HEIC vs WebP: Efficient and High-Quality Image Formats
JPEG and PNG are long-standing formats; their respective lossy and lossless compression offer a small size and excellent image quality. However, size has always been an issue with these formats. A website with many images will have a slow page load speed, which will eventually affect the SEO of your website.
HEIC and WebP are modern and efficient formats. HEIC was adopted by Apple across its products in 2017. Today, Samsung, Google, Canon, Sony, Qualcomm, and others support the format.
WebP was developed by Google in 2010 and intended for web usage. The main goal was to develop a format that produced high-quality and small-sized images.
Choosing one without knowing the features and differences of the other format can lead to missing out on many benefits. This blog provides a comprehensive comparison of HEIC vs. WebP in various aspects.
HEIC vs WebP: Quick Overview
HEIC
HEIC (High-Efficiency Image Coding) uses the HEIF (High-Efficiency Image Format) standard. It was created by the Moving Picture Experts Group (MPEG). The format is known for its superior compression capabilities and is primarily used by Apple devices due to its balance between high image quality and reduced file size.
Key Features:
- Compression Efficiency: HEIC offers significantly smaller size and image quality compared to JPEG.
- Advanced Features: It supports 16-bit color depth, transparency, and multiple images in a single file.
- Compression Techniques: Supports both lossy and lossless compression.
WebP
WebP is an advanced image format that offers superior lossy and lossless compression for images on the web. It was developed by Google to reduce the file size of photos without compromising their quality, making it a perfect choice for static and animated images.
Key Features:
- Compression: Supports lossless and lossy compression, offering smaller file sizes compared to many other formats.
- Reduced File Size: WebP is usually 25-34% smaller than comparable JPEG images.
- Transparency and Animation: Supports alpha channel transparency like PNG and better-quality animated images compared to GIF.
- Broad Compatibility: Supported by most modern browsers, making it a versatile choice for web use.
HEIC vs. WebP: Comprehensive Comparison
HEIC and WebP are similar in transparency, animation, compression techniques, storage medium, and performance. But there are a few key differences as well. Let’s compare both modern formats in 8 aspects.
| Factors | HEIC | WebP |
|---|---|---|
| Transparency | Supports alpha channel transparency | Supports alpha channel transparency |
| File Size | Smaller file size | Smaller file size |
| Image Quality | Supports 16-bit, HDR, and expansive resolution | Supports 24-bit RGB color with 8-bit alpha channel |
| Performance | Significantly smaller files reduce page loading time | Smaller file sizes increase web responsiveness |
| Animation | Supports still image sequences | Supports animated content |
| Storage | Stored in EXIF/TIFF, cloud, CDN, and ISO Base Media File | Stored in Base 64 encoding, cloud, CDN, and file systems |
| Compression | Supports lossy and lossless compression | Supports lossy and lossless compression |
| Browser Support | Compatible with Safari and Google Marketplace, limited to Apple products | Supported by all major browsers except Internet Explorer |
Transparency
HEIC supports alpha channel transparency in still images. Meanwhile, WebP supports transparency in graphics or logos with non-rectangular shapes. Both formats enable multi-sample pixels by encrypting files with an alpha channel, which allows information to be transparent. The alpha channel is connected to every pixel, indicating the file’s transparency level.
Both WebP and HEIC also support metadata and color profiles, allowing for transparent image backgrounds.
File Size
The compressed HEIC and WebP images are significantly smaller. Both formats store rich metadata, including bit depth, color range, and EXIF data. However, HEIC further supports GPS coordinates, creation dates, and image descriptions in a single file.
The maximum image dimensions in a single HEIC code stream are 35 megapixels or 8192x4320 pixels. On the other hand, WebP’s maximum image dimension per code stream is 268 megapixels.
Image Quality
HEIC offers the highest bits per pixel and SSIM. After compression, it has the most significant visual accuracy and supports advanced image features, a wide range of color depth, and HDR (High Dynamic Range) images. HEIC comprises a 3x8-bit color range of components, implying that its pictures are loaded and saved in a 24-bit format.
WebP images are also of high quality. It supports a bit depth of 24-bit RGB color with an 8-bit alpha channel. It uses 8 bits for each of three RGB color channels, totaling 24-bit color support.
HEIC produces more vibrant and high-quality images than WebP. However, both file formats capture and store detailed image information, giving richer color depths and expansive resolution levels.
Performance
The advanced lossless and lossy compression of both formats significantly reduces the file sizes. The highly efficient video coding of HEIC and VP8 codec and predictive coding of WebP minimize image size while significantly preserving image quality.
The small sizes and bandwidths improve web responsiveness and offer an impressive user experience. Web developers and designers use WebP and HEIC to produce smaller, richer, and higher-quality visual content that enhances website loading times.
Animation
HEIC stores multiple images in a single file and allows short animations to be created. You can create looped animated images or image sequences using HEIC. In contrast, WebP files combine lossless and lossy compression, increasing its support for transparency and making it ideal for animating photos and graphics. The format boasts lively animations that attract and engage website users.
Storage
HEIC and WebP store EXIF metadata in both compressed and uncompressed formats. The files are comparatively smaller and necessitate less storage space. Moreover, WebP and HEIC can last indefinitely in storage mediums depending on the situation, handling process, and storage medium.
HEIC stores individual image files and allows image sequences to be saved and stored in EXIF/TIFF files, which is not possible in WebP. The metadata in HEIC is stored in EXIF/TIFF files, the cloud, CDN, and ISO-based media files.
WebP stores joint images, and the files are stored in file systems, content delivery networks, the cloud, and Base64 encoding.
Compression
Both HEIC and WebP use lossless and lossy compression techniques. The advanced algorithms create smaller file sizes with varying quality levels depending on the compression method.
HEIC uses Highly Efficient Video Coding to minimize image sizes and preserve image quality. The lossless HEIC compression creates significantly smaller and better images than WebP images. However, the HEIC’s ability to store multiple images in a single file makes it heavier than WebP images. The lossy compression deletes unnecessary image details and can lead to distorted image details. However, HEIC can restore image details after lossy compression, which is not possible with WebP files.
WebP uses progressive coding and VP8 and VP8L key frame encoding to break the frame into fragments. It reconstructs the image and transforms it into desirable quality and sizes. The lossless compression is high-quality, preserving many details and significantly reducing the file size. In contrast, lossy compression can lead to blurry images with compression artifacts.
Browser Support
HEIC and WebP are modern, next-generation file formats, but neither is fully compatible with all browsers.
WebP is supported by Chrome, Firefox, Microsoft Edge, Safari, and Opera. The format is supported by most popular browsers. However, older and less popular browsers like Internet Explorer do not support WebP.
HEIC, on the other hand, is only compatible with Safari and Google, which limits its widespread usage. However, both innovative formats have a massive impact on website performance and SEO. As adoption increases across multiple platforms and devices, both formats will become ideal options for web usage.
Conclusion
Transitioning from traditional formats like PNG and JPG to WebP and HEIC can significantly benefit your website. It increases storage efficiency, speeds up load time, and enhances the digital user experience.
HEIC is the best file format for capturing and sharing still images on phones. It maintains excellent image quality, supports multiple images in a single file, and depth maps. On the other hand, WebP is a versatile image format best suited for web designers who need faster loading times, high-quality images, and broad browser and device support.
If you want to convert JPG and PNG images to WebP or HEIC, you can use WebP and HEIC converters for high-quality, small-size images.