Convert HEIC and HEIF to JPG or PNG with Python

HEIC/HEIF is the image format used by modern iPhones. Python can convert it to JPG, PNG, and WebP using pillow-heif or pyheif, making the files usable on any system.

Installation

pip install pillow pillow-heif
# On Linux you may also need:
# apt install libheif-dev

Convert HEIC to JPG

from PIL import Image
import pillow_heif

# Register HEIF/HEIC support in Pillow
pillow_heif.register_heif_opener()

def heic_to_jpg(input_file, output_file, quality=90):
    img = Image.open(input_file)
    img = img.convert("RGB")  # HEIC may be RGBA
    img.save(output_file, "JPEG", quality=quality)
    print(f"Converted: {input_file} -> {output_file}")

heic_to_jpg("iphone_photo.heic", "photo.jpg")

Convert to PNG (with Transparency)

from PIL import Image
import pillow_heif

pillow_heif.register_heif_opener()

def heic_to_png(input_file, output_file):
    img = Image.open(input_file)
    img.save(output_file, "PNG")
    print(f"PNG generated: {output_file} ({img.width}x{img.height}px)")

heic_to_png("photo.heic", "photo.png")

Preserve EXIF Orientation

from PIL import Image, ImageOps
import pillow_heif

pillow_heif.register_heif_opener()

def heic_to_jpg_exif(input_file, output_file, quality=90):
    img = Image.open(input_file)
    img = ImageOps.exif_transpose(img)  # Fix rotation
    img = img.convert("RGB")
    img.save(output_file, "JPEG", quality=quality)
    print(f"Converted (orientation fixed): {output_file}")

heic_to_jpg_exif("rotated.heic", "correct.jpg")

Batch Convert Entire Folder

from PIL import Image, ImageOps
import pillow_heif
from pathlib import Path

pillow_heif.register_heif_opener()

def batch_convert_heic(folder, output_fmt="jpg", quality=90):
    src  = Path(folder)
    dst  = src / output_fmt
    dst.mkdir(exist_ok=True)
    heics = list(src.glob("*.heic")) + list(src.glob("*.HEIC")) + list(src.glob("*.heif"))
    for i, path in enumerate(heics, 1):
        try:
            img = Image.open(path)
            img = ImageOps.exif_transpose(img).convert("RGB")
            out = dst / (path.stem + "." + output_fmt)
            img.save(str(out), output_fmt.upper(), quality=quality)
            print(f"  [{i}/{len(heics)}] {path.name} -> {out.name}")
        except Exception as e:
            print(f"  [{i}] ERROR {path.name}: {e}")
    print(f"Done: {len(heics)} files in {dst}")

batch_convert_heic("iphone_photos/", "jpg", quality=85)

Read HEIC Metadata

from PIL import Image
import pillow_heif
from PIL.ExifTags import TAGS

pillow_heif.register_heif_opener()

def heic_info(path):
    img  = Image.open(path)
    print(f"Size:   {img.width}x{img.height}px")
    print(f"Mode:   {img.mode}")
    print(f"Format: {img.format}")
    exif = img._getexif()
    if exif:
        for tag_id, value in list(exif.items())[:8]:
            tag = TAGS.get(tag_id, tag_id)
            print(f"  {tag}: {str(value)[:60]}")

heic_info("iphone_photo.heic")

Convert HEIC to WebP

from PIL import Image, ImageOps
import pillow_heif, os

pillow_heif.register_heif_opener()

def heic_to_webp(input_file, output_file, quality=85):
    img = Image.open(input_file)
    img = ImageOps.exif_transpose(img).convert("RGB")
    img.save(output_file, "WEBP", quality=quality)
    orig = os.path.getsize(input_file)
    dest = os.path.getsize(output_file)
    print(f"HEIC {orig//1024}KB -> WebP {dest//1024}KB (saved {100-dest*100//orig:.0f}%)")

heic_to_webp("photo.heic", "photo.webp")

Additional Resource

For converting HEIC images to JPG, PNG or WebP without any coding, use KaijuConverter — free and no registration required.