Summary
We would like to inform you that support for HEIC and HEIF image formats in workflows powered by InDesign Server will no longer be supported.
Due to limitations in third-party dependencies, HEIC/HEIF files cannot be reliably supported in our environments. As a result, support for these formats will be discontinued moving forward. While some customers may currently rely on manual workarounds, these approaches will no longer be viable in the new platform.
We would like to clarify the support status of HEIC and HEIF image formats in workflows powered by InDesign Server.
While these formats may have worked in certain older or specific environments, support has always depended on operating system-level codecs that are not consistently available or supported in server environments.
In newer platform environments, these dependencies are no longer available, and as a result, HEIC/HEIF files cannot be reliably processed by InDesign Server. Due to this, these formats are not supported for use in automated server-based workflows.
Impact
This change affects customers using HEIC/HEIF images in automated workflows involving InDesign Server.
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All environments using InDesign Server
- HEIC/HEIF images will fail to process in automated jobs such as preview or PDF generation
- Jobs containing these image formats may fail or crash during processing
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Customers relying on an older installation of Windows Server
- Existing manual workarounds will no longer be supported or functional
- Workflows relying on HEIC/HEIF will require adjustment prior to updating InDesign Server infrastructure
Workaround / Recommendation
To ensure stable processing in automated workflows, HEIC/HEIF images should be converted to supported formats before being ingested into Studio or processed by InDesign Server.
This conversion should take place as early as possible in the content workflow, for example:
- During upload or ingestion into Studio or Assets
- As a manual or automated pre-processing step before files enter the workflow
Customers can implement this using commonly available tools such as:
- Adobe Photoshop (for example using batch actions or droplets)
- ImageMagick or similar command-line tools
- Other image conversion utilities used within their existing workflow
Please note that Studio Server and Assets do not automatically convert HEIC/HEIF files as part of standard processing. Any conversion step should be implemented as part of the customer’s own workflow, tooling, or custom-built services/integrations.
Implementing this step ensures:
- Reliable preview and PDF generation
- Consistent behavior across environments
- Elimination of job failures related to unsupported formats
Replacements / Alternatives
Supported image formats within InDesign Server workflows include:
- JPG for general use and compatibility
- PNG for transparency support
- TIFF for high-quality production workflows
Moving to these formats ensures:
- Reliable preview and PDF generation
- Compatibility across all supported environments
- Reduced risk of processing failures
Background
Support for HEIC/HEIF images in InDesign Server depends on external operating system codecs, which are not consistently available or supported in server environments.
Attempts to enable support through open-source solutions resulted in instability, including repeated crashes during job processing. Additionally, there is no official support path from platform vendors to enable these codecs reliably in server-based environments.
As a result, continued support for these formats cannot be guaranteed.
We understand that this change may require adjustments to your existing workflows and appreciate your cooperation in ensuring a smooth transition.
If you have questions or need assistance reviewing your setup, please reach out to your account manager or our support team.
Thank you for your continued partnership.
Kind regards,
WoodWing Product Team
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