iPhone - comparing jpeg, heif, and raw images
Photos of a tin taken with iPhone 15 pro at 2x magnification The industry standard since 1992 has been the JPEG, a file format that allows large files to be compressed into smaller sizes. The problem with jpegs is that they are lossy, meaning that the compression algorithm causes changes in the pixel patterns of the image. The more compression, the more severe the artifacts. Examine the image below to see an example of artifacts. In 2015 HEIF files were introduced and have been a popular file format in smart phones. They are lossless, meaning that there are not artifacts, and is typically a better format for your camera images. They are also fairly small; the JPEG above (using a compression ratio of 8:1) is about twice as large as the HEIF. One of the problems with the HEIF format is that many computers cannot open them. Mac computers all are equipped with the necessary software, but PCs (and probably Linex) do not have it. However, you can buy conversion software that will ch