If you want to reduce the size of HEIC files even further, what methods are available? This guide explains in detail how to compress HEIC files and how to balance file size and image quality.

Why Compress HEIC Files?

Although the HEIC format already has excellent compression efficiency, you may sometimes want to reduce the file size even further. For example, when uploading to a website, a smaller file size may be necessary.

Additionally, when sending by email or to save cloud storage space, it's important to reduce the file size.

However, compression can affect image quality, so it's important to find an appropriate balance.

Methods to Compress HEIC Files

Method 1: Adjust Quality When Converting

When converting HEIC files to other formats such as JPG or PNG, you can reduce the file size by adjusting the quality settings.

HEIC.Best's conversion tool allows you to adjust quality settings to balance file size and image quality. Reducing quality can reduce file size, but image quality will also decrease.

1Upload HEIC file to the conversion tool
2Select output format (JPG or PNG)
3Adjust quality settings (generally 80-90% recommended)
4Convert and verify file size

Method 2: Use Image Editing Software

You can use image editing software such as Photoshop or GIMP to open HEIC files, then save them again to adjust the compression rate.

However, many image editing software programs may not support saving directly in HEIC format, so you may need to save them in JPG or PNG format.

Method 3: Adjust iPhone Settings

When taking new photos on iPhone, selecting 'High Efficiency' (HEIC) in camera settings will create already optimized HEIC files.

To compress existing HEIC files further, you'll need to use a conversion tool.

Balance Between Quality and File Size

When compressing HEIC files, it's important to balance quality and file size. Please refer to the following guidelines:

• Web Use: 80-85% quality is sufficient. File size will be smaller and webpage loading will be faster.

• General Use: We recommend 85-90% quality. This is a good balance between quality and file size.

• Use Requiring High Quality: We recommend 90-95% quality. File size will be larger, but you can maintain high quality.

• Archive Use: We recommend 95-100% quality. Maintain the highest possible quality, but file size will be larger.

The HEIC format already has excellent compression efficiency, so avoid over-compression and find an appropriate balance.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

How much does compressing HEIC files degrade quality?

This depends on the compression rate, but with appropriate quality settings (80-90%), in most cases the loss is almost imperceptible to the human eye. Over-compression (70% or less) can result in noticeable quality degradation.

Can I compress while maintaining the HEIC format?

It can be difficult to compress directly while maintaining the HEIC format. Generally, compression is done by converting to other formats such as JPG or PNG, then adjusting quality settings.

How much can I reduce the file size?

This depends on quality settings, but reducing quality to 85% can generally reduce file size by 20-30%. However, if the original HEIC file is already optimized, the reduction may be smaller.

Can compressed files be restored to the original HEIC file?

If you convert to JPG or PNG format, you cannot restore to the original HEIC file. We recommend backing up the original files before compression.

HEIC files are already compressed, why do you need additional compression?

The HEIC format already has excellent compression efficiency, but for specific uses (web, email sending, etc.), a smaller file size may be necessary. In these cases, additional compression is effective.

Summary

Compressing HEIC files can reduce file size, but it's important to balance quality and file size. With appropriate quality settings, you can reduce file size while maintaining sufficient quality. HEIC.Best's conversion tool allows you to adjust quality settings to find the best balance.