iPhone HEIC saves space until a non-Apple workflow says “unsupported format”
With High Efficiency enabled, Camera often writes HEIC/HEIF that preserves highlights and skintones in a smaller footprint than legacy JPEG. The pain arrives when those files hit school portals, tender uploads, older enterprise IM, or Android galleries that never install a decoder—previews go gray or uploads bounce. AirDrop to a Mac still yields HEIC, so the next hop to a Windows finance PC can fail again. `heic-iphone-photos` is about clarifying downstream requirements: MIME allow-lists, per-file megabyte caps, and whether Baseline JPEG is mandatory. Transcoding to JPEG forces 8-bit quantization and a common sRGB display path; night skies and sunsets band if you slam quality to the floor. For print or regrading, keep the original HEIC, write converted files to new names, and verify whether you exported a true full-res still or a Live Photo derivative. Stacked JPEG→HEIC→JPEG trips are especially toxic to detail—avoid them.
iPhone-oriented HEIC→JPEG workflow
- Inside `heic-iphone-photos`, decide if the deliverable is casual sharing or archival/print—pick quality and whether HEIC masters stay untouched.
- Spot-check skin, sky ramps, and tiny type for banding or blockiness.
- Export to a new filename; strip GPS if policy demands.