HEIC to EXR Converter
Convert HEIC to EXR in your browser. HEIC files usually come from iPhones and iPads since iOS 11, and many recent Android phones; EXR is the better fit for visual effects, compositing and 3D render output. You get a ZIP-compressed OpenEXR with 16-bit half-float channels, the 8-bit sRGB values converted to linear light. Nothing is uploaded.
- Processed locally
- No upload, no wait
- No sign-up
- No watermark
Drop images here
or choose files · paste with Ctrl/⌘ V
HEIC expected · other image formats also work
How to use HEIC to EXR
- 1
Add your HEIC files: drop them here, choose them, or paste from the clipboard.
- 2
There is nothing to tune: the EXR is written losslessly. Resizing and rotating are under More options if you need them.
- 3
Click Convert. Each file is decoded and encoded in a background thread on this device.
- 4
Download the .exr files one at a time or together as a ZIP.
Why use Aback Images for heic to exr
Where the EXR goes next
EXR opens in Nuke, Blender, Houdini, After Effects, DaVinci Resolve, Photoshop, Krita and OpenImageIO.
EXR next to HEIC
The EXR keeps the decoded pixels without lossy compression, so expect it to be larger than the HEIC.
No new artefacts
HEIC is already lossy, since it stores lossy HEVC (H.265) intra coding, on iPhones as a grid of 512×512 tiles; the EXR keeps the decoded pixels losslessly, so this step adds no compression damage of its own.
Processed on your device
Your images are decoded, edited and encoded inside this browser tab by Web Workers. Nothing is uploaded to a server.
HEIC vs EXR
What changes from HEIC to EXR
Encoding: the HEIC uses lossy HEVC (H.265) intra coding, on iPhones as a grid of 512×512 tiles; EXR uses none, RLE, ZIP, PIZ, PXR24, B44 or DWA, chosen per file, and the download is a ZIP-compressed OpenEXR with 16-bit half-float channels, the 8-bit sRGB values converted to linear light.
Bit depth: 8 or 10 bits per channel in the HEIC; EXR allows 16-bit half or 32-bit floating point per channel, and the EXR written here has 16-bit half float per channel. 10-bit HEIC photos are reduced to 8 bits per channel.
Colour: YCbCr, usually tagged Display P3 on iPhones in the HEIC; EXR supports scene-linear RGB, often ACEScg or linear Rec.709, written here as linear-light RGB.
Transparency: the HEIC stores it as an auxiliary image item, rarely used by cameras; the EXR keeps it as an A channel stored like any other channel.
Other images: the HEIC can hold a thumbnail, depth map, HDR gain map and burst shots as extra items; only the main image is converted.
Metadata: the HEIC can carry EXIF, XMP and an ICC profile, stored as items; EXR can carry named header attributes such as chromaticities, timecode and camera data, but nothing is copied across.
About HEIC
HEIC is the default photo format on iPhones and many Android phones. It is about half the size of JPEG, but Windows, many websites and older software cannot open it without converting.
A HEIC is a HEIF file (ISO base media boxes with the brand 'heic'). iPhone photos store the picture as a grid of 512×512 HEVC tiles that the decoder stitches together, with the thumbnail, depth map and HDR gain map as further items.
HEIC files usually come from iPhones and iPads since iOS 11, and many recent Android phones.
About EXR
OpenEXR is the high dynamic range format of film visual effects. It stores half or full floating-point channels in linear light, plus any extra render passes, and is the working format of compositing pipelines.
An EXR starts with the magic number 76 2F 31 01 and a version field, then a header of named, typed attributes (channels, compression, dataWindow, displayWindow) and a table of offsets to scanline or tile blocks.
When converting HEIC to EXR makes sense
EXR is the better choice for visual effects, compositing and 3D render output, while HEIC suits storing photos on Apple devices.
EXR strengths: True high dynamic range in linear light; Any number of channels and render passes; Lossless compression options. Drawbacks to weigh: Needs tone mapping to look right on a normal screen; Very large files; No browser or phone support.
Limitations
- iPhone photos are usually Display P3; colours are mapped to sRGB, so very saturated reds and greens can look slightly less vivid.
- No range is added: the EXR holds the 8-bit picture in linear light, and nothing in it is brighter than the original white.
- Compositing and 3D software read the EXR as linear light, the convention for the format, so it displays correctly there.
- The file holds colour and, when the image has transparency, an alpha channel; there are no extra render passes.
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Frequently asked questions
Does converting HEIC to EXR lose quality?
EXR is written losslessly, so the pixels are stored exactly as decoded. Artefacts already in the HEIC stay, but nothing new is lost. 10-bit HEIC photos are reduced to 8 bits per channel. Not carried over: any a thumbnail.
Is transparency kept in the EXR?
Yes. HEIC stores it as an auxiliary image item, rarely used by cameras, and the EXR is written with an alpha channel, so transparent areas stay transparent.
Why can't I open HEIC photos on Windows or websites?
HEIC uses the HEVC codec, which is patent-encumbered and not built into most browsers, Windows apps and upload forms. Converting makes the photo open where HEIC does not, and the HEIC is decoded inside your browser to do it.
Does saving as EXR add dynamic range?
No. The values come from an 8-bit image, converted to linear light so compositing software displays them correctly, but nothing brighter than the original white is invented. The file is ready to use as a plate or texture in an EXR pipeline.
Which apps open EXR files?
Nuke, Blender, Houdini, After Effects, DaVinci Resolve, Photoshop, Krita and OpenImageIO. It does not open in web browsers.
Are my images uploaded anywhere?
No. Processing happens inside your browser with WebAssembly and Web Workers. The site only downloads the app code and codecs; your files never leave your device. You can confirm this with the live upload counter on the tool, or in your browser's network panel.
Can I process many files at once?
Yes. Drop a whole selection or folder. Files are processed in parallel on several worker threads, each result can be downloaded on its own, and everything can be saved as one ZIP.
Is it free? Is there a file limit or watermark?
It is free with no account, no watermark and no daily limit. The only limit is your device's memory: very large images (over roughly 100 megapixels) may be refused to keep the tab from crashing.