Tilora
Get Tilora
What HEIC is
HEIC is the format iPhone uses for photos by default. It keeps the same quality as JPEG in less space. Most apps on a Mac open it, but some websites and older apps still ask for a JPG.
In Finder, with a Quick Action
Select one or more photos in Finder, Control-click them, and choose Quick Actions › Convert Image. Choose JPEG as the format, choose a size, and convert. Your Mac makes a JPG of each photo you selected.
The same Quick Actions are at the bottom of the Preview pane in a Finder window. If you don’t see the pane, choose View › Show Preview.
In Preview
Open the photo in Preview and choose File › Export. Click the Format pop-up menu and choose JPEG, set the quality, then choose a name and a place and click Save.
To convert several at once, open them in one Preview window, select them in the sidebar, and then choose File › Export.
From Photos
If the photos are in the Photos app, select them and choose File › Export › Export [number] Photos. Click the Photo Kind pop-up menu, choose JPEG, then click Export, choose where to save them, and click Export again.
By dropping it on the notch, with Tilora
With Tilora, drag the photo to the top of the screen. The notch opens into four places: the Shelf, Transform, iCloud Drive and AirDrop. Drop it on Transform and choose JPEG. The copy is saved beside the original and goes on the Shelf, ready to drag into an email or a website.
It all happens on your Mac, with the Mac’s own frameworks; nothing is uploaded. More about the file shelf.
Questions
Can my iPhone take JPGs instead?
Yes. On your iPhone, go to Settings › Camera › Formats and choose Most Compatible. New photos are then saved as JPEG. Choose High Efficiency to go back to HEIC.
Is a JPG always smaller?
No. HEIC usually takes less space for the same quality, so a JPG can be larger than the photo it came from.