2013 Mac pro running Sierra needs to upgrade for HEIC support

Software
1

I’m currently running Sierra on a 2013 Mac Pro and an Xs iphone that, of course, captures photos in HEIC format, unsupported by Sierra. I’m trying to figure out the best strategy for opening, editing, and printing the files (using Lightroom or Photoshop) on the Mac. My first thought was to export the photos as JPGs from the Photos app but when I do that it down-samples the files. I’d rather not change the iphone capture format to JPG since HEIC does seem to offer improvements.

So, I suppose I need to upgrade the OS in order to edit these HEIC files. It seems Mojave is supported by the 2013 Mac Pro, but I’m afraid of breaking support for my printers (Epson P5000 and an old Dell laser). I’m looking for advice about a strategy: upgrade to High Sierra somehow? Upgrade to Mojave? Some workaround to open HEIC? or some workaround to convert HEIC to some other format (JPG, Tiff) at full resolution.

I hope all this makes sense–I’m a photographer not a MPU ;o(

2

You can export the pictures in TIFF or PNG from the Photos app, which will preserve the quality.

Otherwise, you can upgrade your Mac Pro to macOS High Sierra even if it’s not searchable in the Mac App Store.

Visit the following page, scroll down and you’ll find a direct link to the High Sierra installer available from the Mac App Store:

Before doing so, I recommend to check the compatibility of the software you use the most via the RoaringApps site.

3

I’m also running a 2013 Mac Pro and upgrading to High Sierra will solve your HEIC issue. I’ll be upgrading it to Mojave next week probably.

This documents relevant: https://support.apple.com/en-ca/HT207022

There are a few apps out there that will do conversions, but really, the best option is to upgrade to latest.