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Image MIME Reference
HEIC-Sequence

HEVC Image Sequence (HEIF Container)

image/heic-sequence
VS

High Efficiency Image File Format Sequence

image/heif-sequence
HEIF-Sequence

A complete technical comparison of HEVC Image Sequence (HEIF Container) and High Efficiency Image File Format Sequence — covering compression, feature support, browser compatibility, magic bytes, and when to choose each format.

HEIC-Sequence wins on browser support

Feature Support

Feature HEIC-Sequence HEIF-Sequence
Transparency (Alpha) Yes Yes
Animation Support Yes Yes
Progressive Loading ✕ No ✕ No
HDR Support Yes Yes
EXIF Metadata Yes Yes
ICC Color Profile Yes Yes
HEVC Image Sequence (HEIF Container)
image/heic-sequence
Extension
.heics.heic
Container HEIF / ISOBMFF (ISO/IEC 14496-12)
Compression Lossy / Lossless
Algorithm
HEVC (H.265)
Color Depth 8-bit, 10-bit, 12-bit, 16-bit
Developed by Moving Picture Experts Group (MPEG) / Apple
Released 2017
Magic Bytes
XX XX XX XX 66 74 79 70 68 65 76 63
Full HEIC-Sequence reference →
High Efficiency Image File Format Sequence
image/heif-sequence
Extension
.heifs.heif.hif
Container HEIF / ISOBMFF (ISO/IEC 14496-12)
Compression Lossy / Lossless
Algorithm
Codec Agnostic (HEVC, AVC, JPEG, AV1)
Color Depth 8-bit, 10-bit, 12-bit, 16-bit
Developed by Moving Picture Experts Group (MPEG)
Released 2015
Magic Bytes
XX XX XX XX 66 74 79 70 6D 73 66 31
Full HEIF-Sequence reference →

Browser Support Comparison

Browser HEIC-Sequence HEIF-Sequence
Chrome Chrome
✕ ✕
Firefox Firefox
✕ ✕
Safari Safari
✓ 11+
 ✕
Edge Edge
✕ ✕
IE IE (Legacy)
✕ ✕
HEIC-Sequence

HEIC-Sequence Strengths

  • Incredibly efficient storage for bursts and short animations compared to GIF or motion JPEG
  • Supports 16-bit color, HDR, and alpha channel transparency across all frames
  • Shares frame data blocks, meaning the base image and animation data are heavily optimized for space
Limitations
  • Zero support in web browsers outside the Apple ecosystem (Chrome, Firefox, Edge do not support it)
  • Heavily encumbered by HEVC patent pools, hindering open-source adoption
  • Complex container structure makes parsing and decoding difficult without specialized libraries
HEIF-Sequence

HEIF-Sequence Strengths

  • Codec-agnostic container allows for extreme flexibility when storing multi-frame photographic data
  • Maintains the space-saving benefits of ISOBMFF shared frame data blocks
  • Excellent for archiving computational photography workloads like exposure brackets or focal stacks
Limitations
  • Codec ambiguity means a decoder might be able to parse the container but fail to decode the underlying pixels
  • Zero native web browser support
  • Complex container structure requires specialized parsing libraries to extract individual frames

When to choose which format

HEIC-Sequence
Use HEIC-Sequence when…
  • Apple Live Photos
  • Burst Photography
  • High-Quality Animations
  • Cinemagraphs
HEIF-Sequence
Use HEIF-Sequence when…
  • Burst Photography
  • Focal Stacking
  • Exposure Bracketing
  • Time-Lapse Data

More comparisons

HEIC-Sequence vs ACES → HEIF-Sequence vs ACES → HEIC-Sequence vs APNG → HEIF-Sequence vs APNG → HEIC-Sequence vs AVCI → HEIF-Sequence vs AVCI → HEIC-Sequence vs AVCS → HEIF-Sequence vs AVCS → HEIC-Sequence vs AVIF → HEIF-Sequence vs AVIF → All comparisons →
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