CONVERT
HEIC → PNG
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Convert iPhone HEIC photos to lossless PNG format with full quality preservation.
A HEIC photo straight off an iPhone is an HEVC-compressed still wrapped in Apple's High Efficiency container, and that is exactly why Windows Photo Viewer, most Android galleries, Figma, GitHub, and countless upload forms refuse to open it without a paid codec pack. Converting HEIC to PNG decodes that H.265 intra-frame data once and re-encodes it as lossless DEFLATE pixels, producing a file every browser, operating system, and image editor reads natively with no extensions. People reach for PNG specifically when they need an editable, artifact-free master: pasting an iPhone shot into a design tool, attaching it to a bug report, embedding it in documentation, or feeding it to software that mangles HEIC. Because PNG never re-compresses lossily, the pixels you get are exactly what the decoder produced, with no second round of generation loss stacked on top. KaijuConverter runs the decode in the cloud, so you avoid Apple's transcoding quirks and Microsoft's HEVC store purchase entirely. Upload, download, done, with the file wiped within the hour.
HEIC Image
Source formatHEIC is the default photo format on Apple devices since iOS 11. It offers roughly 50% better compression than JPEG at similar quality but has limited support outside the Apple ecosystem.
PNG Image
Target formatPNG is a lossless image format that supports transparency. It is ideal for graphics, logos, screenshots, and any image where preserving exact pixel data is important.
Why convert HEIC to PNG
The single biggest reason is compatibility: HEIC depends on patent-encumbered HEVC, so Windows demands a paid codec, Firefox cannot render it at all, and many CMS uploaders and chat apps reject the extension outright. PNG is the universal fallback that opens everywhere. The second reason is editing fidelity. PNG is lossless, so once you have a HEIC frame as PNG you can crop, annotate, and re-save repeatedly without each save degrading the image the way re-encoding to JPEG or HEIC would. It is also the right target when you need a clean, transparency-capable still for layouts, screenshots embedded in docs, or images destined for tools that simply do not speak HEIF.
HOW TO CONVERT
HEIC → PNG
Upload the HEIC
Drop your iPhone photo into the uploader. We decode the HEVC-based container server-side.
Decode to PNG
libheif extracts the primary image, ImageMagick writes a lossless PNG at full resolution.
Download the PNG
Grab the output. For multi-image HEIC (burst or Live Photo) all frames are returned in a ZIP.
Common Use Cases
Cross-platform sharing
Send photos to Windows and Android users without them needing to install a HEIC codec.
Web uploads
Most CMSes and submission portals reject HEIC; PNG is universally accepted.
Document embedding
Word, Google Docs and LaTeX accept PNG natively but stumble on HEIC imports.
HEIC vs PNG — Strengths and limitations
What each format does best, and where it falls short.
HEIC Strengths
- Roughly 50% smaller than JPEG at equivalent visual quality.
- 10- and 12-bit color depth supports HDR photography.
- Container format holds depth, Live Photo, bursts, and thumbnails in one file.
- Supports transparency and multi-image sequences.
- Built into iOS, macOS, and most modern Samsung and Google flagships.
Limitations
- Patent-encumbered (HEVC) — Windows users must buy a $0.99 codec pack from the Microsoft Store.
- Not supported by most web browsers or older image editors.
- Sharing to non-Apple platforms usually auto-converts to JPEG, losing metadata.
PNG Strengths
- Lossless compression — every save preserves the original pixels perfectly.
- Full 8-bit alpha channel for smooth transparency.
- Excellent for text, UI screenshots, logos, and line art.
- Royalty-free and an ISO standard (ISO/IEC 15948).
- Supports 16-bit color depth for high-fidelity work.
Limitations
- Much larger than JPEG for photographs (no perceptual compression).
- No native animation in most software (APNG support is inconsistent).
- No CMYK support — web and screen only, not print.
HEIC vs PNG — Technical specifications
Side-by-side comparison of the technical details.
HEIC
- MIME type
- image/heic
- Compression
- HEVC (H.265) intra-frame
- Color depth
- 8, 10, or 12 bits per channel
- Container
- HEIF (ISO/IEC 23008-12)
- Transparency
- Supported
- Max dimensions
- 8,192 × 4,320 (practical)
PNG
- MIME type
- image/png
- Compression
- Lossless — DEFLATE (zlib)
- Color depth
- 1, 2, 4, 8 or 16 bits per channel
- Transparency
- Full 8-bit alpha channel
- Max dimensions
- 2^31 − 1 pixels per side (2.1 billion)
- Standard
- ISO/IEC 15948:2004
| Specification | HEIC | PNG |
|---|---|---|
| MIME type | image/heic | image/png |
| Compression | HEVC (H.265) intra-frame | Lossless — DEFLATE (zlib) |
| Color depth | 8, 10, or 12 bits per channel | 1, 2, 4, 8 or 16 bits per channel |
| Container | HEIF (ISO/IEC 23008-12) | — |
| Transparency | Supported | Full 8-bit alpha channel |
| Max dimensions | 8,192 × 4,320 (practical) | 2^31 − 1 pixels per side (2.1 billion) |
| Standard | — | ISO/IEC 15948:2004 |
HEIC vs PNG — Typical file sizes
Approximate file sizes for common scenarios.
HEIC
- iPhone photo (12 MP) 1.5–3 MB (half of JPEG)
- Live Photo with 3s video 3–6 MB
- Portrait mode with depth map 2–4 MB
PNG
- Icon or small logo 2–20 KB
- UI screenshot (1920×1080) 200–800 KB
- High-res photo (12 MP) 10–30 MB
- Print-ready illustration 5–50 MB
Quality & Compatibility
Visually the result matches the HEIC source, but PNG cannot reverse HEVC's original lossy compression, so existing artifacts are baked in, not removed. Expect the file to grow several-fold: a 2 MB HEIC photo commonly lands at 10 to 20 MB as PNG because DEFLATE stores raw pixels with no perceptual compression. HEIC's 10- or 12-bit color and HDR/P3 capture is flattened toward standard 8-bit RGB unless 16-bit is requested, and the alpha channel is preserved if present. Apple extras are dropped: the Live Photo video, depth map, and burst frames do not survive, and most EXIF (camera, GPS, timestamp) is not carried into the PNG.
Tips for Best Results
- If you only need to view or share the photo and file size matters, convert HEIC to JPG instead — PNG will balloon a 2 MB iPhone shot to 15+ MB with no visible benefit for a photograph.
- Choosing PNG makes sense when the image goes into an editor for repeated cropping or annotation, since lossless saves avoid the generation loss you would get re-encoding to HEIC or JPEG.
- If your photo was shot in HDR or wide-gamut P3 and you want to keep the extra tonal range, pick a 16-bit PNG output; the default 8-bit conversion clips that depth to standard sRGB.
Frequently Asked Questions
It depends on the codecs involved. If both HEIC and PNG are lossy, the pixels are re-encoded and a small amount of detail is discarded — invisible at default quality settings on photographs. If PNG is lossless (PNG, TIFF, BMP) the output keeps every pixel of the decoded HEIC exactly, but cannot recover detail that HEIC had already compressed away.
No — the conversion itself is lossless. HEIC is lossy at capture, so any iPhone-side compression is already permanent, but the PNG faithfully carries those pixels without adding new artefacts.
Often yes, especially when PNG is lossless. HEIC tuned for efficient web delivery will usually produce smaller files than PNG's default settings. If file size matters, drop the quality in Advanced or pick a more compressed target format instead.
Basic EXIF (date, resolution, camera model) transfers to the PNG. Location data is included unless you toggle "strip metadata" in Advanced before converting.
KaijuConverter uploads over HTTPS, processes the image in an isolated container and deletes both the source and the output within two hours. No account is required, file contents are never logged, and we do not use uploads to train any model. For confidential material, the paid plan includes a data-processing agreement.
Yes — the HEIC portion of a Live Photo converts to a still PNG. The motion portion is a separate MOV file which needs a MOV to MP4 conversion if you want the animated version.
Related comparisons
See these formats side by side to understand which fits your use case best.
Related Guides
HEIC/HEIF Format: Complete Guide to Apple's High Efficiency Image Format
Complete guide to HEIC/HEIF format: HEVC compression, multi-image containers, HDR support, Live Photos, and how to convert HEIC to JPEG, PNG, or WebP.
Read guidePNG: Advanced Color Modes, Filtering & Compression Strategies
Comprehensive guide to PNG encoding: color types (indexed, grayscale, RGB, RGBA), scanline filtering (Sub/Up/Average/Paeth), CRC checksums, gamma correction, ICC color profiles, interlacing methods.
Read guideHEIF/HEIC Image Format Guide
HEIF and HEIC image format guide: H.265 codec, 25-50% better than JPEG, HDR support, 10-bit color, Apple ecosystem. Why HEIC on iPhone, browser support, conversion.
Read guideSecure & Private Conversion
Your files are encrypted during transfer, processed in isolated containers, and automatically deleted within 60 minutes. We never read, share, or store your data.