By Shweta Ganjoo: Google offers a free cloud space of 17GB on Google Drive and you need to purchase more cloud space from Google when that space is full. But what if there was a way for you to save files, images in particular, on to Google Drive without ever accounting for the used space? Well, you can if you have one of the new iPhone models.
Google to Fix ‘Bug’ That Lets iOS Photos App Users Upload HEIC Images for Free
Confused? Here's the trick: new iPhone models - iPhone 11, iPhone 11 Pro and the iPhone 11 Pro Max - snap images in the highly efficient HEIC image format. This image format is smaller than the compressed JPEG image format that Google Drive uses to save image on to Google's cloud storage platform. If you are using one of the new iPhone models in conjugation with the Google Drive, it would save images in the HEIC or the HEIF image format instead of converting it into its compressed JPEG image format simply because it allows users to store high quality images on to Google Drive while occupying less space. This in turn allows the iPhone users to make better use of Google Drive by saving the precious cloud space (and yet saving the original high quality images) and by extension eliminating the need for users to pay for more space when their original free space on Google Drive runs out.
"So Apple is literally saving Google millions of dollars by shooting their photos in HEIC and it benefits iPhone users as well because we get free original quality backups," Reddit user stephenvsawyer, who first discovered this quirk, wrote in his post on the platform.
Now, it remains unclear how Google plans on fixing this bug that is a boon to the iPhone users. The could forcibly convert the high quality and efficient HEIC images into JPEG images but that would mean that the company would use more of its computational power for converting images that are already stored in the original format into a less efficient format, which seems unnecessary. Alternatively, it could force users to pay for storing HEIC images in Drive, which again would hurt the functionality of the app for iOS users.
After the Pixel 4's announcement, we were surprised to discover it didn't offer free original quality backups on Google Photos like its predecessors. The next day, a Redditor made things even worse for Pixel users by explaining that the new iPhones do get unlimited original quality backups on Photos because they use the HEIC format. We've reached out to Google and got confirmation that this is indeed the case, but it's a "bug" that'll be fixed.
Redditor u/stephenvsawyer explained that iPhones currently save photos in the new compressed and efficient HEIC format, which is smaller than Google's compressed JPEG. When uploaded to Google Photos, these pics don't need to be compressed from Original Quality to High Quality JPEG, because they're already smaller than the latter. So iPhone users are essentially getting their snaps stored on Google Photos for free, in their original size.
However, what that means remains unclear. Would Google start charging for HEIC images stored in Photos, even if they're small and don't take up much space? Would it forcibly re-convert those pics to compressed JPEG, or compress them further under the HEIC format? And will the fix apply to all HEIC images or just iPhones? (Samsung devices also support saving photos as HEIC, but that doesn't seem widely adopted by users.) All paths seem riddled with minefields.
As discovered by Reddit user stephenvsawyer, it seems like iPhone users who use the default setting to have photos saved as HEIC/HEIF will get free unlimited storage of their pictures at the original resolution with Google Photos because if Google tried to compress them, it would actually increase the file size.
The HEIF Image Extensions is a popular way to view HEIC photos on Windows 10. It's designed to read and open HEIF/HEIC image (.heic or .heif) format. You can get the HEIC viewer extensions to Windows PC and open HEIC images with the Photos app, the Windows 10 default image viewing app. No other codecs are required to open and view HEIC images anymore. Go to the Microsoft Store app and get the extensions for free.
HEIF Utility is an open-source HEIC viewer for Windows 10/7 to free download. It's designed to open, view, and convert HEIC images on Windows. It helps display HEIC photos' thumbnails in File Explorer on Windows. You can also check image information such as file info, lens info, and GPS info using HEIF Utility for Windows 10.
Adobe Lightroom is a professional photo editing program that can be used as a HEIC file viewer for Windows 10. Adobe Lightroom CC 1.5/Lightroom Classic CC 7.5 and later supports HEIC image files. With the installation of Adobe Lightroom, you are free to open, view, and edit HEIC photos on Windows 10. You can set Adobe Lightroom as the default photo viewer on Windows PC.
Photos app is the default HEIC file viewer for Windows 10. You can open and view HEIC image files in the Photos app with third party help - HEIF Image Extension. Yes, HEIF Image Extension is required. Unfortunately, many users reported that the photos app is not displaying all the HEIC images and image folders. Use the following steps to open and view HEIC files in Photos App on Windows 10.
File Viewer Plus is a file viewer application that supports hundreds of file formats, including images, videos, PDFs, office documents. You can try File Viewer Plus free to open and view HEIC images on Windows 10 occasionally. It is $49.99 for full features without limits. If you run into a connection error while using File Viewer Plus to open HEIC images, the software was not able to connect to its activation server. Please Verify that you have an Internet connection.
Apple added support for HEIC/HEIF in iOS 11 and macOS High Sierra which are released in September 2017. It is designed to optimize iPhone iPad storage, since HEIC format compresses photos more efficiently and only takes half the space of JPEG with the same image quality. By default, iOS 11 devices with A9 and newer processors will capture images using HEIC compression with extension .heic instead of .jpg.
WinX MediaTrans is the best HEIC viewer for Windows 10/11. It offers hassle free way to open and view HEIC photos. With a built-in image format convert, it allows users to convert HEIC to JPG. The tool helps transfer photos between iPhone and computer and organize/manage photos. You can free download the best HEIC viewer for Widows 11/10/8/7.
We fixed a small bug that caused the IPTC Card to be ignored. This is a really useful tool that lets you set up a business card for your photography. You can add information like creator, email, copyright, and more. Plus, this information can be automatically applied when you import photos as well.
One of the key features of ImageMagick is its support for scripting and automation. This allows users to create complex image manipulation pipelines that can be run automatically, without the need for manual intervention. This can be especially useful for tasks that require the processing of large numbers of images, or for tasks that need to be performed on a regular basis.
Examples of ImageMagick Usage demonstrates how to use the software from the command line to achieve various effects. There are also several scripts available on the website called Fred's ImageMagick Scripts, which can be used to apply geometric transforms, blur and sharpen images, remove noise, and perform other operations. Additionally, there is a tool called Magick.NET that allows users to access the functionality of ImageMagick without having to install the software on their own systems. Finally, the website also includes a Cookbook with tips and examples for using ImageMagick on Windows systems.
The most important part of any software geared towards photo management is how the tool categorizes and displays your media. When photos and videos are uploaded to Synology Photos, the metadata that the photo or video contains is read and categorized. Synology Photos does a good job of reading the data and organizing it, but your experience will vary depending on the depth of metadata your collection contains.
Synology created a Shared Space that allows users on the same NAS to collaborate and share photos and videos easily. If albums were migrated over from Photo Station, users will automatically have permission to the Shared Space based on the albums they had permission to in Photo Station.
An additional permission, Allow guests to view photos and videos in the root folder of Shared Space, allows users to view photos that are added to the photo folder (more on that below) inside of DSM but are NOT in a folder.
The Shared Space is an interesting area that conflicts with shared Albums, in my opinion. I view the Shared Space as an area to upload photos/videos that you want everyone on your NAS to have permission to or collaborate on. Folders can be created that have different permissions, so specific users can have access to specific folders (which can be treated as albums, in folder format).
The iOS and Android applications allow you to connect to your NAS and upload/download photos and videos. There is an automatic backup feature that allows you to automatically back up new pictures that are taken directly to your NAS. This functions well and ensures that the new pictures that I take are backed up immediately.
There are certainly areas for improvement in Synology Photos (in its current state), but automatic backups, private/shared albums, and photos/videos in a timeline view are the only features that a lot of people expect in a tool like this. Therefore, many will be happy with how it functions, but power users might feel like the tool leaves a lot to be desired.
ImageMagick is an on-premise software that allows you to view, compose, convert, and edit images in a variety of formats, including GIF, WebP, HEIC, EXR, and more. It is also a cross-platform tool, which is accessible on Linux, Windows, Mac, iOS, and Android, giving you the freedom to work without limitations. 2ff7e9595c
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