JFDI Blog

Tag: iPhone

  • How to convert HEIC to JPG without uploading your photos

    To convert HEIC photos to JPG without uploading them, open them in a browser-based converter that does the work on your own device. In the JFDI image editor, drop in your HEIC files, set Save as to JPG, and press Download all. It works in any current browser, on Windows, Mac, Chromebook or phone, with no app to install, no account and no limit on how many photos you convert.

    Convert HEIC to JPG

    What HEIC is, and why it’s a problem

    HEIC is the file type iPhones use for photos by default. Apple switched to the HEIF format, which HEIC files use, with iOS 11 in 2017, on the iPhone 7 and later (Apple). It stores photos at roughly half the size of a JPG with the same quality, which is great for your phone’s storage.

    The trouble starts when the photos leave the iPhone. Many websites, upload forms, older Windows computers and photo printers don’t accept HEIC, and some show an error or a blank thumbnail. JPG opens everywhere.

    Step by step

    1. Open the image editor and choose HEIC to JPG on the start page, then drop your photos in. You can add several hundred at once.
    2. Under Save as, choose JPG. (If you leave it on Same as the original, HEIC files become JPG anyway.)
    3. Set the quality. 82, the starting point, is hard to tell from the original. Go lower for smaller files to email.
    4. Check the preview. Drag the line across the picture to compare before and after; zoom to 100% to see real pixels.
    5. Download all (ZIP), or This one for a single photo.

    Safari reads HEIC directly. Chrome, Edge and Firefox use a decoder built into the page, which takes a few seconds for a large photo. Either way, nothing is uploaded.

    Photos come out the right way up

    Phones often save photos sideways, with a note in the file saying which way to turn them. Some converters ignore the note, so portrait photos come out on their side. The image editor turns the picture itself, so it looks right everywhere.

    What happens to the date, camera and location

    iPhone photos carry hidden details: the date and time, the phone model and settings, and usually the exact GPS location where the photo was taken.

    By default, the editor removes all of them (Remove location and camera details is on). That’s the safe choice for photos you’ll post or send to strangers, because the location can reveal where you live. There’s more on this in how to remove location data from photos.

    One thing to know: details can only be kept when a JPG is saved as a JPG. Converted HEIC photos always lose them, including the date taken. If you’re converting photos to keep in a photo library, which sorts by that date, use one of the other methods below.

    Other ways to get JPGs from an iPhone

    • Change the camera setting to save JPGs from now on: Settings › Camera › Formats › Most Compatible. Photos take more space on the phone.
    • Transfer settings: with Settings › Apps › Photos › Transfer to Mac or PC set to Automatic, photos copied over USB are converted to JPG as they go.
    • Share by email or Messages: iPhones may convert to JPG automatically when the other device doesn’t support HEIC.
    • On a Mac, Preview can export a HEIC photo as JPG with File › Export.
    • On Windows, the Photos app opens HEIC once Microsoft’s HEIF and HEVC extensions are installed from the Microsoft Store.

    Is it really private?

    Yes: the conversion happens in your browser tab, and the photos never leave your device. You can check this yourself; our post on which online tools upload your files shows how. Many “free HEIC converter” websites upload every photo to their servers to convert it, which is a lot to hand over for a phone’s worth of family pictures.

    Common questions

    My HEIC photo won’t open

    A few HEIC files, such as some HDR or burst photos, use features the decoder doesn’t support. Open the photo in the iPhone’s Photos app and share or export it as JPG instead.

    Should I use PNG or WebP instead?

    For photos, JPG is the safe choice that opens everywhere. WebP is smaller at the same quality and works in all current browsers, which makes it good for websites. PNG is lossless but makes photos much bigger.

    Can I resize them at the same time?

    Yes. Set a size under Resize (for example Longest side 2,000 pixels) and every photo is resized as it’s converted.

    Related

  • Convert MOV to MP4 free, with no upload and no size limit

    To convert MOV to MP4 without losing quality, change the container and copy the video inside it as it is. Most MOV files from iPhones and cameras already hold H.264 or H.265 video, which MP4 supports, so the conversion takes seconds and nothing is re-encoded. The JFDI file converter does this in your browser, with no upload and no file-size limit.

    Convert MOV to MP4

    MOV and MP4 are wrappers, not formats

    A video file is a container holding separate streams: video, sound, and sometimes subtitles and details such as the recording date. MOV is Apple’s QuickTime container; MP4 is the international standard container that was based on it. The video inside is usually compressed with a codec such as H.264 or H.265 (HEVC).

    That’s why the same video can be a MOV or an MP4: the streams inside are identical, and only the packaging differs. Converting between them can be a simple repackage (called remuxing), which is lossless and fast, as long as the new container supports the codec.

    Step by step

    1. Open the file converter and drop in your MOV files. You can add as many as you like.
    2. Under Video, choose MP4 in Convert to.
    3. Leave Quality on Same as the original. The converter copies the video and sound without re-encoding whenever it can.
    4. Press Convert, then Download, or Download all (ZIP) for several.

    For very large files in Chrome or Edge on a computer, use Save into a folder… first. Each converted file is then written straight to disk as it’s made, rather than held in memory.

    When the video has to be re-encoded

    Sometimes copying isn’t enough:

    • The video won’t play on an older TV or phone. iPhones set to High Efficiency record H.265 (HEVC), which some older devices can’t play. Set Video type to H.264, which plays on virtually everything. This re-encodes the video at high quality.
    • You need a smaller file. Choose Medium or Small file, or Aim for a file size (for example 25 MB for email or 10 MB for Discord). If the first attempt comes out too big, it tries again a little smaller.
    • You want to trim it. Set Start at and End at under Video.

    Re-encoding uses your device’s own video hardware, the same chips that record and play video, so it’s quick. A minute of HD video typically takes well under a minute on a recent computer or phone.

    The recording date and location

    Most converters lose the date a video was recorded, so converted videos jump to “today” in your photo library. For MP4, MOV and M4A, the JFDI converter copies the recording date across, so converted phone videos stay in the right place.

    Phones also store where a video was taken. The converter removes the location by default, which is what you want before posting a video publicly. If you’re archiving your own videos and want to keep it, untick Remove the location under More options.

    Why not use an online converter?

    Most online video converters upload your file to their servers, convert it there and let you download the result. That’s slow for big files, often capped at a size limit on free plans, and means your video sits on someone else’s server for a while. Converting in the browser avoids all three: the file never leaves your device, there’s no size limit beyond your device’s memory and storage, and there’s no queue.

    Other options

    • On a Mac, QuickTime Player’s File › Export As re-encodes to MOV, not MP4. The free app HandBrake converts to MP4 but always re-encodes.
    • On an iPhone, set Settings › Camera › Formats to Most Compatible to record H.264 in future. Apple explains the options in Using HEIF or HEVC media on Apple devices.

    Common questions

    Will I lose quality?

    Not with Same as the original when the video can be copied across. Re-encoding (to H.264, or to make the file smaller) loses a little, though at high quality you’re unlikely to see it.

    What about AVI or WMV?

    Browsers can’t read those formats, so the converter can’t either. The free VLC player converts them to MP4.

    Does it work on a phone?

    Yes, in a current browser. A computer copes better with very long videos.

    Related