Convert HEIC to PNG

When PNG is the right target rather than JPG

JPG is the default answer because it is universal and small. PNG is the better answer in two specific situations. The first is when you intend to edit the image again, because PNG will not discard anything on each save while JPG accumulates loss every time. The second is when the image has transparency, since PNG has a real alpha channel and can be used as a master for later compositing. If neither applies, JPG is usually the more practical file.

Apple Support: using HEIF or HEVC media on Apple devices

What converting cannot repair

HEIC is lossy, so the source has already discarded some detail, and PNG preserves that reconstruction rather than restoring the original. The banding and softness baked in at the moment the photo was encoded are still there. Converting to PNG stops any further loss, which is genuinely valuable, but it is not the same as recovering quality. If a photo is already soft, the answer is a better source file rather than a better conversion.

• PNG preserves what the HEIC holds, including any artefacts already in it.
• It cannot recover detail the HEIC encoding discarded.
• It does stop any further loss, which is the real benefit.
• For a photo that must be sharp, go back to the original capture or a RAW file.

The file size problem is significant here

This is the trade that decides it in most cases. A phone photo converted to PNG is often two to four megabytes, and sometimes much more, where the same image as JPG is under one. A PNG master is a good working file; a PNG is a poor file to email or upload. So the sensible pattern is to convert to PNG when you are about to work on the image, and to JPG when you are about to send it. Both conversions from the original HEIC, not one from the other.

• PNG is a working master, not a delivery format.
• Expect several megabytes from a phone photo.
• For sharing, convert to JPG from the original rather than compressing the PNG.
• For a strict upload limit, WebP is a better target than either.

Preparing a library for editing

If the plan is to crop, adjust, or recompose a set of photos, converting them to PNG first is the right starting point. Every subsequent save is then lossless, so a sequence of edits does not degrade the image the way repeated JPG saves do. The originals stay untouched, so you can always start again. This is the clearest reason to choose PNG over JPG for an HEIC source, and it is worth the extra file size.

• Convert to PNG before any editing session.
• Each save is then lossless, so a sequence of edits is safe.
• Keep the HEIC originals so you can start again if the edits go wrong.
• Export to JPG or WebP at the end, from the PNG master.