I have an iPhone 11 Pro, and when I download a photo from iCloud the photos are 2048x1536 which is a 3 MP image. How come my phone is not taking full 12 MP pictures? Or is it? Under the Photos setting I have "Optimize iPhone Storage" checked, but the description say "Full-resolution versions can be downloaded from iCloud anytime", which doesn't appear to be happening. What's going on my with my image resolution?
iPhone 11 Pro, iOS 13
How are you downloading the photos from iCloud to your computer? And how are you checking the size? Are you using the web interface at www.icloud.com? Then you have to ensure that the full version original is selected, when you click the download button.
There is tiny "v" arrow below the downloads button, that will disclose a menu, where you can select the full size originals:
Do not use shared albums to transfer the photos. The shared albums are scaling the images down to 2040 pixel at the longest edge.
My iPhone 11 Pro Max is taking the photos at 4032 × 3024 pixels, and iCloud Photos is transferring them to my Mac at the full resolution. If you get smaller photos, you may be using sharing methods to transfer the photos are reducing the size for sharing.
How are you downloading the photos from iCloud to your computer? And how are you checking the size? Are you using the web interface at www.icloud.com? Then you have to ensure that the full version original is selected, when you click the download button.
There is tiny "v" arrow below the downloads button, that will disclose a menu, where you can select the full size originals:
Do not use shared albums to transfer the photos. The shared albums are scaling the images down to 2040 pixel at the longest edge.
My iPhone 11 Pro Max is taking the photos at 4032 × 3024 pixels, and iCloud Photos is transferring them to my Mac at the full resolution. If you get smaller photos, you may be using sharing methods to transfer the photos are reducing the size for sharing.
You can convert the HEIC files to JPEGs using the webpage https://heictojpg.com
Or set the iPhone to take the new images in the JPEG format. But this will need twice the storage of a HEIC file: Using HEIF or HEVC media on Apple devices - Apple Support
Though capturing in HEIF and HEVC format is recommended, you can set these devices to capture media using the older formats, which are more broadly compatible with other devices and operating systems:
Go to Settings > Camera.
Tap Formats.
Tap Most Compatible. This setting is available only on devices that can capture media in HEIF or HEVC format, and only when using iOS 11 or later.
All new photos and videos will now use JPEG or H.264 format. To return to using the space-saving HEIF and HEVC formats, choose High Efficiency.
Very interesting, I didn't even see that tiny "v" until you pointed it out. It only appears once you hover over the download button. Having said that, the unmodified version is a .HEIC file. How do I view that file type on a Windows 7/10 machine? I have both. Thanks for your help!
Image Resolution
