HEIF to PDF Converter

What Is HEIF to PDF Conversion?

HEIF to PDF conversion transforms an image in the High Efficiency Image File Format into a universal PDF document. HEIF is an industry standard published as ISO/IEC 23008-12 by the MPEG group in 2015. Unlike the well-known HEIC, which is associated only with Apple products, HEIF is an open container supporting various codecs and used by a wide range of manufacturers.

HEIF is used by flagship Android smartphones in the Samsung Galaxy S and Note series, OnePlus 9 and newer models, professional Canon DSLR and mirrorless cameras (1D X Mark III, EOS R5, EOS R6), and many other devices. The format is attractive for its ability to store images with extended dynamic range, 10-bit color depth, image sequences, and metadata in a single container.

The main advantage of HEIF is efficient compression while maintaining high quality. A .heif file typically takes up about 30-50% of the size of an equivalent JPG, while carrying more color and dynamic range information. This is especially valuable for professional photography where maximum source data quality is required for post-processing.

However, the universal compatibility of HEIF outside the original capture device is limited. Web browsers don't display .heif natively, many photo editors require special plugins, and government document management systems accept images only in standard formats: JPG, PNG, or PDF. Converting HEIF to PDF removes these limitations: the resulting document opens on any operating system, in any browser, in any document management system.

HEIF as an Industry Standard

Origin and Specification

HEIF was developed by the Moving Picture Experts Group (MPEG) and published in 2015 as part of the ISO/IEC 23008-12 standard. It's part of the MPEG-H family, which also includes the HEVC video codec (part 2) and the MMT transport (part 1). The standard describes a flexible container for storing images and related data, not tied to any specific compression codec.

An HEIF container can hold images compressed by various codecs: HEVC (H.265), AV1, JPEG, VVC (H.266), and others. This is a fundamental difference from the JPG format, which is rigidly tied to its namesake compression algorithm. The flexibility of HEIF allows manufacturers to choose the optimal codec for a specific device while maintaining compatibility at the container level.

Extensions and Subtypes

To avoid confusion, it's important to understand the system of extensions and subtypes:

All these formats use a unified HEIF container and differ only in the applied codec and content type. The .heif extension is often found on devices outside the Apple ecosystem - a clear sign that the format is used in a broad industrial context.

Where HEIF Is Used

• Samsung Galaxy - S and Note series smartphones starting from 2018 models support HEIF capture
• OnePlus - OnePlus 9 and newer models save photos in HEIF when "High Efficiency" setting is enabled
• Canon DSLR and mirrorless - 1D X Mark III, EOS R5, EOS R6, EOS R3, and other professional models support direct HEIF capture
• Google Pixel - modern models support HEIF creation in certain modes
• Microsoft Surface - built-in cameras of some models can capture in HEIF
• Professional software - Adobe Photoshop, Capture One, Affinity Photo support reading and writing HEIF

Differences from HEIC

Although HEIC and HEIF are technically very close, it's important to understand key differences:

HEIC can be considered a subset of HEIF tied to a specific codec. Every HEIC is technically an HEIF file, but not every HEIF is an HEIC. This matters when working with different image sources: photos from iPhone almost always have the .heic extension, while those from Samsung Galaxy or Canon EOS R5 use .heif.

Comparing HEIF and PDF Formats

Technical Specifications

What Changes During Conversion

When converting HEIF to PDF, the main image is extracted from the container and embedded into a PDF page. If the HEIF contains an image sequence (image collection), only the primary photo is transferred to the PDF. EXIF, XMP metadata, and ICC profiles are considered for correct orientation and color reproduction but are not preserved in full in the resulting PDF: they are transferred in a format understood by the PDF standard.

HEIF color depth (up to 12 bits for most implementations) is preserved in PDF, since PDF also supports multi-bit images. However, many PDF viewers display images in standard 8-bit mode. If preserving full color information for further professional processing matters, PDF conversion isn't the best choice: TIFF or HEIF itself are more suitable.

When to Convert HEIF to PDF

Professional Photography: Preparing Deliverables for Clients

Professional photographers shooting with Canon EOS R5 or similar cameras in HEIF mode often face an issue: the client wants to receive files but doesn't have software to open HEIF. Installing specialized plugins or converters for a one-time task isn't reasonable: it's easier to convert key shots to PDF and send them as a universal document. The client opens the PDF on any computer and can approve or request revisions.

Android Smartphones: Web Service Compatibility

Samsung Galaxy and OnePlus users who activate the High Efficiency setting to save memory discover that many web services don't accept .heif files. This applies to government portals, bank application systems, educational platforms, and many other resources. Conversion to PDF solves the problem universally: the resulting document is accepted everywhere there's a document upload form.

Archiving on the ISO Standard

The advantage of HEIF is that it's an open ISO standard not tied to any one company. But for long-term archives spanning decades, PDF is preferable: the format has existed since 1993, has a special PDF/A subtype for archives, and is supported by millions of programs. HEIF, despite its standard status, remains relatively new, and its long-term support depends on continued codec development.

For family photo archives, corporate documentation, or legal evidence, PDF is a more reliable choice from a long-term perspective.

Business Correspondence and Document Management Systems

Corporate CRMs, email systems, ERP solutions often don't show HEIF attachment previews and don't index their content. PDF, in contrast, is universally supported in corporate software, indexed, and displayed as thumbnails. By converting HEIF to PDF, users ensure that the image will be visible immediately upon opening an email or a client card.

Submitting Documents to Government Agencies

Tax authorities, medical appointment portals, educational systems - they all accept images only in traditional formats. If you need to attach a document photo taken on an Android smartphone in HEIF or a certificate captured with a professional Canon camera, conversion to PDF is necessary. A file with the .heif extension won't pass upload validation.

Technical Aspects of HEIF to PDF Conversion

Supported Codecs

Since HEIF is a container, the specific codec may vary. PEREFILE supports decoding the most common variants:

• HEVC (H.265) - the most frequent codec in HEIF, used by most smartphones and cameras
• JPEG in HEIF - older devices sometimes package JPEG in an HEIF container
• AV1 (formally this is AVIF, but the container is the same) - a modern codec from Alliance for Open Media

During conversion, the codec is automatically detected and the corresponding decoder is applied. Users don't need to know the codec inside the file in advance - the converter handles it.

Extracting the Main Image

HEIF can contain a single image, a sequence (image sequence), derived images (such as thumbnails), or even a collection of unrelated images (image collection). During conversion to PDF, the main image is extracted - the one marked in the container as the primary item. This is the picture displayed in the device gallery as the file cover.

Image sequences (such as Canon burst mode) are not transferred to PDF in full: only the key shot remains. This is due to the nature of PDF - a document format, not a sequence container.

PDF Page Configuration

PEREFILE offers the following settings when converting HEIF to PDF:

For professional shots from Canon EOS R5 or similar cameras, where resolution often exceeds 45 megapixels, A3 size is recommended - it shows detail better when printing. For photos from Samsung and OnePlus smartphones, A4 is usually sufficient.

ICC Color Profiles

HEIF can contain an embedded ICC profile describing the image's color space (for example, Display P3 for wide gamut). During conversion to PDF, the color profile is preserved in standard form so that the image displays with correct color reproduction in modern PDF viewers. If the device captured in an extended color space, it will be retained in the document.

Preserving Metadata During Conversion

EXIF: Capture Parameters

HEIF supports a full set of EXIF metadata: camera model, lens, ISO, shutter speed, aperture, GPS coordinates, capture date and time. During conversion to PDF, this data is transferred to document properties in a format accessible for viewing in PDF programs. Not all viewers show the full set of fields, but basic data (date, coordinates, device model) is usually displayed.

Image Orientation

Most smartphones and cameras record capture orientation in EXIF rather than physically rotating pixels. The converter automatically reads the orientation flag and applies the correct rotation before embedding the image in the PDF. As a result, portrait shots display vertically, landscape ones horizontally, regardless of how the camera was held during capture.

XMP Metadata

Professional photographers often add XMP metadata to files: keywords, author, description, copyright information. HEIF supports XMP, and this data is preserved in PDF. This is especially important for portfolios and archives where tracking image provenance and history is required.

HEIF Compatibility and PDF Advantages

HEIF Compatibility Issues

Despite its status as an open ISO standard, HEIF support in mainstream software remains uneven:

• Windows 10/11 - requires installing HEIF Image Extension from Microsoft Store, and the HEVC codec included in the bundle is paid for commercial use
• Browsers - Chrome, Firefox, Edge don't display .heif natively even in current versions
• Older Linux versions - HEIF decoding libraries appeared relatively recently, may be absent in 5-year-old distributions
• Corporate software - outdated CRM, ERP, and document management systems often don't index HEIF and don't show previews
• Printers and printing services - photo labs and print services typically require JPG or PDF

PDF Advantages in This Context

PDF eliminates all the issues above:

• Opens without codec installation on Windows, macOS, Linux, iOS, Android
• Displays natively in all browsers
• Supported in all versions of corporate software from the last two decades
• Accepted by printers and print services directly
• Indexed by search engines and document management systems
• Has built-in password protection support

Essentially, PDF serves as a universal transport format for images when they need to be delivered to environments not optimized for modern standards.

History of the HEIF Format

HEIF development began in 2013 as part of MPEG group's work on the MPEG-H standards family. The goal was to create a flexible container for next-generation images, capable of replacing the outdated JPG without being tied to a specific compression algorithm.

In 2015, the standard was published as ISO/IEC 23008-12. Initially, HEIF was positioned as a container capable of using the HEVC codec for static images, but the architecture originally provided for connecting other codecs.

In 2017, Apple implemented HEIF with HEVC (that is, HEIC) in iOS 11, which gave the format mass distribution. However, the ecosystem tie-in created confusion: many users began to consider HEIF exclusively as "Apple format," forgetting its status as an open standard.

In parallel, AVIF developed - an HEIF subtype with the AV1 codec, promoted by the Alliance for Open Media (Google, Mozilla, Microsoft, Netflix, Amazon). AVIF gained support in Chrome, Firefox, and Safari, although the .avif extension formally differs from .heif.

Today, HEIF is actively used in Samsung and OnePlus smartphones, in professional Canon cameras, in Microsoft products, and in photo editors. Nevertheless, for universal compatibility, PDF remains an irreplaceable format, especially when it comes to document workflow, printing, or long-term archiving.