PSE 25, Apple HEIC, and Flickr

AFAIK, if you search by any method for .heic files that are hidden in a stack, the Organizer will also display other files within the same stack.  Searching by filename (Shift+Ctrl+K) using .heic as your search criteria will also include any filenames that include those characters even if not the file extension.  I am going to request that Adobe include the .heic format in the Search by Details (Metadata).  But that feature is so old, they may not want to touch it (for fear of breaking it), and I doubt whether it will be included in any dot release of Elements 2025.

My only other thought is that your original post was seeking to upload photos to a sharing site.  Unless you are intending to upload all of your .heic photos to Flickr (or another sharing site that does not support .heic files), then it doesn't seem like it is necessary to convert your older files to jpeg.  Of course, if you are having problems similar to mine, then by all means convert the files.  And only download jpegs to your computer from your iPhone in the future.

Unfortunately, there is no universal standard for the metadata involved.

Jim, I don't use iCloud for Windows on the desktop because Apple makes it extremely difficult to save files to anything other than the C drive.  I just tried downloading a photo from the iCloud website and it automatically downloaded to my chosen folder in jpeg format.

As for the Metadata, I performed a couple of tests.  I placed some keyword and People tags on two .heic photos, starred them, and placed them in an Album.  I saved metadata to one of the files (using Ctrl+W).  I then converted both to jpeg, using the iMazing Converter utility.  None of the metadata was saved in the conversion.   I then tried the same experiment, using the PSE Editor's Process Multiple Files.   This time, the star ratings were preserved in both photos, and the Organizer import allowed me to import the Tags from both photos.  However (as expected), the People tags were converted to Keyword Tags and ended up in the Imported Keyword Tags category.  It is fairly easy to convert these tags to People tags (although face recognition will not be preserved until the files go through the FR process on import).  Neither photo imported to an Album.  Again, depending on how many Albums you have, it would be fairly easy to tag your Albums with a similar Keyword Tag.  When the converted heic files are imported into the Organizer with the keyword tag, they can then be easily imported into the Album if necessary.  Simply select the keyword tag, press Ctrl+A to select them all and drag to the appropriate Album.

Happy New Year to you too.

1.   I have been using Elements regularly since version 3.  And I have been using an iPhone since version 6 or 7.  In my opinion, there should be absolutely no reason to use .heic files (with a Windows computer) other than to save storage space on your phone.

• Jpeg is a universally used format, and reports of its death have been greatly exagerated.
• As you note, Flickr does not support .heic files.  Nor does Instagram, another widely used sharing site.
• I have seen no verifiable evidence that .heic files have any better picture quality than jpeg
• .heic files use a different color profile than other formats and it is more difficult to get accurate color prints
• while the .heic format is more compressed than jpeg, which is a valid consideration for storage on your phone, computer hard drives are large and cheap so this shouldn't be an important issue for most computers.
• I have had nothing but problems using .heic files in the Organizer.  Most recently, I have had problems with file orientation not being recognized in the Organizer.  All of my jpeg files from my iPhone are correctly oriented.  But many of my .heic files are rotated upside down.  And when I try to rotate them in the Organizer, they will only rotate 90 degrees.  A second 90 degree rotation will return to upside down!  Fortunately, these photos can be rotated in the Editor.  I have also had issues with .heic thumbnails not displaying correctly.  IIRC, this was an issue in Elements 2024 and seems to be fixed in 2025.

2.  So, I am not a fan of the .heic format and would encourage you to use jpeg instead.  Unfortunately, even though my iPhone is set to transfer photos to my computer as jpegs, the Organizer's APD imports them in their original .heic format.  For this reason, if I have a large number of photos to import from my iPhone, I use other programs to save them to my computer, and then Import>From files and folders.

For the .heic photos that are already on your computer, there are a number of conversion methods that are available. 

• The iMazing Converter is a free utility.  The only downside of this program is that you have to send the converted jpegs to a different folder than the original. 
• You can also use the Elements Editor's File>Process Multiple Files tool which is more flexible, but can only import from a single folder at a time (or from Open Files).
• I have also used the Organizer's Instant Fix editor to bulk convert .heic files.  The advantage to this method is that the files will be converted to jpeg and placed in a stack with the original.  To use this method, you have to make a minor  change in one of the editing parameters and the files will be saved with that insignificant change.

3.  I personally use SmugMug as a file sharing site.  It can handle .heic files and automatically uploads files from my phone.  However, it is a subscription service that caters more and more to professionals who want to sell their photos, and the subscription prices continue to increase.  It is also a little intimidating to navigate.  I just did a quick Google to find that Google Photos also handles .heic files.  But I think you now only get 15GB of free storage space there. 

It should be easy to use the Organizer with almost any web service provider.  The upload mechanism usually has a drag and drop feature, and you can always drag and drop photos from the Organizer to a website.

Hope this helps.