HEIC and HEVC media files support in Lightroom and Camera Raw

Last updated on Nov 27, 2021 12:01:13 PM GMT | Also Applies to Adobe Camera Raw, Adobe Photoshop Lightroom Classic

Background information

Although modern camera devices provide the capability to capture HEIF/.heic photos and HEVC (H.265) videos, Lightroom and Camera raw support only HEIF/.heic files created with iOS devices.

For details on using HEIF and HEVC files with Apple devices, see Using HEIF or HEVC media on Apple devices.

HEIC image files support

macOS

Lightroom Classic, Lightroom and Camera raw support HEIF/.heic files running on macOS High Sierra v10.13 or later.

Note:

To open JPEG or .heic images into Camera Raw: In the Camera Raw Preferences dialog box, go to File Handling > JPEG, HEIC, and TIFF Handling and set either the following in the JPEG/HEIC field:

Automatically open JPEGs and HEICs with settings: Open only JPEGs and HEIC images with raw processing in the metadata into Camera Raw
Automatically open all supported JPEGs and HEICs: Opens all JPEGs and HEIC images into Camera Raw

To access Camera Raw Preferences, click the Open Preferences Dialog button in the Camera Raw dialog box.

Windows

Lightroom Classic, Lightroom and Camera Raw support HEIF/.heic files running on Windows 10.

iOS

Lightroom for mobile (iOS) supports HEIF/.heic files on iOS 11 and later.

Android

Lightroom for mobile (Android) supports HEIF/.heic files.

HEVC (H.265) video files support

macOS

Lightroom Classic and Lightroom support HEVC video files running on macOS High Sierra v10.13 or later.

Windows

Lightroom and Lightroom Classic 9.3 and later support HEVC video files on Windows.

iOS

Lightroom for mobile (iOS) supports import, playback, and cloud sync for HEVC files on iOS 11 and later.

Android

Lightroom for mobile currently does not support HEVC video files on Android. Adobe is working to provide support.

Workarounds to add HEIC/HEVC media files to earlier versions of Lightroom apps and OS platforms

Change the camera settings to capture in JPEG/H.264 format

On the device (iPhone or iPad) that you are using to capture the HEIC/HEVC media, go to Settings > Camera.

Tap Formats.

Tap Most Compatible. This setting is available only on devices that can capture media in HEIF or HEVC format.

All new photos and videos now use JPEG or H.264 format. To return to using the space-saving HEIF and HEVC formats, choose High Efficiency.

To learn more, see Using HEIF or HEVC media on Apple devices.

Convert HEIC/HEVC media to JPEG/H.264 while transferring to a Mac or PC

You can change your iPhone's/iPad's Transfer To Mac Or PC setting to Automatic. This setting automatically converts HEIC photos and HEVC (H.265) videos to the compatible formats JPEG and H.264 MOV when you transfer the media files from your mobile device to a Mac or PC.

On the device (iPhone or iPad) that you are using to capture the HEIC/HEVC media, go to Settings > Photo.

Tap Transfer To Mac Or PC.

(iOS) Change Transfer To Mac Or PC setting to the Automatic option.

Choose the Automatic option.

This option converts your photo and video files to a compatible format. HEIC images are converted to JPEG and HEVC videos are converted to H.264 MOV.

Connect the iPhone/iPad to your computer.

Note:

If the device was already connected to your computer, disconnect it and make sure that the Automatic option is still set. Then, reconnect the device.

Add/import the photos and videos to Lightroom. For Help instructions, see the following link:

Lightroom desktop: Add photos
Lightroom Classic: Import photos from a camera or card reader