Why can't browsers convert directly to HEIC?

HEIC uses the H.265/HEVC codec which is patent-encumbered. Browsers do not include a native HEIC encoder. Decoding HEIC is supported on Safari and some Chromium builds, but encoding requires a licensed OS or hardware codec — available on macOS 10.13+, iOS 11+, and Windows 11 with HEVC codec installed.

Are my files uploaded to any server?

No. Frame extraction runs entirely inside your browser using the HTML5 Canvas API. Your GIF file never leaves your device.

How do I convert the downloaded PNGs to HEIC on macOS?

Open the PNG in Preview, then choose File → Export and select HEIC from the format dropdown. Alternatively run: sips -s format heic input.png --out output.heic

How do I convert PNGs to HEIC on Windows?

Install the Microsoft HEVC Video Extensions from the Microsoft Store (free or paid). Then use the Photos app or PowerToys Image Resizer to save as HEIC. From PowerShell you can also use ffmpeg: ffmpeg -i input.png output.heic

How do I convert PNGs to HEIC on Linux?

Use ImageMagick with the libheif delegate: convert input.png output.heic. Ensure libheif and libde265 are installed (sudo apt install libheif-examples on Debian/Ubuntu).

Does this tool support large animated GIFs?

Yes, up to your browser's available memory — typically several hundred megabytes. Very large GIFs with many frames may be slow to render on low-end devices. Each frame is processed sequentially to avoid memory spikes.

Can I download all frames at once?

Yes. Click "Download All Frames" to trigger individual PNG downloads for every frame in sequence. Your browser may ask permission to download multiple files.

GIF to HEIC Converter

Extract every frame from an animated GIF as a PNG, then follow the one-step guide to convert to HEIC using your OS tools.

Browser limitation notice: Web browsers cannot encode HEIC files directly due to patent licensing restrictions. This tool extracts high-resolution frames as PNGs and provides the command to output HEIC using your local OS tools. For direct in-browser conversion, consider converting to WebP or AVIF instead.

Upload GIF

Click or drag a GIF here

Animated GIFs supported — all frames extracted

Convert PNG to HEIC

Browsers cannot encode HEIC natively (patent-encumbered codec). Download your PNG frames above, then use one of these one-liners:

macOS (built-in)

sips -s format heic frame_01.png --out frame_01.heic

Linux (ImageMagick + libheif)

convert frame_01.png frame_01.heic

Windows (ffmpeg)

ffmpeg -i frame_01.png frame_01.heic

Frame Preview

Upload a GIF to extract its frames

Each frame can be downloaded as a PNG, then converted to HEIC

Done!

Summary

HEIC (High Efficiency Image Container) encoding is not possible natively in any browser — it requires a licensed hardware or OS codec. This tool solves the practical problem by extracting every frame from your animated GIF as a lossless PNG, which you can then convert to HEIC in one command on macOS, Windows, or Linux. The frame extraction runs entirely client-side via the HTML5 Canvas API; your images never leave your device.

How it works

Upload an animated GIF by clicking the drop zone or dragging a file onto it.
The tool reads the GIF binary and parses each Graphic Control Extension block to count frames.
All frames are rendered onto an HTML5 Canvas and exported as individual PNG images.
Preview any frame using the thumbnail strip and download it individually, or download all frames as separate PNGs.
Follow the on-page HEIC conversion guide to encode the downloaded PNGs to HEIC using your OS tools.

Use cases

Convert animated GIFs to HEIC for sharing on Apple devices where HEIC offers superior compression.
Extract a specific frame from an animated GIF sticker or meme for use in documents.
Prepare GIF frames for archiving in HEIC format to reduce storage footprint.
Break apart a GIF animation into individual still images for graphic design work.
Convert GIF thumbnails to HEIC for iOS app assets requiring the HEIC format.
Extract the first or last frame of a GIF loop for use as a static preview image.
Process GIF images privately without uploading to any third-party service.
Batch-prepare PNG frames ready for automated HEIC encoding via shell scripts.

Frequently Asked Questions

Last updated: 2026-05-28 · Reviewed by Nham Vu