HEIF to PFM Converter
Processing entirely on your device — large files may take a moment.
High Efficiency Image Format and Portable Float Map exist for different jobs: HEIF is the family container HEIC belongs to — same HEVC-based compression, often used by name on Android and camera firmware where HEIC is the Apple branding. Convert PFM to PNG or JPG to get a viewable tone-mapped preview of float data.
This converter runs entirely in your browser using WebAssembly — your files never leave your device, nothing is uploaded, and there are no watermarks, sign-ups or queues. Drop in several files at once to convert them as a batch.
How HEIF compares to PFM
| HEIF | PFM | |
|---|---|---|
| Compression | Lossy HEVC (lossless variant exists) | None (raw floats) |
| Transparency | Supported | Not supported |
| Animation | Supported (bursts/sequences) | Not supported |
| Metadata | EXIF, depth maps, HDR gain maps | Minimal header only |
| Best for | iPhone photo storage | HDR interchange, render passes |
How to convert HEIF to PFM
- 1
Select your files
Drag & drop your HEIF files onto the area above, or click to browse. You can add multiple files at once for batch conversion.
- 2
Convert instantly
Click "Convert to PFM". The conversion runs entirely inside your browser using WebAssembly — no upload, no queue, no waiting.
- 3
Download results
Download each converted PFM file individually, or grab everything at once as a ZIP archive.
About the HEIF format
HEIC (High Efficiency Image Container) is the HEIF container carrying HEVC-compressed image data, and it has been the default photo format on iPhones since iOS 11. At equivalent quality it stores photos in roughly half the space of JPG, keeps 10-bit color and HDR information intact, and can hold multiple images — bursts,Live Photos pairs, even depth maps — in one file.
Its weakness is everything outside Apple's ecosystem. Windows needs an extension from the Store to preview it natively, many web services still reject the upload, and HEVC's patent licensing slowed hardware adoption on non-Apple devices. Android 9+ phones generally handle it, but the desktop web remained JPG territory for years.
+Strengths
- ✓About half the size of JPG at the same quality
- ✓10-bit color and HDR survive the pipeline
- ✓One file can hold bursts, sequences and depth data
!Limitations
- −Windows and many web services need extras to open it
- −HEVC patent licensing complicated adoption outside Apple
- −Thumbnail and preview performance on old hardware is poor
About the PFM format
PFM (Portable Float Map) stores pixels as raw 32-bit floating-point values — no palette, no compression tricks, just the numbers. It belongs to the Netpbm family (PBM/PGM/PPM) and is the lingua franca for handing high-dynamic-range data between renderers, tone-mapping experiments and radiance research scripts.
Because the values are floats, a PFM can hold sunlight and candlelight in the same image without clipping. Viewers rarely open it directly: convert to PNG or JPG to get a tone-mapped preview of the same data.
+Strengths
- ✓Full floating-point precision
- ✓Dead-simple text/binary layout
- ✓Widely read by research tooling
!Limitations
- −Enormous files (16 bytes per pixel)
- −Almost no viewer support
Why convert HEIF to PFM?
Think of it as moving your file to the container that fits the job. Windows and many web services need extras to open it PFM works differently: Full floating-point precision If any of that sounds like your task, run the conversion — it takes seconds and nothing leaves your device.
Frequently asked questions
Is this HEIF to PFM converter really free?
Yes — completely free, with no sign-up, no watermark and no daily conversion limits. The site is supported by advertising.
Are my files uploaded to a server?
No. The conversion runs entirely inside your browser using WebAssembly, so your files never leave your device — that is what makes it instant and private.
Does it work on Windows, Mac, iPhone and Android?
Yes. Anything with a modern browser works: Windows, macOS, Linux, Android and iOS. No software installation is required.
Will I lose quality converting HEIF to PFM?
No — PFM is a lossless format, so every pixel of the converted image matches your original HEIF file. You can also adjust the quality/size balance before converting when the target format supports compression.
What happens to EXIF data and other metadata?
Conversions here re-encode the image, and re-encoding generally does not carry the original metadata over. If the EXIF data of your HEIF files matters (camera model, GPS, timestamps), keep the original file as the master and treat the converted copy as the shareable version.
Will transparent areas survive the conversion to PFM?
Transparency is kept whenever PFM actually supports an alpha channel. If the target format has none (like JPG), transparent areas are flattened onto a white background — that is a property of the format, not of this tool.