HEIC to PNG Converter
When a lossless PNG is the right export from HEIC
HEIC is already a lossy format. Re-encoding to JPG stacks a second lossy pass on top — fine if the file is just getting shared, bad if it's about to be edited further. PNG sidesteps that by preserving every pixel the HEIC decoder hands over.
- 12MP HEIC
- 1.5-3 MB
- Same as PNG
- 15-30 MB
- Rough ratio
- ~10× larger
The realistic cases are compositing work, print prep, color grading, and handing the file to a designer who wants to avoid fighting compression artifacts before they even start.
What the quality slider does on HEIC → PNG
The pixels are lossless either way — the slider only changes PNG DEFLATE effort (file size vs encode time). Higher quality numbers map to lighter compression: same picture on screen, modestly different bytes on disk. You are not making the photo "sharper" by cranking it.
The size cost is real — know when it's worth it
A 12MP iPhone photo lands around 1.5-3 MB as HEIC. The same photo as PNG runs 15-30 MB with no visible quality gain over the HEIC. You're paying roughly 10x the disk space for the right to edit without further loss.
If the image is just going to be uploaded, sent, or displayed, use JPG instead — you'll save an order of magnitude and nobody will see the difference. Reserve PNG for the edits where a second lossy pass would compound.
When JPG is still the better handoff
- Email and MMS: size caps punish PNG exports hard.
- Client review: reviewers rarely need lossless — they need something that opens.
- Final web delivery: JPG or modern codecs beat giant PNGs on bandwidth.
HEIC to PNG questions, answered
Should I convert HEIC to PNG or JPG?
Use JPG for sharing, uploads, and anywhere file size matters. Use PNG when you need a lossless intermediate for editing — it avoids stacking a second lossy pass on top of HEIC, at the cost of much larger files.
Why is HEIC to PNG so large?
A 12MP iPhone HEIC is often 1.5-3 MB; the same decode as uncompressed RGB in PNG can land around 15-30 MB. PNG is lossless — you are paying for edit safety, not a visible quality boost.
Does HEIC to PNG improve quality?
It does not add detail HEIC never had. It preserves the decoded pixels without another lossy JPEG pass, which matters when more edits are coming.
What does the quality slider do for HEIC to PNG?
PNG is visually lossless. The slider maps to DEFLATE compression level — higher values mean lighter compression and slightly larger files, not sharper pixels.
Does PNG keep Live Photo or HDR metadata from HEIC?
PNG stores a single raster frame. Motion, depth, and extra HEIF payloads do not transfer. Keep the HEIC if you need those.