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If you have an iPhone, you may have discovered a nifty feature called Live Photos. Introduced by Apple in 2016, Live Photos are three-second videos you take using the Camera app.
Live Photos can be an interesting way to capture motion, action, and facial expressions. You can have even more fun by turning Live Photos into GIFs and long-exposure photos.
But there are some downsides to taking Live Photos, especially if you don’t realize that you’re taking Live Photos instead of still photos. Here’s how to make sure you’re making the most of Live Photos on your iPhone.
About Live Photos
Live Photos are three-second videos you take with the Camera app on your iPhone when the camera is in Photo mode. Live Photos include sound so you can watch and listen to them.
With Live Photos the camera captures video 1 ½ seconds before you press the white shutter button and 1 ½ seconds after you press it. How does your iPhone camera capture video before you press the shutter button?
Magic!
Not really. In fact, your iPhone camera is constantly capturing images when the app is open and discards images you don’t use. It uses those images to create a short video when you take a Live Photo.
Tip => If you want to avoid draining your battery, don’t walk around with your Camera app open. See, 4 Easy Ways to Open Your iPhone Camera App Quickly
When viewing a Live Photo, you’ll see LIVE in the upper part of the screen. Press and hold the photo to play the video and hear the sound.
Turning Live Photos On and Off
Live Photos are turned on by default, so you may be taking Live Photos without even realizing it. You can tell whether your camera is set to take Live Photos by looking for the circle icon at the top of the screen:
and the LIVE yellow notice that appears briefly when you open the Camera app.
To turn off Live Photos, tap the circle. You’ll see LIVE OFF appear for a few seconds and see a line through the circle.
Live Photos is turned on by default. The next time you open the Camera app, Live Photos will be turned on again.
To prevent Live Photos from turning on every time you open the Camera app, go into the Settings app. Then go to:
Camera => Preserve Settings => Live Photo.
Slide the switch to On.
You can quickly switch back to Live Photos with just a tap in the Camera app. To turn on Live Photos, tap the Live Photos icon in the Camera app in Photo mode. Live Photos will be turned on while you have the Camera app open (unless you turn it off again).
Finding Live Photos
You can easily find Live Photos you’ve taken in two different ways. First, open the Photos app and search for “live”.
Or, open the Photos app, tap Albums in the bottom menu, and scroll down to Live Photos.
Changing the Key Photo in a Live Photo
When you see a Live Photo, the image you see is called the Key Photo. You can change that Key Photo to a different one in a few easy steps.
To change the Key Photo, open the Photos app and choose the Live Photo you want to edit. Tap Edit, then tap the Live Photo icon in the bottom menu. Slide through the photos to see which one you want to make the Key Photo.
After you’ve made your selection, tap Make Key Photo => Done.
That selected photo will now be the photo that appears when you see the Live Photo in the Photos app and when you share the photo with others.
Cool Stuff to Do with Live Photos
Live Photos are a fun way to preserve memories when a still photo isn’t enough. And you can use some easy edits to make wonderful creations.
GIFs
You can easily make GIFs with your Live Photos. To make a GIF, open a Live Photo in your Camera app and tap the down arrow.
In the drop-down menu, tap either Loop or Bounce to create a GIF. Try both to see which one works best for your GIF.
For a more detailed explanation of how to make GIFs, check out => How to Make GIFs on Your iPhone in 2 Easy Steps
Long Exposure
Long exposure can give a new perspective to your Live Photos. Not all Live Photos work well with long exposure but waterfalls and trains are especially good subjects for this edit.
Check out these long exposure images from @TheRealHoarse and @OwenSaysGo on Twitter:
Turning Off Live for a Photo
You can turn a Live Photo into a still photo. Perhaps a conversation was recorded you’d rather not share. Or maybe you just don’t want to share the photo as a Live Photo.
To turn off Live Photo, open the photo in the Photos app. Tap the down arrow at the top of the screen. Tap Off in the drop-down menu.
You can change your mind later by going back into that menu and choosing Live for that photo.
When Not to Use Live Photos
With all of these fun ways you can use Live Photos, you may be tempted to use Llive Photos every time you use your camera. And because Live Photos is turned on by default, many iPhone users are unknowingly taking Live Photos with every shot.
Instead, you may want to take a moment and go into Settings and turn off Live Photos being turned on by default.
Why? Well, a Live Photo uses more storage space than most still photos. if your storage space is precious, you may want to use Live Photos sparingly.
You may also be recording sounds you don’t want to share with others. Or you’re shooting subjects without motion so you don’t need to use Live Photos.
Whatever the reason, you should make a conscious choice of whether you want to use Live Photos instead of having them turned on by default. Since you can turn live Photos on and off with a tap, you can decide which photos you want to take as Live Photos.
Your Thoughts
Do you use Live Photos on your iPhone? Have you ever tried to turn off Live Photos only to find it turned on again the next time you opened the Camera app? Have you tried making a GIF or using long exposure with your Live Photos?
Share your thoughts in the Comments section below!
*Long exposure sunrise photo (edited) from Shutterstock via PicMonkey Pro
Thanks for sharing this fascinating post about iPhone Live Photos. As an iPhone user, I’ve always been intrigued by this feature, but I never realized all the creative ways it could be used.
I appreciate that the post offers a range of different ideas for how to use Live Photos, from creating animated GIFs to capturing special moments like a baby’s first steps or a pet’s playful antics. The tips for editing and sharing Live Photos are also very helpful, especially for those who are new to the feature.
Hi Matthew, Thank you for your kind words. I’m so glad you found this article to be helpful.
Yes, often when I use the camera app on someone’s phone I see Live Photos is turned on (especially because it’s turned on by default). And sometimes the phone’s owner doesn’t realize that they have Live Photos turned on or they don’t know how to adjust the settings so it’s off by default.
I hope this article helps others understand how to use Live Photos effectively.