Today, capturing the most important and memorable moments with a phone camera has become an integral part of our everyday life. In the era of smartphone photography, Live Photos have emerged as a popular feature that combines still imagery and brief video clips. Live Photo function is capturing a brief three-second clip spanning 1.5 seconds before and after pressing the shutter button. This feature has become a hallmark of every iPhone model, often remaining activated by default for new users.
While Live Photos add a dynamic element to our memories, sometimes we might want a more immersive experience – a full-fledged video that can help the viewer immerse into the essence of the valuable moment. If you realise that your Live Photo would look much better in the video format, whether for posting it on your social media or for sending it to your friends or family, here are several ways how you can accomplish that.
In addition, it is quite easy to share Live Photos with other Apple devices users via iMessage or Shared Albums, but social media like X, Instagram or Facebook where you could potentially share your moments do not support this format. So, this guide is going to help you with the issue.
How to Turn Live Photo Into Video: 3 Ways
Option 1: Built-In iPhone or iPad Function
One of the easiest ways to turn your Live Photo into video is the already existing function on your iPhone. Apple's ecosystem provides convenient built-in tools for transforming Live Photos into videos directly on your device.
Here are four simple steps to do this:
Step 1: Go to the Photos app.
Step 2: Scroll down to find Media Types, and then tap Live Photos.
Step 3: Select a Live Photo.
Step 4: Tap the More button (three dots) and select Save as Video.
And there you have it! Your video will be saved in the Recents album while you can still find the initial photo in the Live Photos album.
Option 2: Shortcuts
It is highly possible that the Shortcuts app by Apple is already installed on your iPhone, but if not, you can easily download it from the App Store. While the app offers numerous pre-existing shortcuts, you'll need to acquire a specific one from Apple's website to facilitate the conversion of Live Photos into videos. Here is how to do it:
Step 1: Navigate to the Convert Live Photos to Video page using your iPhone browser.
Step 2: Tap on "Get Shortcut" followed by "Add Shortcut." This action will integrate the shortcut into your Shortcuts app.
Step 3: Simply select the "Convert Live Photos to Video" shortcut and designate the Live Photo you wish to transform.
This is also a nice and convenient way to have easy access to the function if you need to use it often. Just remember to exclude all still images in Apple Photos and make sure you are only working Live Photos, otherwise this algorithm is obviously not going to work with simple photos.
Option 3: Using Mac Devices
It is also possible to turn your Live Photo into video on your Mac laptop or computer. If your Live Photos are synced with iCloud, you can access them via the Photos app on your Mac.
However, the steps are slightly different than on iPhone or iPad.
Step 1: Open the Photos app to choose the Live Photo you want to turn into a video.
Step2: Right-click on the photo you wish to transform and select Export → Export Unmodified Original.
Step 3: Choose the file format and click on Export.
Basically, you can use all your Apple devices to make videos out of your Live Photos. Just make sure you have access to your iCloud to work all the photos you have.
How to Combine Several Live Photos into One Video
If you have iOS 16 or later, it is also possible to combine your Live Photos and make a montage combining several videos. The process is similar to the one for a single Live Photo.
Here is how to do it:
Step 1: Go the the Photos app and choose Albums section.
Step 2: Select Live Photos you want to be in your final video.
Step 3: Tap the More button (three dots) and select Save as Video.
You will see the “Saving…” dialog. It usually takes some time until your device processes the information, depending on how many photos you have chosen. Remember only to include Live Photos, otherwise you will not be able to access the “Save as Video” feature.
How to Turn Live Photo into GIF
It might be more suitable to use GIFs on certain types of platforms. Many social media networks do not support Live Photos natively. Converting Live Photos to GIFs resolves this issue, as GIFs are widely supported across various platforms and can be easily shared via messaging apps, social media, and email.
Step 1: Choose the Live Photo you wish to convert into a GIF from Photos app.
Step 2: Tap "Edit" while viewing the Live Photo.
Step 3: Trim the Live Photo to select the segment you want to convert.
Step 4: Save the trimmed Live Photo as a GIF.
After saving the file as a GIF, take a moment to review the result to ensure it meets your expectations. Preview the GIF to confirm that it loops smoothly and captures the essence of the original Live Photo.
Wrapping-Up
Congratulations! Now you know how to successfully convert your Live Photo into a video or even make a compilation or a GIF. Now, you can share your video with friends and family, or simply enjoy watching and reliving the captured moment in full motion.
Nowadays, capturing cherished moments with Live Photos has become a norm, offering a blend of still imagery and short video clips. While Live Photos are immersive, converting them into videos or GIFs makes sharing easier. The methods from this guide can help you to make the most of your Live Photos, ensuring they can be easily enjoyed and shared across various platforms and devices.
So go ahead, give it a try, and unlock the full potential of your Live Photos on your Apple devices. And don’t forget that you can also edit your Live Photo before converting it into a video. You can make adjustments to aspects such as brightness, contrast, and saturation to enhance the visual appeal of your photo and the resulting video respectively.
