac - Transform Your Photo Collection Today!
The HEIF (High Efficiency Image Format) is a relatively new image format that was introduced by Apple in 2017. The HEIF format was designed to be a more efficient and feature-packed replacement for JPEG. HEIF images offer higher quality and smaller file sizes compared to JPEG images. However, the downside to HEIF is that not all devices and software support this format.
Many people find it difficult to open HEIF images on their Mac computers, and the situation is made more frustrating because of the incompatibility of the HEIF format with popular software programs like Microsoft Office, Photoshop, and more.
Fortunately, there is a solution to this problem. You can easily convert your HEIF images to JPG, a more widely used image format that is compatible with almost all devices and software. This article will guide you through the process of converting HEIF images to JPEG on your Mac.
Why Convert HEIF to JPG?
Before we get into the nitty-gritty of the conversion process, let’s take a moment to understand why we would want to convert HEIF to JPG.
Firstly, not all devices and software support the HEIF format. If you have HEIF images that you want to use on different devices or software programs, you will need to convert them into JPG format. Also, you may want to send your images to someone who does not have HEIF support, which is another reason why you might need to convert your images to JPG.
Secondly, HEIF files are not supported by most Cloud storage providers like Google Photos or Dropbox. You may be unable to upload your HEIF files to such storage platforms. Converting HEIF to JPG gets rid of these problems and makes it easy to store, upload, and share your images.
How to Convert HEIF to JPG on a Mac
The conversion process is not complicated at all, and it can be done using the built-in preview app on your Mac. Follow these simple steps to convert your HEIF images to JPG:
- Open the HEIF image using the Preview App on your Mac. To do this, right-click the HEIF image and select Open With -> Preview.
- Once you have the image open in Preview, click on File -> Export.
- Choose the JPG format from the “Format” dropdown located in the Export Window. Make sure you select “JPG” as your output format.
- Finally, click on the “Save” button to save the image as a JPG file.
And that’s it! The HEIF image has now been converted to a JPG format that is much more compatible with various devices and software programs.
Conclusion
In conclusion, converting HEIF to JPG is a simple process that can be completed on any Mac computer. If you have HEIF images that you want to share or use with different devices and software programs, then converting to JPG is the way to go. Follow the above steps to convert your HEIF images to JPG and enjoy unrestricted use of your photo collection on different devices and software programs.
To give you some background, HEIF (format) is a fairly new adoption in Apple’s ecosystem that started with the rollout of iOS 11, and soon, got picked up by Google with Android P. Due to this wide adoption throughout the entire smartphone ecosystem, Microsoft had to step in and offer support for HEIF and HEVC files on its platform. So now, you can enable support and open HEIF and HEVC files on Windows 10. However, if you happen to be a macOS user and want a way to convert HEIF images to JPEG, here’s how using Automator.
Create a Service to Convert HEIF Images to JPEG
Open Spotlight Search (Command + Space) and search for the Automator app and open it.
Hit New Document, and from Choose a type for your document window, select Quick Action and hit Choose.
On the next screen, in the right pane, hit the drop-down menu next to Workflow receives current and select image files.
From the left pane, choose Files & Folders and select and drag New Folder to the workflow area on the right.
Here, give the folder a name. For convenience, let’s call it HEIF to JPEG, and select the location where you want to create this folder on your Mac.
Again, with Files & Folders selected, choose Get Folder Contents and drag it below the current action in the workflow area.
Now, on the left pane, choose Photos, and from the options on the right, select Change Type of Images and drag it to the workflow area. And in the pop-up window that comes up, tap Don’t Add since we are already saving the converted images to a new folder.
In the Change Type of Images action, tap on the drop-down menu next to To Type and select JPEG.
Next, press command + s or go to File > Save to save the quick action you just created.
Finally, give the action a name and hit Save. Let’s call it HEIF to JPEG for convenience.
Execute Service
Once you have created the quick action to convert HEIF images to JPEG, you need to go to the folder with the HEIF images that you need to convert.
Here, you need to select all the HEIF images that you need to convert to JPEG.
Next, right-click (control + click) on the selected images, and from the list of options, go to Services and tap on the quick action you just created.
Once done, you should see a folder on your Desktop (or the location you selected to create the folder) with all the HEIF images converted into JPEG.
Create a Shortcut to Execute Service
Although you can execute the service using the steps mentioned above, the process is still tedious and requires you to perform a few clicks. Thankfully, there’s a way to get around this, and it does not require you to do much. Here’s how –
Open Spotlight Search (Command + Space) and search for System Preferences.
In System Preferences, choose Keyboard, and on the next screen, tap on the Shortcuts tab.
From the left pane, choose Services.
Now, on the right pane, under Pictures, tap on HEIF to JPEG (or whatever you named your Service) and tap on the Add Shortcut button to its right.
Here, enter a key combination that is easy to remember, and most importantly, not already assigned to another service.
Finally, once you have assigned a key combination, you are all set to execute the service using the shortcut. Now, all you need to do to convert HEIF images to JPEG is selecting the images and pressuring the key combination you assigned to the service. And that’s it! You should now find all the converted images from HEIF to JPEG format in a separate folder on your Mac.
