Is there a way to automatically convert .jpeg files to .heic within Photos.app?

Question

Level 2

164 points

Is there a way to automatically convert .jpeg files to .heic within Photos.app?

I have a large Photos library and would like to reduce its size.

Many of the fotos/files in the library (or in "Photos Library.photoslibrary") are older .jpeg or even .jpg files, since this format was standard in former years.

The HEIC format files are about half the size of JPEG files, with the same quality.

Theoretically, I could export the .jpeg files, convert them to .heic using e.g. GraphicConverter or Preview, and reimport the converted file. However, for more than 20.000 files this manual work is (almost) impossible. And, as far as I understand, the assignment to Albums would get lost. I would need to recreate these Album assignments.

So, I am looking for a tool/function that automatically converts .jpeg files to .heic within Photos.

Any hint to such a tool?

iMac 24″, macOS 13.6

Posted on Oct 11, 2023 11:27 AM

Reply

Answer 1

léonie

Level 10

203,419 points

Oct 11, 2023 11:43 AM in response to bwadma

Photos does not support this. Photos has been built to support a lossless workflow, and whatever we do in Photos will preserve the high resolution original image and video files.

The way to reduce the file size by converting the files is to export the JPEGs and reimport the HEICs, as you mentioned yourself.

I am archiving the originals in Photos Libraries on external drives and keeping the system photos library on my internal drive small by keeping only my favorites in Photos.

Reply

Is there a way to automatically convert .jpeg files to .heic within Photos.app?

Similar questions