HEIC to JPG Quality Settings Explained — The Right Number for Every Use Case

When converting HEIC to JPG, you typically see a quality slider from 1 to 100. The default is usually 90 — which is a good choice for most photos. But understanding what the quality number actually controls helps you make the right call for your specific use.

The short answer: use 90 for almost everything. Here's when to go higher or lower, and why.

What the JPG Quality Number Actually Controls

The JPG quality setting controls how aggressively the encoder discards image data to reduce file size. JPG uses a compression algorithm that breaks images into 8x8 pixel blocks and simplifies the color information in each block.

• High quality (90–100) — most color data preserved, minimal block artifacts, larger file
• Medium quality (70–85) — some simplification, artifacts barely visible at normal zoom, smaller file
• Low quality (50–70) — visible blocky artifacts especially in smooth areas and fine details
• Very low (below 50) — obvious pixelation, only usable for thumbnails or heavy compression needs

The relationship between quality number and file size isn't linear. Going from 100 to 90 cuts file size roughly in half. Going from 90 to 80 reduces size by another 20–30%. The steepest drop is at the top end of the scale.

Recommended Quality by Use Case

Quality 95–100 — Print and archival: When accuracy matters more than file size. Print labs, fine art photography, archiving photos you'll re-edit later. At 100, there are no compression artifacts and file sizes are large (5–10 MB for a typical iPhone photo).

Quality 85–92 — Photography and design: The working photographer's range. Visually indistinguishable from 100 at normal viewing distances. What our converter defaults to (90). Use for Canva uploads, portfolio sites, professional sharing.

Quality 75–85 — Web and social media: For photos displayed at screen resolution. Social platforms recompress your upload anyway, so sending at 85 vs 95 won't affect the final result much. Reduces upload time on slow connections.

Quality 60–75 — Email attachments: When you need smaller files for sending. Acceptable for casual sharing — visible artifacts only if you zoom in. Not suitable for professional use.

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What File Sizes to Expect

For a typical 12MP iPhone photo converted from HEIC:

• Quality 100: 6–10 MB (JPG) — from a ~2 MB HEIC source
• Quality 90: 2.5–4 MB — similar to the HEIC source size
• Quality 85: 1.5–3 MB — slightly smaller than HEIC
• Quality 75: 0.8–1.5 MB — noticeably smaller
• Quality 60: 0.4–0.8 MB — email-friendly, quality trade-off visible

Note: converted JPGs at quality 90 are larger than the original HEIC files because HEIC uses more efficient compression. At quality 90, HEIC to JPG roughly preserves the visual quality while increasing file size. You're trading efficiency for compatibility.

Setting Quality in the HEIC to JPG Converter

The HEIC to JPG converter has a quality slider that defaults to 90. To adjust:

1. Drop your HEIC files as usual
2. Find the quality slider above or below the file list
3. Drag it to your target quality (85–90 for most uses, 95–100 for print)
4. The file size preview updates as you move the slider so you can see the trade-off before downloading

You can see the before and after file sizes for each photo in the converter — this makes it easy to find the quality setting that hits your target file size while keeping quality acceptable.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is JPG quality 90 actually lossless?

No — quality 90 is lossy. Some data is discarded. But at 90%, the differences are invisible without pixel-peeping at 200%+ zoom. For all practical purposes it looks identical to the original. True lossless output from HEIC requires converting to PNG.

Does setting quality to 100 make the JPG the same size as the HEIC?

No — quality 100 JPG is much larger than the HEIC source. HEIC uses much more efficient compression than JPG at the same quality level. A 2 MB HEIC file at maximum quality might become a 8–10 MB JPG. That's expected — you're converting to a less efficient format.

Can I improve quality by converting HEIC to PNG instead of JPG?

PNG is lossless so there are no quality settings to worry about — you always get maximum quality. The trade-off is file size: a PNG converted from HEIC will be significantly larger than a JPG at 90% quality. For photos (not graphics or screenshots), JPG at 90 is the better choice.

What quality does iOS use when it converts HEIC to JPG automatically?

Apple's "Automatic" HEIC-to-JPG conversion (when sharing with incompatible devices) uses quality settings around 85–90. The results are visually clean for sharing purposes.