{"id":"image-heic-sequence","mimeType":"image/heic-sequence","name":"HEVC Image Sequence (HEIF Container)","shortName":"HEIC-Sequence","category":"Photography","extensions":[".heics",".heic"],"description":"An image/heic-sequence stores a collection of HEVC-encoded images within a single High Efficiency Image File Format (HEIF) container. It is most notably utilized by Apple's ecosystem to power 'Live Photos' and burst photography, offering seamless animation and rich metadata at a fraction of the file size of traditional video or GIF formats.","seo":{"title":"image/heic-sequence MIME Type | Complete Developer Reference \u0026 Magic Bytes","description":"Complete reference for the image/heic-sequence MIME type: magic bytes, browser support matrix, HTTP headers, developer snippets, and technical specifications for HEVC image sequences.","faqs":[{"question":"What is the difference between image/heic and image/heic-sequence?","answer":"While both use the HEVC (H.265) codec inside a HEIF container, image/heic represents a single still image, whereas image/heic-sequence contains multiple frames (an image sequence) used for animations, burst shots, or Live Photos."},{"question":"What is the magic byte for HEIC sequences?","answer":"Like other HEIF files, HEIC sequences use the ISOBMFF container structure. The signature begins with a 4-byte box size, followed by the 'ftyp' identifier, and the brand string 'hevc' or 'hevx'. The hex representation is typically XX XX XX XX 66 74 79 70 68 65 76 63 (....ftyphevc)."},{"question":"How do I display an image/heic-sequence on a website?","answer":"Native browser support is practically non-existent outside of Safari on Apple devices. For cross-browser web delivery, HEIC sequences must be converted to standard web animation formats like Animated WebP, AVIF, or MP4 video."}]},"index":{"compression":["Lossy","Lossless"],"browserSupport":{"score":2,"label":"Poor (Safari Only)"},"commonUses":["Apple Live Photos","Burst Photography","High-Quality Animations","Cinemagraphs"]},"technical":{"magicBytes":{"hex":"XX XX XX XX 66 74 79 70 68 65 76 63","ascii":"....ftyphevc"},"container":"HEIF / ISOBMFF (ISO/IEC 14496-12)","compressionAlgorithm":["HEVC (H.265)"],"colorDepth":["8-bit","10-bit","12-bit","16-bit"],"transparency":true,"animation":true,"metadata":{"exif":true,"xmp":true,"iccProfile":true},"alphaChannel":true,"progressiveLoading":false,"hdrSupport":true},"history":{"developer":"Moving Picture Experts Group (MPEG) / Apple","released":"2017","specification":"ISO/IEC 23008-12 (MPEG-H Part 12)"},"browserSupport":{"chrome":false,"chromeVersion":"None","firefox":false,"firefoxVersion":"None","safari":true,"safariVersion":"11+","edge":false,"edgeVersion":"None","internetExplorer":false},"softwareSupport":[{"name":"Apple Photos (macOS/iOS)","logo":""},{"name":"ImageMagick","logo":"image-magic.webp"},{"name":"FFmpeg","logo":""}],"conversion":{"convertTo":["gif","webp","avif"],"convertFrom":["gif","webp","avif"]},"developer":{"httpHeaders":[{"header":"Content-Type","value":"image/heic-sequence"}],"htmlAccept":"image/heic-sequence, .heics","fileDetection":["Check for ISOBMFF 'ftyp' box starting at byte offset 4","Verify 'hevc' or 'hevx' brand string starting at byte offset 8 to confirm it is a HEVC sequence"]},"prosCons":{"pros":["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"],"cons":["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"]},"specifications":{"url":"https://nokiatech.github.io/heif/","rfc":"","mimeAliases":["image/heif-sequence"]},"developerSnippets":{"python":"import magic\nprint(magic.from_file('livephoto.heics', mime=True)) # May default to 'image/heif' or 'image/heic'","nodejs":"const FileType = require('file-type');\nconst type = await FileType.fromFile('livephoto.heics');\nconsole.log(type.mime); // Typically resolves to image/heic or image/heic-sequence based on the library version","go":"import \"net/http\"\n\n// The standard net/http library cannot detect HEIF sequences.\n// Specialized ISOBMFF parsing is required to read the 'hevc' brand.","php":"$mime = mime_content_type('livephoto.heics');\necho $mime; // Standard magic databases often lack specific sequence signatures"},"relatedFormats":["heic","heif","webp"]}