HEIF is short for High Efficiency Image Format. HEIF uses video compression technology called HEVC (High Efficiency Video Coding). It is a standard developed by MPEG, the committee who developed all of the standard video compression technologies — MPEG-1, MPEG-2, MPEG-4, H.264/AVC, and the newest codec HEVC also known as H.265. Images are compressed as HEIF, which is saved with extension .heic. In addition, HEIF can be used to capture iPhone burst photography (multi-exposure shots), “live” photos, and more.