Convert HEIC to PNG on Mac

You need PNG in Photoshop for masks and retouching, not another lossy JPEG save. iPhone HEIC files are efficient on device but wrong for editors that expect PNG or flat TIFF. Portrait selects, product cutouts, and compositing workflows often need lossless entry. Converting locally avoids cloud upload of full-resolution phone shots and keeps client work on your Mac. Expect large PNG files: that is normal for phone resolution without another lossy step.

When PNG instead of JPEG

Goal	Format
Email, MLS, Shopify	JPEG (see HEIC to JPG on Mac )
Retouch, masks, compositing	PNG
Archival edit master	RAW or DNG, not HEIC

	PNG	JPEG
Lossless	Yes	No
Typical phone export size	Large (15 to 30 MB common)	Smaller
Client delivery	Usually wrong choice	Default

PNG from a phone photo can exceed 25 MB. That is normal. Do not email PNG selects unless the client asked. For large HEIC folders going to JPEG, see batch convert HEIC on Mac .

Retouch step	Why PNG from HEIC
Frequency separation	Avoid JPEG artifacts on skin
Product masking	Clean edges for cutouts
Layered comp	Flat PNG import, edit in PSD

Portrait workflows often convert ten HEIC selects to PNG while the rest of the shoot goes to JPEG for client gallery. Split folders before batch so delivery presets do not mix formats.

Export from Photos or Preview

Photos → File → Export when PNG appears as a format option. Otherwise export max quality JPEG and convert in Preview only if you accept one generation of loss (prefer PNG direct from HEIC).

When Photos lacks PNG for a shoot, use Terminal or GetCompress below rather than JPEG round-trip through Preview. Each lossy save adds artifacts you will see in hair and gradient backgrounds.

Preview:

1. Open HEIC in Preview.
2. File → Export… → PNG.

Works file-by-file. Batch workflows need Terminal or GetCompress.

For ten selects, Preview is tolerable. For a full shoot folder, use the batch loop below. Open one PNG at 100% zoom before batching two hundred files to confirm color and sharpness look acceptable.

Terminal conversion

sips to PNG:

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

Batch:

mkdir png-out
for f in *.heic *.HEIC; do
  [ -f "$f" ] || continue
  sips -s format png "$f" --out "png-out/${f%.*}.png"
done

Optional lossless squeeze with oxipng. Install through Homebrew (install Homebrew first if brew is not found):

brew install oxipng
oxipng -o 4 --strip safe IMG.png

FFmpeg path:

ffmpeg -i IMG.heic IMG.png

Step	Purpose
sips / FFmpeg	HEIC to PNG
oxipng	Shrink PNG losslessly after

FFmpeg batch when sips fails on an odd HEIC:

mkdir png-out
for f in *.heic *.HEIC; do
  [ -f "$f" ] || continue
  ffmpeg -i "$f" "png-out/${f%.*}.png"
done

After retouch, switch delivery to JPEG with a separate preset; do not email full-resolution PNG proofs unless the client requested lossless review files.

PNG sync to Dropbox or Frame.io can choke on hundreds of 25 MB files from one iPhone shoot. Cap max width during HEIC to PNG conversion when the retouch team only needs 4096 px long edge, not full phone resolution.

Using GetCompress

GetCompress fits convert HEIC to PNG on Mac when Terminal loops are error-prone or when you need optional max width during conversion.

Drop HEIC selects into the app. Set output to PNG, optional max width, and export the batch.

Workflow features that help:

• Batch queue: convert a full shoot folder for retouch without Preview one-by-one.
• Dual presets: one saved preset for PNG retouch, another for client JPEG proofs.
• Resize plus convert: cap dimensions when PNG would break sync tools.
• Local processing: keep unreleased portrait and product shots off online converters.
• Compress after retouch: when delivery finally needs JPEG, switch output in the same app.
• Compression presets: rare for PNG retouch, useful when syncing selects to a capped cloud folder.

Use PNG for editing selects. Switch to JPEG preset for client-facing proofs once retouch is done. Save two presets in GetCompress so the same Friday shoot moves from retouch PNG to client JPEG without rewriting Terminal scripts.

Portrait retouchers often keep PNG selects on local storage only. When sync tools cap folder size, convert HEIC to PNG at max 4096 px long edge instead of full phone resolution. You still get lossless entry for masks without filling the shared drive with 30 MB files per frame.

After compositing in Photoshop, export client proofs as JPEG from GetCompress with a second preset rather than emailing PNG selects. The retouch team keeps PNG local; the client sees compressed JPEG either way.

oxipng after sips batch can shrink PNG selects for sync without another lossy step. Run lossless optimize only after you confirm retouch exports look correct at 100% zoom on skin and fabric texture.