Free webp to jpg
HEIF-Sequence

High Efficiency Image File Format Sequence

image/heif-sequence Released 2015 · by Moving Picture Experts Group (MPEG)

An image/heif-sequence is a container format that stores a collection of images (an image sequence) within a High Efficiency Image File Format (HEIF) structure. Unlike HEIC sequences which are strictly bound to the HEVC codec, HEIF sequences are codec-agnostic and can encapsulate image bursts or animations encoded with various compression algorithms.

Photography Transparency Animation ✦ HDR Production Ready

Technical Specifications

MIME Type
image/heif-sequence
Extensions
.heifs.heif.hif
Container
HEIF / ISOBMFF (ISO/IEC 14496-12)
Compression
Lossy & Lossless
Algorithms
Codec Agnostic (HEVC, AVC, JPEG, AV1)
Color Depth
8-bit, 10-bit, 12-bit, 16-bit
Metadata
EXIF XMP ICC
Capabilities
Transparency
Animation
Progressive Loading
Alpha Channel
HDR Support
Official Specification
Aliases: image/heic-sequence

Magic Bytes & HTTP Headers

File Signature (Magic Bytes)
XX XX XX XX 66 74 79 70 6D 73 66 31
ASCII: ....ftypmsf1
HTTP Headers
Content-Type: image/heif-sequence
HTML Accept Attribute
accept="image/heif-sequence, .heifs, .heif"

Browser Support Matrix

Browser Status Min Version
Chrome Chrome
Not Supported
Firefox Firefox
Not Supported
Safari Safari
Not Supported
Edge Edge
Not Supported
Internet Explorer Internet Explorer
Not Supported Legacy

Advantages & Limitations

Advantages
  • 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

Developer Code Snippets

import magic
print(magic.from_file('burst.heifs', mime=True)) # May output generic 'image/heif' based on the library's magic file
const FileType = require('file-type');
const type = await FileType.fromFile('burst.heifs');
console.log(type.mime); // Typically resolves to image/heif
import "net/http"

// Custom ISOBMFF parsing is strongly recommended to read the 'msf1' brand from the ftyp box.
$mime = mime_content_type('burst.heifs');
echo $mime; // Standard implementations often map this to application/octet-stream or image/heif

File Detection Steps

How to programmatically detect a image/heif-sequence file by reading its raw bytes:

  1. 1 Check bytes 4-7 for the 'ftyp' box identifier
  2. 2 Verify the major brand string at bytes 8-11 is 'msf1' (Multi-picture Sequence File)

Software Support

A
Apple Photos
W
Windows Photos (with HEIF Extension)
ImageMagick ImageMagick

Conversion Tools

Share & Embed

Markdown Badge
HEIF-Sequence Format Badge
[![HEIF-Sequence Format](https://freewebptojpg.com/mime/image/heif-sequence/badge.svg)](https://freewebptojpg.com/mime/image/heif-sequence)
Interactive iframe Widget
<iframe src="https://freewebptojpg.com/mime/image/heif-sequence/embed" width="100%" height="280" style="border:1px solid #cbd5e1;border-radius:8px;" title="HEIF-Sequence Specs"></iframe>

JSON API

All data on this page is available as a free, open JSON API. Use it in your project, documentation, or tooling.

GET https://freewebptojpg.com/mime/image/heif-sequence.json Open JSON
Free to use
No auth required
CORS enabled
Use from any domain
Cached 24h
Cache-Control headers set

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the difference between image/heif-sequence and image/heic-sequence?

Both utilize the ISOBMFF-based HEIF container for storing multiple frames. However, image/heic-sequence mandates the use of the HEVC (H.265) video codec for compression, while image/heif-sequence is a broader, codec-agnostic classification that can accommodate AVC, AV1, or JPEG encoded frames.

What is the magic byte for a HEIF sequence?

HEIF sequences begin with a standard ISOBMFF 4-byte box size, followed by the 'ftyp' identifier, and typically use the major brand 'msf1' (Multi-picture Sequence File). The hex sequence is XX XX XX XX 66 74 79 70 6D 73 66 31 (....ftypmsf1).

Do web browsers support image/heif-sequence?

No. Modern web browsers do not natively support HEIF sequence files. To display animated or burst content on the web, developers should convert HEIF sequences to standardized formats like MP4, Animated WebP, or Animated AVIF.

Related Formats

Share this format