Convert HEIC and HEIF to Jpg, Png, BMP With Python

HEIF and HEIC image formats are gaining popularity due to their superior image quality and smaller file sizes compared to traditional formats like JPEG and PNG. However, they are not yet widely supported by all devices and software applications. In this blog post, we will explore how to convert HEIF and HEIC files to JPEG and other popular image formats using Python.

• Tutorial
• Use Pillow
  • Step 1: Installing Required Libraries
  • Step 2: Converting HEIF and HEIC Files to JPEG
  • Step 3: Converting HEIF and HEIC Files to Other Formats
  • Step 4: Converting HEIF and HEIC Files in Bulk to JPEG
• Use pyheif library
• Summary

Tutorial

Python provides several libraries for working with images, including Pillow, OpenCV, and PyImageSearch. For this tutorial, we will be using the Pillow library, which is a fork of the Python Imaging Library (PIL) and provides a simple and easy-to-use API for image processing.

Use Pillow

Step 1: Installing Required Libraries

Before we can begin converting HEIF and HEIC files, we need to make sure we have the necessary libraries installed. To install Pillow, open a terminal or command prompt and run the following command:

pip install Pillow

Step 2: Converting HEIF and HEIC Files to JPEG

To convert HEIF and HEIC files to JPEG, we can use the Pillow library's Image module. The Image module provides several methods for opening and saving images in different formats, including JPEG, PNG, and BMP.

Here is a Python code example that shows how to convert a single HEIF or HEIC file to JPEG:

from PIL import Image

# Open HEIF or HEIC file
image = Image.open('example.heic')

# Convert to JPEG
image.convert('RGB').save('example.jpg')

In the code above, we first import the Image module from the Pillow library. We then use the open() method to open the HEIF or HEIC file and assign it to the image variable. We then use the convert() method to convert the image to the RGB color space, which is required for saving the image in JPEG format. Finally, we use the save() method to save the converted image as a JPEG file.

Note that in order to convert HEIF and HEIC files to JPEG using Pillow, we need to convert them to the RGB color space. This can result in a loss of some of the advanced features of HEIF and HEIC, such as support for high dynamic range (HDR) and wide color gamut (WCG).

If you want to convert multiple HEIF or HEIC files to JPEG, you can use a for loop to iterate over a list of file names:

from PIL import Image
import os

# Get list of HEIF and HEIC files in directory
directory = '/path/to/directory'
files = [f for f in os.listdir(directory) if f.endswith('.heic') or f.endswith('.heif')]

# Convert each file to JPEG
for filename in files:
    image = Image.open(os.path.join(directory, filename))
    image.convert('RGB').save(os.path.join(directory, os.path.splitext(filename)[0] + '.jpg'))

In the code above, we use the os library to get a list of HEIF and HEIC files in a directory. We then use a for loop to iterate over the list of file names, open each file using the Image module, convert it to RGB color space, and save it as a JPEG file with the same name as the original file.

Step 3: Converting HEIF and HEIC Files to Other Formats

In addition to converting HEIF and HEIC files to JPEG, we can also convert them to other popular formats like PNG and BMP using the Pillow library. Here is an example that shows how to convert a HEIF or HEIC file to PNG:

from PIL import Image  # Open HEIF or HEIC

HEIC file image = Image.open('example.heic')

# Convert to PNG
image.save('example.png')

In the code above, we use the save() method to save the opened HEIF or HEIC file as a PNG file. Similarly, we can convert HEIF and HEIC files to BMP format using the save() method with the 'BMP' argument:

from PIL import Image # Open HEIF or HEIC file 

image = Image.open('example.heic') 

# Convert to BMP 
image.save('example.bmp')

Step 4: Converting HEIF and HEIC Files in Bulk to JPEG

If you have a large number of HEIF and HEIC files that you need to convert to JPEG, you can use the following Python script:

from PIL import Image
import os

# Get list of HEIF and HEIC files in directory
directory = '/path/to/directory'
files = [f for f in os.listdir(directory) if f.endswith('.heic') or f.endswith('.heif')]

# Create output directory if it does not exist
if not os.path.exists(os.path.join(directory, 'output')):
    os.makedirs(os.path.join(directory, 'output'))

# Convert each file to JPEG
for filename in files:
    image = Image.open(os.path.join(directory, filename))
    image.convert('RGB').save(os.path.join(directory, 'output', os.path.splitext(filename)[0] + '.jpg'))

In the code above, we use the os library to get a list of HEIF and HEIC files in a directory. We then create an output directory if it does not already exist. Finally, we use a for loop to iterate over the list of file names, open each file using the Image module, convert it to RGB color space, and save it as a JPEG file in the output directory with the same name as the original file.

Use pyheif library

Here is an example of how to use the pyheif library to convert HEIF and HEIC files to JPEG:

import pyheif
from PIL import Image

# Open HEIF or HEIC file
heif_file = pyheif.read("example.heic")

# Extract the image data
image = Image.frombytes(heif_file.mode, heif_file.size, heif_file.data)

# Save as JPEG
image.save('example.jpg')

In the code above, we use the pyheif library to read in the HEIF or HEIC file, then use the frombytes() method of the PIL.Image module to create a PIL image object from the extracted image data. Finally, we use the save() method to save the image as a JPEG file.

To convert multiple HEIF and HEIC files in bulk using pyheif, you can use the following code:

import pyheif
from PIL import Image
import os

# Get list of HEIF and HEIC files in directory
directory = '/path/to/directory'
files = [f for f in os.listdir(directory) if f.endswith('.heic') or f.endswith('.heif')]

# Create output directory if it does not exist
if not os.path.exists(os.path.join(directory, 'output')):
    os.makedirs(os.path.join(directory, 'output'))

# Convert each file to JPEG
for filename in files:
    heif_file = pyheif.read(os.path.join(directory, filename))
    image = Image.frombytes(heif_file.mode, heif_file.size, heif_file.data)
    image.save(os.path.join(directory, 'output', os.path.splitext(filename)[0] + '.jpg'))

In this code, we use the same approach to get a list of HEIF and HEIC files in a directory and create an output directory if it does not already exist. Then, we use a for loop to iterate over the list of file names, read in each HEIF or HEIC file using pyheif, create a PIL image object from the extracted image data, and save it as a JPEG file in the output directory with the same name as the original file.

Using the pyheif library to convert HEIF and HEIC files to JPEG is a simple and effective way to handle image file format conversions in Python.

Summary

In this blog post, we explored how to convert HEIF and HEIC files to JPEG and other popular image formats using Python and the Pillow and pyheif libraries. We covered how to convert a single file as well as multiple files in bulk. With this knowledge, you can easily convert HEIF and HEIC files to more widely supported formats, enabling you to use them on any device or software application that supports images.

X::Smaller Files, Better Quality - The Advantages of HEIF and HEIC