Guides
Making Live Photos, GIFs and stills from video on iPhone, iPad and Mac. Every guide says whether it was tested on a device or checked against the app and Apple's documentation.
Make a Live Photo
Change a Live Photo's key photo, and why it looks blurry
Change a Live Photo's key photo with Make Key Photo on iPhone, iPad or Mac, why the new one often looks blurry, and how to keep a sharp cover.
Crop a Live Photo to 1:1, 4:5 or 16:9 and keep it moving
Crop a Live Photo on iPhone or Mac without losing the motion: Photos' crop tool and ratios, and how to make several cropped copies, such as 4:5 and 16:9.
How long can a Live Photo be? Make one longer than 3 seconds
A camera Live Photo covers 1.5 seconds either side of the shutter. Why Photos can't extend it, and how to make a longer Live Photo from a video.
How to turn a video into a Live Photo on iPhone
Turn a video into a Live Photo on iPhone or iPad: choose the part that moves, pick any frame as the still, and save it to Photos with sound.
Keep date and location when converting video to Live Photo
Why a Live Photo made from a video can show today's date or no location in Photos, how to keep the original date and place, and how to fix it afterwards.
How to make a Live Photo from a video on a Mac
Photos on a Mac can edit Live Photos but has no way to make one from a video. How to turn any video into a Live Photo on a Mac, step by step.
Video to Live Photo or GIF with Shortcuts and share sheet
Turn a video into a Live Photo or GIF from the share sheet or a shortcut on iPhone and iPad, with Beavery's six Shortcuts actions and their limits.
Make several Live Photos, GIFs and stills from one video
Mark each moment of a video as a Live Photo, GIF, clip or full-resolution still, keep them in one list, and export them all together in one step.
How to turn a still photo into a Live Photo on iPhone
Photos can't turn a still photo into a Live Photo. How an app does it, what motion you get (still or a gentle zoom), and what stays full resolution.
Video to Live Photo quality: resolution, HDR and HEIF
Does turning a video into a Live Photo lose quality? What happens to resolution, frame rate, HDR and sound, why the still is capped, and HEIF/HEVC.
How it works
How long can a Live Photo be? Make one longer than 3 seconds
A camera Live Photo covers 1.5 seconds either side of the shutter. Why Photos can't extend it, and how to make a longer Live Photo from a video.
Keep date and location when converting video to Live Photo
Why a Live Photo made from a video can show today's date or no location in Photos, how to keep the original date and place, and how to fix it afterwards.
Live Photo sound: how to mute, keep or check it
How to mute or unmute a Live Photo in Photos on iPhone and Mac, why a Live Photo can have no sound, and how to keep or drop the audio when you convert one.
How to move Live Photos to a Mac or PC and keep them live
Why Live Photos become stills or two files on a computer, and how to move them to a Mac or Windows PC via iCloud, USB or export and keep them live.
Video to Live Photo quality: resolution, HDR and HEIF
Does turning a video into a Live Photo lose quality? What happens to resolution, frame rate, HDR and sound, why the still is capped, and HEIF/HEVC.
What Apple Photos can and can't do with Live Photos
Photos on iPhone, iPad and Mac edits, shares and exports Live Photos but can't make one from a video. What works in iOS 27 and macOS 27, and what doesn't.
What's inside a Live Photo: two files and one identifier
A Live Photo is a still image and a short movie that share one identifier. What each file holds, how Photos pairs them, and how to keep them together.