How To Convert a Live Photo Into a Video on iPhone and Mac

How To Convert a Live Photo Into a Video on iPhone and Mac.

Live Photo compatibility is virtually nonexistent outside of the Apple ecosystem. This is why iPhones and Macs automatically convert live images to JPEG files by transferring them through applications such as Mail.

But one way to preserve the dynamic nature of Live Photos and improve compatibility is to convert photos to videos. It also helps preserve audio, which is not possible when converting Live Photos to GIF.

Convert Live Photos to Video on iPhone Using the Photos App

If you want to convert Live Photo to GIF on iPhone, you can’t just use the native Photos app to do that. However, the opportunity to do this is hidden within the general sheet and is easy to miss.

1. Open the Photos app on your iPhone.

2. Go to the Albums tab and click Live Photos (under Media Types) to open a list of all Live Photos on your iPhone.

3. Select the Live Photo you want to convert.

4. Click the Share button in the lower left corner of the screen.

5. Scroll down the sharing sheet and tap the Save as Video option. The Photos app should instantly save Live Photos as video.

5. Open the “Recents” album on the iPhone, or click “Videos” under “Media Types” to find the converted video.

6. Repeat these steps for any other live photos you want to convert.

The Photos app converts live photos to video using the HEVC (High Efficiency Video Coding) standard. You can check this by swiping up to view the video metadata. Since HEVC videos are generally not supported on third-party devices, Photos will automatically encode them to H.264 for better sharing compatibility.

You can also use the Photos app to convert multiple live photos. However, the result is one continuous video instead of separate photo files. If that’s not what you want, use a shortcut instead (check the next section).

Convert Live Photos to Video on iPhone Using the Shortcuts App

Alternatively, you can use the shortcut to convert Live Photo to Video on iPhone. To do this, you need the Shortcuts app. If you can’t find it, you can download it from the App Store.

The Shortcuts app gallery does not have a built-in shortcut that converts Live Photos to video. However, you can use an external shortcut that supports this feature. Just add our ready-made shortcut and you’re good to go.

1. Add the Convert Live Photos to Video shortcut to the Shortcuts app (tap the link and choose Get Shortcut> Add Shortcut).

2. Open the Shortcuts app and tap My Shortcuts> All Shortcuts. Then click the Convert Live Photos to Video shortcut.

3. Use the Photo selector to select the Live Photo or Photo you want to convert. To access only Live Photos, click Album and select Live Photos.

4. Click Add.

5. Select an album to save the converted videos. You should see a notification when the shortcut finishes converting from Live Photo to video.

Instead of downloading a shortcut, you can create your own shortcut with similar functionality. Tap the Add icon in the upper left corner of the Shortcuts app, find and add the following actions, and change them accordingly.

Select Photos â€” To set up a shortcut for selecting multiple live photos, expand the action and turn on Select Multiple. Encode media – you do not need to change this action. Save to Photobook – To be prompted to choose a save destination each time you perform a conversion, tap the Recent variable and select Ask Every Time. Show Notification – Add an appropriate confirmation message such as â€œDoneâ€.

Then provide an icon and name at the top of the shortcut creation screen. Then click Finish. After that, you can start using the shortcut right away.

Convert Live Photos to Video on Mac Using the Photos App

On a Mac, you can use the export feature of the Photos app to turn a live photo into a video.

1. Open the Photos app on your Mac.

2. Expand the Media Types category in the sidebar and select Live Photos to open a list of all Live Photos in your Photo Library.

3. Select the Live Photo or Photos you want to convert (hold the Command key while making multiple selections).

4. Open the File menu and choose Export> Export Unmodified Original For Photos x.

5. Select the Include IPTC as XMP checkbox (if you want to include the image metadata in the accompanying XMP file) and select Export.

6. Select a location to export the image and select Export Originals.

You should see a still image and video file for each live photo in the exported folder. You can delete the image files if you like.

The Photos app exports images using the HEVC codec. You can check this by Control-clicking the converted video and choosing Get Info.

To ensure compatibility with third-party devices, first import them into the Photos app. The videos you then send will be automatically encoded in H.264.

Convert Live Photos to Video on Mac Using the Shortcuts App

If you’re using macOS 12 Monterey or later on your Mac, you can use the same shortcut you learned about on iPhone to convert Live Photo to video.

1. Open the Shortcuts app by going to Launchpad> Other> Shortcuts.

2. Add a Convert Live Photos to Video shortcut (select the link in Safari and choose Get Shortcut> Add Shortcut). You can also create your own shortcut by following the exact instructions above.

2. Select “All Shortcuts” in the sidebar and launch the “Convert Live Photos to Video” shortcut.

3. Go to the “Albums” tab and select “Live Photos”.

4. Select the Live Photos you want to convert and click Add.

5. Select an album to save the video and tap Done.

6. You will receive a notification when the shortcut finishes converting images.

As with the iPhone, sharing converted videos directly from the Mac Photos app changes the default encoding from HEVC to H.264. This ensures compatibility on devices that do not support HEVC video.

Start Converting Live Photos to Video on iPhone and Mac

As you just saw, converting Live Photo to video on iPhone and Mac is easy. From a privacy standpoint, it’s always best to stick with your own tools versus using third-party apps (which you’ll find a lot in the iPhone App Store).