Camera RAW conversion
Convert DNG to HEIF
Updated Jul 2026
DNG is the raw file your camera or phone saves before any processing, and HEIF is the compact format Apple devices use for photos. To convert DNG to HEIF, open the raw file in a converter and export it as HEIF. Doing this on your own computer means the raw file, with all its original data, never has to leave your machine.
- Extension
- .dng
- Type
- Camera RAW
- Typically
- Adobe / universal RAW
- Metadata
- Carries EXIF
- Extension
- .heif
- Type
- Images
- Typically
- Apple devices
- Compression
- Lossy
- Transparency
- None
- Metadata
- Carries EXIF
Convert DNG to HEIF on your own computer. Nothing uploads.
How to convert DNG to HEIF
- Open Morphjet and drag in the DNG file, or a whole folder of them, from your camera or phone.
- Choose HEIF as the output format.
- Convert. The HEIF files are written next to your originals, and nothing leaves your machine.
DNG vs HEIF: what actually changes
| DNG | HEIF | |
|---|---|---|
| File size | Large, full raw sensor data | Much smaller, compressed |
| Quality | Lossless, nothing processed away | Lossy, but very good at normal viewing sizes |
| Editing flexibility | Full, exposure and white balance adjustable after the fact | Limited, the image is already processed and baked in |
| Opens everywhere | Needs raw-capable software | Yes, on recent Apple devices, more limited elsewhere |
| Keeps date and location (EXIF) | Yes | Yes, unless you strip it |
When to convert, and when not to
Convert DNG to HEIF once you're done editing a raw photo and just want a small, easy to view version for your Photos library, a Mac, or an iPhone.
Keep the DNG if you might still want to adjust exposure or white balance later, because converting to HEIF locks in those choices and you can't get the raw sensor data back afterward.
Why not just use an online converter?
A DNG straight off a camera or phone carries full EXIF data, and often the GPS location of where it was shot, alongside the raw sensor information. Sending that file to an online converter hands all of it to someone else's server. Converting on your own computer keeps the raw photo, and everything attached to it, on your machine the whole time.
Questions
Does converting DNG to HEIF lose quality?
Yes, some. DNG is lossless and HEIF compresses the image, so there's a one-time quality loss on export. At normal viewing and sharing sizes it's hard to notice, but it's not reversible.
Can I still edit exposure or white balance after converting to HEIF?
Not the way you could with the DNG. Raw editing works because the sensor data is untouched. Once it's a HEIF, those adjustments are already baked into the image.
Will the HEIF keep the photo's date and location?
Yes. The date, camera settings, and GPS location stored in the DNG carry over to the HEIF unless you deliberately strip the metadata first.
Can I convert DNG to HEIF without uploading the raw file?
Yes. A desktop app like Morphjet converts on your own computer, so the raw file and its metadata never travel over the internet. You can do it with your wifi off.
Why convert to HEIF instead of just keeping the DNG?
DNG files are large and not every app or website can open them. HEIF is much smaller and works well for viewing, sharing, and storing finished photos on Apple devices.
Morphjet converts DNG, HEIF, and 1,800+ other formats, all on your machine. Launching this July.