Gid,

I just downloaded GIMP. I have hundreds of photos that need editing from HEIC to JPG. Will this do more than one file at a time? Your directions sounded so simple but I'm not sure what I'm doing.

@Iris-Willis There's a plugin for GIMP to batch convert but I don't have it installed.

You might be better off using this online app. https://picflow.com/convert/heic-to-jpg

I just tried it & it seems very simple, drag the files into the window in the centre, Convert All & let it do it's thing, Save All will create a Zip file that you can then unzip. (maybe just do a handful at a time if you've got hundreds)

Sorry I didn't look for a simple converter earlier as I thought someone else would suggest one, but GIMP is still a good photo editor so keep that & have a play when you've time 👍

@Iris-Willis It's a shame you can't just edit in Magix as you used to do. Can you share one of your pictures for us to try?

1. Open Google, top right is a sq of dots - Open Google Drive.
2. Drag that EIC picture onto the Google Drive window, let it upload.
3. Right click on the file on screen - Share.
4. A window will pop up, General Access - choose anyone with the link - Copy link.
5. Then on here in a new comment at the top there's a chain button, paste the link on there
6. Click Comment

@Iris-Willis @Gid

I use Faststone Image Viewer. It's Freeware, simple, lightweight and has a batch converter. It works on XP all the way up to Win11 and version 8.0 was recently released. I was able to convert @Gid's photo to a jpg. I highly recommend it.

https://www.faststone.org/

For what it's worth, I tested @Gid's photo on a number of editors. Surprisingly it froze VPX16 and would not open in Davinci Resolve 20 free version. It did open in Vegas 22 and Capcut.

Correction: The file can be read by VPX16 and MMS2024. I inadvertently had my graphics card setting to my integrated graphics card; Intel Iris XE graphics. Once I changed the setting to Nvidia RTX, it worked. 😀

@Iris-Willis @Gid @CubeAce

Further notes: I updated my Intel Iris Xe graphics driver and now the program can read @Gid's photo with this graphics selected in Program settings. Maybe the answer is a graphics driver update? @Iris-Willis your Intel core i9 12900F does not have an integrated graphics card so it should be running off the NVIDIA GeForce RTX3080 rather than your CPU. Check in Program settings. Also, you may want to update your graphics card driver.

Also, I confirmed that the free version of Resolve does not read HEIC but the paid version Studio does.

@Can-Dive

All my drivers are kept up to date but it's possible my GPU hardware is not current enough to deal with codec.

Plus I have neither HEVC Windows codec on my machine.

@Iris-Willis

Hi

. . . . iPhone 16 Pro . . . I think it's a glitch with MAGIX. I guess I'll convert my files to jpg . . .

Definitely not a glitch in the program, a quick search of the Internet brings up many posts about the iPhone 16 HEIC format images causing issues.

Looks like Apple are doing their own thing again modifying standard image, and video, formats. From what I can glean it looks likes the HEIC iPhone 16 Pro is causing issues with other programs.

I would suggest you change the iPhone image format to 'most compatible' ie jpg.

@CubeAce

Hi Ray

All those 'ID' images are normal for the HEIC format, the image is saved as a series of 'macroblocks' nominal size 512 x 512 px, which are 'stitched' together to form the complete image, Some blocks may be smaller either vertically, horizontally or both to fit them to the resolution of the image.

John EB

 

Hi Gid.

Your image crashed both my copy of MMS 2024 and VPX14.

It does not show a thumbnail on my system.

Does not open in any Windows app.

Ray.

@CubeAce Hi, for what it's worth, I didn't try VPX14 earlier.

My file 20250501_200701 crashes VPX14 but not MMS2025.

Edit, that was when trying to preview it ▷, trying to change it to thumbnail view also crashes it.

@johnebaker

Hi John.

I had guessed as much although the last block in Gid's original large image was a different size. 5112 by 364 px

But like I said. It's Apple up to their old 'keep everything on the same OS' bull. Not that Microsoft are much better.

Gid uses a Galaxy Android phone though. ???

My service provider is about to turn my internet off for 24 hours for planned maintenance at midday.

So it's goodbye from me for now.

Ray.

@CubeAce @Can-Dive @johnebaker

Hi, I got an iPhone HEIF from a friend, he has the latest updates on his phone.

Neither MMS nor VPX will read this file or show a thumbnail but VP22 will. (it does recognise it in the msg as .heif tho not .heic like the OP's picture 🤷‍♂️)

Here's the file if you want it https://drive.google.com/file/d/1_JeSK_hRhzKpVGZA9HEsdj03bzLXieqK/view?usp=sharing

I use Faststone Image Viewer. It's Freeware, simple, lightweight and has a batch converter. It works on XP all the way up to Win11 and version 8.0 was recently released. 

I'll second this. Nifty program for basic image editing.

@Gid

Here is my finding with your HEIF file.

It works in Vegas Pro 22

Both MMS2024 and VPX16 do not recognise the file and it does not even appear in the Media Pool. But if you change the extension to HEIC, it does appear in the Media Pool. MMS2024 does not read it but VPX16 does and can transfer it to the timeline. One caveat, if I change my program settings from Nvidia RTX to Intel Iris Xe, and I'm in the directory where this file resides, my system will eventually freeze.

The Exif data on this photo indicates it came from an Apple 13 mini.

@Can-Dive Apple 13 mini - yep, I bought him it 😁👍 I don't know if Adobe uses different formats for different phones. He says his phone is up to date, I don't think the OP said whether their's is.

PS, I sort of remember changing the extension made a file work so maybe we've had this discussion ......... Might have been an audio file ..

@Gid, I learnt this trick using Video Studio (VS). For some reason, the program would not change the project settings if a mov file was initially dragged to the timeline. But if you change the extension from mov to mp4, VS would then generate a popup asking you if you wanted the timeline to match the file. 🙃

@Gid

Hi Gid

. . . . I got an iPhone HEIF from a friend, he has the latest updates on his phone. . . .

Thanks for the iPhone image, the EXIF data shows this to be from an iPhone 13 mini.

The MediaInfo data is very different, as you can see comparison below, to that of an iPhone 12 image which does import into MMS 2025/VPX16 without issue,,

The iPhone 13 data would suggest the preview image is a stretched 512 x 512 image made up of multiple blocks, whereas in the iPhone 12 data there is one, complete, preview image

I have lined up the data from the 'Grid' section which defines which macro blocks used for the main image.

I suspect the iPhone 16 Pro images will be a similar file structure, with more added complications.

John EB

@johnebaker, the data may be different but if you just change the file extension from HEIF to HEIC, the photo appears in the Media Pool and opens in VPX16. I think all the developers need to do is recognise the HEIF extension so it appears in the Media Pool.

@Can-Dive

Hi

So it does. 😳

. . . . I think all the developers need to do is recognise the HEIF extension . . . .

Agreed, HEIC is a specific implementation of HEIF that stores images efficiently, whereas HEIF is the more generalised format that can store different types of multimedia content, however this could mean implementing support for the multimedia content formats as well.

John EB

@johnebaker @Can-Dive @Gid @AAProds @Iris-Willis

Hi. I'm back.

Looking at the new file from Gid I still can't use it.

I also see no thumbnail from the images even if I change the file extension.

The new file crashes both MMS 2024 and VPX14. Will load into Vegas 21 but shows blank.

Do I need to be on Win 11?

Ray.

@Can-Dive @johnebaker

@CubeAce Hi,

VP21 & VP22 take a moment to load the iPhone heif.

These are my VP21 settings.

Both VP21 & 22 show this plug being used, this isn't an addition I've installed so you should have this (I think), if you can't open it then maybe it is because you don't have those heif & hevc codecs.

-----------

Changing the extension to .heic allows MMS 2025 Platinum to show it.

MMS 2024 Suite & VPX 14 show the thumbnail but blank on the timeline.

Trying to access the Program settings it was blank - New Project froze me out - closed VPX14 with Taskmanager.

Changing the settings in MMS2024 to CPU made no difference, it didn't lock me out but it still showed blank on the timeline

-------------

PS. Even tho VP opens these files from my phone & the iPhone they're a bit slow going so I wouldn't use them, my phone setting for this will remain off & I'll stick with jpgs.

@Gid

My results with Vegas.

Do you have other K-Lite codecs on your PC?

@CubeAce Nope, the only codecs installed are the two mentioned, hevc & heic.

Try unticking these, as you have it VP is using the older so4compoundplug. unticking these VP then uses the new mxcompoundplug.

I've no idea if this will make any difference because this shows like this when video is added (pic below) & I think it is more about video files rather than pictures, but this mxcompoundplug was introduced with VP21 (300) & with it playback of MP4 HEVC was greatly improved. (the heif pics use wicplug 🤷‍♂️)

Some people struggle with it tho or some people tick those boxes to go back to so4compoundplug because it works better with their MP4 AVC files. I have them unticked so it's using mxcompoundplug for both AVC & HEVC.

@Gid @CubeAce

I tested the two photos in Vegas 19 and it works. As @Gid has suggested, untick enable legacy AVC decoding. That might sort you out.

PS. Even tho VP opens these files from my phone & the iPhone they're a bit slow going so I wouldn't use them, my phone setting for this will remain off & I'll stick with jpgs.

I agree, while these new codecs are very efficient, sharing photos can be a problem as well as software not being able to handle them. Eventually jpgs will be replaced but its a bit too early at this time.