HEIC is the high-efficiency format iPhone photos use by default. Browsers can't display it directly, so converting is needed to use or share it on the web.
GIF is limited to 256 colors, and synonymous with short moving images. When you convert HEIC to GIF, you can open it in more places and the file grows. See the comparison below for what changes.
This converter reads the file itself to confirm it is HEIC, then converts it to GIF right in your browser. Your image is never uploaded.
HEIC vs GIF: what's the difference?
| Item | HEIC | GIF |
|---|---|---|
| Compression | Lossy | Lossless |
| Transparent background | Yes | Yes |
| Animation | No | Yes |
| Introduced | 2015 | 1987 |
| Support in programs and upload forms | limited | nearly everywhere |
| Shown directly in browsers | No | Yes |
| Photo file size (JPG = 1) | about 0.5× | about 2.5× |
What is HEIC?
HEIC is HEVC (H.265) compression packaged in the HEIF container, and Apple adopted it as the default camera format from iOS 11. At the same quality it takes up about half the space of JPG.
What is GIF?
GIF is one of the oldest web image formats, created in 1987, and can use only up to 256 colors per image. The compression itself is lossless, but reducing the colors to 256 makes photos look visibly coarse.
What changes when you convert HEIC to GIF
Semi-transparency is simplified to transparent or opaque
GIF doesn't support partial transparency. Soft fading edges and shadows can look jagged, like stair steps.
Quality doesn't improve, but it doesn't get worse either
Information lost when HEIC was saved can't be recovered. GIF is lossless, so it keeps the image exactly as it is now and later edits and saves add no further degradation. File size will grow, though.
Live Photo video and depth data are dropped
Besides the main photo, a HEIC can contain extras such as a short video and a depth map. The result contains only the main photo.
GIF has no quality setting
GIF is lossless, so the quality slider doesn't apply. Instead, when converting from HEIC you can manage file size by resizing (exact width and height, or a percentage).
How the file size changes
For the same photo, GIF is much larger than HEIC (roughly 5× or so). This is for photos; for simple images such as logos and screenshots, PNG can actually come out smaller.
GIF opens in more places
Support for HEIC in programs, document tools and upload forms is limited, while GIF is nearly everywhere. If you need to upload somewhere HEIC wouldn't open, try again after converting.
When to convert
- You need to upload to a program, messenger or upload form that can't open HEIC
- You want to use it on a website or blog but browsers can't display HEIC
- You must upload a still image to an old board or system that only accepts GIF
- You want to open photos taken on an iPhone on a Windows PC or Android