HEIF – A New Image Format to Replace Them All [Technology Explained]

Have you ever wondered how that USB flash drive you just bought on Amazon can fit right into your computer's USB slot? Or how the ticks of your second hand on your watch will be the same as those of your friends? Or how the document you create on your tablet can be opened on your colleague's computer? This question and many others like it have an answer:normalization.

ContentsThe brief history of JPEGThe failed attempts of BPGApple and the establishment of new standardsHEIF and all its gloryThe challengesWhat the future will bring

Almost every aspect of human creations is standardized to ensure compatibility. From language to time, from paper size to light bulb brightness, from shoe number to soap scent, and more. You can see the extreme example in the tech world where everything is standardized, including the file format.

When we talk about the ultimate standard for image file format, JPEG is one of the kings along with PNG and GIF, but all are about to be dethroned by an unknown newcomer called HEIF.

What is HEIF and what makes it so special?

The brief history of JPEG

JPEG is an old image file format that has been around since the 80s, over a quarter of a century ago. That's a very long time in the tech world. One of the reasons it is still widely used today is simply because there is nothing better to replace it. Again.

JPEG stands for Joint Photographic Experts Group, and it is a commonly used method of lossy compression for digital images, especially for images produced by digital photography. The degree of compression can be adjusted, allowing a selectable trade-off between storage size and image quality. JPEG typically achieves 10:1 compression with little perceptible loss in image quality.

On June 5, 2017, during the WWDC keynote, Apple announced that it would adopt a new image standard called HEIF on iPhones and iPads running iOS 11. For the general public, the announcement got lost in the noise of new iPads, iMacs, HomePods, augmented and virtual reality, and all the goodies that come with the soon-to-be-released iOS and macOS updates. But those who deal with images paid their attention. Given Apple's track record of eliminating old standards, this could mean the new era of image formats.

HEIF and all-its-glory

HEIF is the abbreviation for High-Efficiency Image Format. It is an image "wrapper" in the same way as a JPEG or a TIFF. This new "wrapper" comes with a new compression algorithm, or codec, known as HEVC, developed by MPEG. HEIF files can store a single HEVC video frame, and it's about 50% smaller than a JPEG file. HEIF can do this by using a more efficient compression codec.

Another advantage of HEIF over JPEG is its ability to store images, videos, image bursts, audio, and text all synchronized within its packaging package. It provides users with both lossy and lossless compression options and stores image editing features (such as rotation, cropping, titles, and overlays) as separate parts of files.

In simpler human language, HEIF has all the capabilities of JPEG, GIF, PNG, and even MP4 formats in a tiny file size package. Using the current standard image format, a 128GB iPhone can store around 50,000 photos. You get double the amount with HEIF. And as a bonus, the user will get non-destructive edits without having to store the original images like we do today.

The challenges

Can HEIF replace all other image formats or will it fade into obscurity? Being backed by Apple and millions of its loyal users gives HEIF an edge over other failed formats, but that doesn't mean the road to fame is full of rainbows and unicorns, either. P>

For starters, everything – and I mean everything – needs to be updated to support the new aspect ratio. We're talking about digital cameras, computers, email, phones, web browsers, televisions, storage, printing, and everything that has used JPEG as a standard for the past twenty-five years. or more.

There are also software applications that need to be updated. From big names like Adobe Photoshop, Microsoft Word, Google Chrome, to photo sharing sites like Flickr, 500px, Facebook, Google Photos. The list is endless.

And let's not forget that HEIF isn't the only format that aims to take the throne. There is also a WebP image compression codec from Google. They used it quietly on Android and Chrome platforms. We're still waiting to see where their roadmap takes them.

What the future will bring

For a new format to gain traction, it will need a large group of users before it can grab the attention of software developers and persuade them to release updates to support the new format. It's BPG's downfall, but luckily HEIF puts Apple on the back burner.

Considering all the advantages of HEIF over other image formats, I personally think everyday users will embrace it with open arms.

And to ease the transition, there is already an open source HEIF file viewer implementation from JavaScript known as "libde265". Since Java is one of the most widely used codes on the web, we can expect web browsers to support HEIF sooner rather than later. And when they do, the pace will quicken. And maybe optimizing images for the web will be a thing of the past.

What do you think of HEIF and its future? Share your thoughts and opinions in the comments below.