Feedback on an app to convert JPG to HEIC on iOS

[errrneist]

Hi Everyone!

I am writing to seek for feedback about an idea I had to build an app to convert JPG to HEIC on iOS.

Background:

* As you probably know, on a Fujifilm (And some other cameras like Canon), there is no way to use a USB C cable to connect to your iPhone/iPad/Mac and open up the photos in Finder. (Apparently they are using a protocol called PTP)

* Many Fujifilm cameras don’t have HEIF format/The HIF file generated is still quite large/Doesn’t allow HIF format in certain modes such as AUTO on my X-S20

Problem:

* You can only see them in the Photos app and it’s really hard to manipulate these photos, I don’t want to import JPG to my photos library because they are very large.

My workflow:

* I almost never post process my photos.

* I shoot Astia in JPG+RAW,

* Then I convert the JPG into HEIC on Mac(Right click JPG - Quick Action - Convert Image - HEIF+Original Size+Preserve Metadata)

* Then I drag and save all of my photos into iCloud Photos.

Q: Why don’t I just take a card reader with me and convert using the File app?

* On iPhone/iPad, the same quick action exists in the file app, but the quick action does not preserve metadata.

* If I import that into Photos, I lose all metadata such as GPS, lens info, etc.

* Therefore, when I travel, I must take a Mac AND a Card reader with me.


Solution:

I want to build an app on iOS that can:

1. directly read photos via a USB C cable

2. Convert them into HEIC (to save space in iCloud Photos)

3. Import into Photos


How do you think? Do you think this is worth building? Will people like it or use it?

 

[g7_chord]

If you consider the population that has this problem, reduce that to the ones who know they have the problem, reduce that to the ones who are motivated to find a solution, and then reduce that to the ones who would download an app to fix the problem, I think you have a very small group left. Write the app if you want to use it, but don't count on making any money or gaining any recognition.

A tipoff is your extremely complex explanation of the problem.

Over the years, decades even, I have written many very useful apps that were useful to nobody except me.

 

[Greybeard2023]

Solution:

I want to build an app on iOS that can:

1. directly read photos via a USB C cable

2. Convert them into HEIC (to save space in iCloud Photos)

3. Import into Photos

How do you think? Do you think this is worth building? Will people like it or use it?

Have you worked out how to accomplish step 1 (without using a card reader)?

 

[KariP]

Hi Everyone!

I am writing to seek for feedback about an idea I had to build an app to convert JPG to HEIC on iOS.

Background:

* As you probably know, on a Fujifilm (And some other cameras like Canon), there is no way to use a USB C cable to connect to your iPhone/iPad/Mac and open up the photos in Finder. (Apparently they are using a protocol called PTP)

* Many Fujifilm cameras don’t have HEIF format/The HIF file generated is still quite large/Doesn’t allow HIF format in certain modes such as AUTO on my X-S20

Problem:

* You can only see them in the Photos app and it’s really hard to manipulate these photos, I don’t want to import JPG to my photos library because they are very large.

My workflow:

* I almost never post process my photos.

* I shoot Astia in JPG+RAW,

* Then I convert the JPG into HEIC on Mac(Right click JPG - Quick Action - Convert Image - HEIF+Original Size+Preserve Metadata)

* Then I drag and save all of my photos into iCloud Photos.

Q: Why don’t I just take a card reader with me and convert using the File app?

* On iPhone/iPad, the same quick action exists in the file app, but the quick action does not preserve metadata.

* If I import that into Photos, I lose all metadata such as GPS, lens info, etc.

* Therefore, when I travel, I must take a Mac AND a Card reader with me.

Solution:

I want to build an app on iOS that can:

1. directly read photos via a USB C cable

2. Convert them into HEIC (to save space in iCloud Photos)

3. Import into Photos

How do you think? Do you think this is worth building? Will people like it or use it?

HEIC/HEIF files contain more info and they are a bit like RAW files. For example iPhone shoots HEIF files and they can be adjusted and converted to small JPEG with your photos software ... Also quite many new (Fujifilm) cameras can shoot HEIF

I do not see it very useful to to write an app that writes RAF files from JPEG ;-)

I think that photographers (hobbyists especially) should shoot RAW and do some PP / editing - it will teach you many important things (usually useful ). Highly recommended !

BTW - storage space is rather cheap nowadays - and i do not really understand your workflow. It is perhaps me...

 

[Aristide Rutilant]

Can't you just find an app that would transform your raw files to HEIF ? This way you'll convert your photos from the source instead of going from a format that has already lost a bunch of information and quite likely everything that make HEIF interesting to begin with…

I wouldn't be surprised that any recent version of Lightroom or Capture One could do it.

 

[errrneist]

Thank you all with the helpful comments! I wrote the tool anyway, but for now it is for myself very niche need, but we’ll see haha

 

[Greybeard2023]

Thank you all with the helpful comments! I wrote the tool anyway, but for now it is for myself very niche need, but we’ll see haha

did you figure out how to directly read photos from the camera via a USB C cable from iOS?

 

[errrneist]

It is not possible, iOS does not have that access to 3rd party app. I built an app that would work via a as card reader.

 

[Jermainem]

Background:

* As you probably know, on a Fujifilm (And some other cameras like Canon), there is no way to use a USB C cable to connect to your iPhone/iPad/Mac and open up the photos in Finder. (Apparently they are using a protocol called PTP)

1. directly read photos via a USB C cable

I'm not sure about iPhone and iPad (as I don't have either) but you can plug in your camera via USB C and view them that way on a Mac, just not in the finder.

If you set the camera to card reader mode, then open an app called "image capture" (it's built in, so no need to download anything) on your Mac, every file will then show itself for viewing and you can download any or all files to your Mac from there. Not sure if that helps your problem.