In this article, I will explain how to read HEIC files into Java as a BufferedImage. We also have a related article covering how to write HEIC files in Java.
ImageIO does not read HEIC file types so you will need to use an external library. We believe that JDeli is the only pure Java implementation available so we will document that. If you are looking for a free solution, we recommend the Nokia library on GitHub (which includes Java wrappers).
What is HEIC?
HEIC stands for “High Efficiency Image File Format”. It is a complex lossy file format for storing bitmapped images. It was developed by Apple but is an Open Standard.
The file name extension for HEIC files is: .heic
How to read a HEIC image in Java with JDeli
Step 1 Add JDeli to your class or module path. (download the trial jar).
Step 2 Create a File handle, InputStream pointing to the raw HEIC image. You can also use a byte[] containing the image data.
Step 3 Read the HEIC image into a BufferedImage
BufferedImage image = JDeli.read(heicFile); |
Why use JDeli to read HEIC files?
JDeli offers a range of advantages over ImageIO and alternatives, including:
- complete implementation of Heic spec
- implements mirroring, rotation and clapping (ie cropping)
- 100% Java implementation
- no dependencies on other Heic libraries
- highly optimized memory usage
- supports threading
Learn more about JDeli, or download it to try it yourself.
Download JDeli here 
