DB Labs
Quick Answer: Which Format Should You Use?
HEIC is the default and the best choice for most people — it delivers the same quality as JPEG at roughly half the file size (2-4 MB vs 4-6 MB). Use JPEG only if you share with Windows PCs or legacy apps frequently. Use ProRAW (20-35 MB) if you edit photos professionally. PNG is only generated for screenshots and is rarely a camera format choice.
Format Overview & File Sizes
| Format | Typical Size | Compression | Editing Range | Compatibility |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| HEIC | 2–4 MB | Lossy (efficient) | Good | Apple, Android 9+, Windows 11 |
| JPEG | 4–8 MB | Lossy (standard) | Limited | Universal |
| ProRAW | 20–35 MB | Lossless-like | Excellent | Pro editing apps only |
| PNG | 3–15 MB | Lossless | N/A | Universal |
HEIC: The Default iPhone Format
HEIC stands for High Efficiency Image Container. Apple made it the default camera format starting with iOS 11 and the iPhone 7. It is built on the HEIF (High Efficiency Image Format) standard developed by the Moving Picture Experts Group.
The core advantage of HEIC is compression efficiency. It uses a more sophisticated compression algorithm than JPEG — based on the HEVC video codec — and typically produces files that are 40-50% smaller than JPEG at identical visual quality. A typical iPhone 15 Pro photo at 48 MP saved as HEIC lands around 10-15 MB, while the same image in JPEG would be 20-30 MB.
HEIC also supports features JPEG cannot: 16-bit color depth (vs JPEG's 8-bit), transparency, live photo animations, and burst photo sequences in a single file. HDR information is embedded natively in HEIC, which is why your ProMotion display shows richer highlights in HEIC photos than in JPEG conversions of the same image.
Compatibility has improved significantly. Modern Macs (macOS High Sierra+), iPhones, iPads, Google Photos, Lightroom, and Windows 11 all support HEIC natively. Windows 10 requires a free codec from the Microsoft Store. Older Android devices and some websites still struggle with HEIC, but iPhone automatically converts to JPEG when you share via email or AirDrop to a Windows PC. Learn more in our HEIC glossary entry.
JPEG: Maximum Compatibility
JPEG (Joint Photographic Experts Group) has been the universal photo standard since 1992. Every device, browser, social network, and piece of software on the planet handles JPEG without issue.
To switch your iPhone to JPEG, go to Settings → Camera → Formats → Most Compatible. This saves all new photos as JPEG. The downside is clear: JPEG files are roughly twice the size of HEIC for the same quality, which means your storage fills up twice as fast.
JPEG is also a lossy format, meaning image data is discarded permanently each time the file is saved. If you re-edit and re-save a JPEG multiple times, quality degrades with each save — a phenomenon called "generation loss." HEIC and ProRAW avoid this problem.
When JPEG Makes Sense
- You share frequently with Windows users who have not installed the HEIC codec
- You upload to websites or services that reject HEIC files
- You use older editing software that predates HEIC support
- You print at professional labs whose upload portals require JPEG
ProRAW: Maximum Editing Control
Apple ProRAW combines the flexibility of a traditional camera RAW file with Apple's computational photography — including Deep Fusion, Smart HDR, and Night mode processing. It is available on iPhone 12 Pro, 13 Pro, 14 Pro, 15 Pro, 16 Pro, and 17 Pro series.
ProRAW files are typically 20-35 MB per image on iPhone 15 Pro, and can reach 75-100 MB on the iPhone 16 Pro and 17 Pro when shooting at full 48 MP resolution. The enormous file size reflects the fact that ProRAW captures the raw sensor data before final processing, with all the computational photography applied as editable metadata rather than baked-in pixels.
The benefit is dramatic editing latitude. In Lightroom, Photoshop, or Darkroom, you can recover highlights and shadows in ways impossible with HEIC or JPEG. Color grading, white balance shifts, and noise reduction all produce cleaner results from ProRAW source files. See our detailed ProRAW vs HEIC vs JPEG comparison for editing workflow details.
PNG: Screenshots and Graphics
PNG (Portable Network Graphics) uses lossless compression, meaning no image data is ever discarded. Every pixel is preserved exactly. This makes PNG ideal for screenshots, diagrams, logos, and any image with sharp text or solid-color areas — where JPEG's lossy compression creates visible artifacts around edges.
Your iPhone automatically saves every screenshot as a PNG. You will see these in the Screenshots album in your Photos app. PNG screenshots of text-heavy screens are typically 3-8 MB each and can accumulate rapidly. If you take a lot of screenshots, clearing them periodically with a tool like Swype Photo Cleaner prevents them from quietly consuming storage.
PNG is not a practical camera format for continuous shooting. Lossless compression on a photographic scene produces files far larger than ProRAW at no quality benefit for photos (only for graphics). HEIC and ProRAW are always better choices for camera output.
Which Format to Choose
- Keep HEIC (default): Best for 95% of users. Smallest files, excellent quality, supported everywhere that matters.
- Switch to JPEG: Only if you frequently share with legacy Windows systems or niche services that reject HEIC.
- Enable ProRAW: If you shoot for clients, edit in Lightroom/Photoshop, or routinely print large format. Disable between professional shoots to save storage.
- PNG: Not a choice you make — iPhone handles it automatically for screenshots. Just clear them regularly.
If your photo library has grown large regardless of format, see our complete iPhone storage guide and our article on how to bulk delete photos on iPhone to reclaim space efficiently.