How to use it
- Drop in HEIC photos.
- Keep quality at 80 for web pages, or raise it for galleries.
- Download the WebP files and upload them to your site.
Why not HEIC to JPG to WebP?
Every lossy conversion throws away a little detail. Going HEIC to JPG and then JPG to WebP compresses the photo twice, and the second pass has to work around the first one's artefacts. Converting HEIC to WebP directly decodes the original once and compresses once, so you get a cleaner result at the same file size.
A good fit for shop and blog photos
If you photograph products, food or projects on an iPhone and publish them yourself, this is the shortest path from camera roll to web page. WebP is supported by every current browser and most website builders. At quality 80, a 12 MP iPhone photo resized for the web is typically a few hundred KB.
Resize while you are at it: a blog column rarely needs more than 1600 pixels. The resizer can output WebP directly, or do this conversion first and resize after.
Metadata
The WebP files do not carry the photos' EXIF data, which also means no GPS location. For a public website, that is usually what you want.
HEIC and WebP compared
| HEIC | WebP | |
|---|---|---|
| First released | 2015 | 2010 |
| Compression | Lossy | Lossy or lossless |
| Transparency | Possible, rarely used | Yes |
| Animation or pages | Bursts and Live Photos | Animation |
| Best for | Storing photos on phones | Images on websites |
| Support | Apple devices; patchy elsewhere | All current browsers; some apps and forms still refuse it |
Questions people ask
Is WebP smaller than HEIC?
Usually a little larger at the same quality. HEIC is very efficient; WebP wins on compatibility with browsers.
Does this keep the photo’s location data?
No. The converted files carry no EXIF or GPS data.
What quality should I use?
75 to 82 for most web pages; 85 or more for photography portfolios.