You know that thing where you take a photo and it breathes? That's the Apple Live Photo magic. It captures 1.5 seconds of fluff before and after you hit the shutter. It's great for memories. It sucks for sharing on Instagram or sending to your grandma who uses an Android from 2018.
Learning how to make live photo into video is one of those things that should be one button, and technically, it is. But there are layers. If you just hit "save as video," you might lose the frame you actually liked, or the audio might be a mess of wind noise and you cursing at your dog to sit still. Honestly, the default way isn't always the best way.
I’ve spent way too much time digging through iOS menus. I’ve tried the third-party apps that promise "Pro" features but just spam you with ads for VPNs. Let's get into what actually works and why Apple hides some of the best features in sub-menus that nobody ever clicks.
The built-in iOS method is basically a secret handshake
Most people don't realize that your iPhone has a native converter built right into the Photos app. You don't need to download anything. You don't need to pay for a subscription.
Open your Photos app. Find that shot of your kid blowing out candles or your cat doing a backflip. Look for the "Live" icon in the top left corner. Tap the "Share" button (that little square with the arrow pointing up). Scroll down. Past the copy button. Past the "Add to Album" button. You’ll see "Save as Video."
Boom. Done.
But wait. There's a catch.
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If you have multiple Live Photos selected, Apple will stitch them together into one long video. That’s actually a pretty cool trick for making a quick "vibe" reel of a vacation day without opening iMovie. If you select ten photos of a sunset and hit "Save as Video," you get a 15-second clip of the sun dipping into the ocean. It’s seamless. Sorta.
The problem is the aspect ratio. If some photos are vertical and some are square, the resulting video looks like a chaotic mess. You've gotta be consistent.
Why your video looks blurry after the conversion
Ever noticed how a Live Photo looks sharp when it’s still, but kind of "crunchy" when it moves? That’s because of how Apple handles data.
A Live Photo is actually two things: a high-quality JPEG (the "Key Photo") and a low-bitrate MOV file. When you learn how to make live photo into video, you are essentially just stripping away the JPEG and keeping the MOV. The video portion is often recorded at a lower resolution than a standard 4K video you’d shoot on your iPhone.
If you’re on an iPhone 13 or newer, you're getting better results because of the A-series chips handling the HEVC encoding more efficiently. But on older devices? It’s gonna look like it was filmed on a potato if the lighting isn't perfect.
One trick I’ve found is to use the "Loop" or "Bounce" effects before saving.
Go to the photo. Tap the "Live" dropdown in the top left. Select "Loop."
Now, when you share that as a video, it maintains that repetitive motion which is perfect for Instagram Stories or TikTok. It feels more intentional and less like a "mistake" video.
Third-party apps: When "Native" isn't enough
Sometimes the iPhone's way is just too limiting. Maybe you want to add music. Maybe you want to color-grade the clip because the lighting was trash.
Apps like Lively have been around forever. They’re popular because they let you export as a GIF, which is still weirdly useful for Slack or Discord. But for video, InShot or CapCut are the heavy hitters.
Here is the thing: if you import a Live Photo into CapCut, it usually just sees the still image. You have to convert it to a video first using the iOS Share Sheet, then import that clip. It's an extra step, but it gives you control over the frame rate and the ending.
What about the "Long Exposure" trick?
This is a niche one. If you have a Live Photo of moving water—like a waterfall or a busy street—don't just turn it into a video. Change the effect to "Long Exposure" first. It blurs the motion into a silky, professional-looking shot.
Wait. If you save that as a video, it doesn't work. It stays a still image.
To get a video of a long exposure, you actually have to screen record the playback. It’s a hacky workaround, but for creators, it’s a goldmine for "aesthetic" b-roll.
The Android struggle is real
If someone sends you a Live Photo and you’re on a Pixel or a Samsung, you’re probably just seeing a static image. Or worse, a weird file attachment that won't open.
Google Photos is the bridge here.
If you use Google Photos on your iPhone, it backs up the Live version. Then, on any device (even a PC), you can open that photo in Google Photos, hit the three dots, and "Download Video." This is the cleanest way to move files between ecosystems without losing the "Live" part of the data.
I’ve seen people try to email Live Photos. Don't do that. Email compresses the life out of them and usually just sends the JPEG. Stick to cloud links or direct "Save as Video" conversions before you hit send.
The technical bits (for the nerds)
Under the hood, a Live Photo is a 12-megapixel image paired with a 3-second video clip at 15 frames per second. That 15fps is the killer. Standard cinematic video is 24fps. Smooth video is 60fps.
This is why how to make live photo into video often results in something that feels "jittery." You aren't imagining it. The hardware is literally skipping frames to save space.
If you know you’re going to want a high-quality video, just shoot a video. Use the "QuickTake" feature by holding down the shutter button in Photo mode. It’s better quality than a converted Live Photo every single time.
Dealing with the "Ghosting" effect
Sometimes when you convert, you see a weird blur where a person's hand was moving too fast. This is because of the "Key Photo" selection.
Before you convert:
- Tap Edit on the Live Photo.
- Tap the little concentric circles at the bottom.
- Slide the bar to find the sharpest frame.
- Tap "Make Key Photo."
Apple uses this "Key Photo" to anchor the video stabilization. If your Key Photo is blurry, the whole video conversion will look like a shaky mess. Picking a sharp anchor point tells the software which part of the 1.5-second clip matters most.
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Actionable Next Steps
Stop thinking of Live Photos as just photos. They are tiny movie clips waiting to be edited.
First, go through your "Live Photos" album—it’s tucked away in the Media Types section of your library. Pick three or four photos from the same event. Use the Share Sheet to "Save as Video" all at once. iPhone will automatically stitch them.
Now, take that new clip into an editor like Splice or just use the "Crop" tool in Photos to change the aspect ratio to 9:16. Add a quick filter to hide the 15fps jitter. You’ve just made a montage in under sixty seconds without ever touching a computer.
If you're sending these to an Android user, always convert first. Don't assume their phone will "figure it out." It won't. They'll just get a picture of you mid-blink and wonder why you sent it.
Check your storage too. These video exports take up double the space because you’re keeping the original Live Photo and the new MOV file. If you’re low on gigs, delete the exported video after you’ve posted it or sent it. The original Live Photo is always there if you need to export it again later.
Get in the habit of checking the "Live" icon before you share. It’s a tiny detail that makes a massive difference in how your digital life looks to everyone else.
Real World Tip: If you ever accidentally turn off the "Live" feature while taking photos, you can't get it back. It’s not a retroactive thing. Keep it on "Auto" (the icon with the slash through it) so the phone decides based on movement. It’s better to have the data and not need it than to wish you had that 1.5 seconds of your grandma laughing back.
The Privacy Factor: Remember that Live Photos record audio. I’ve seen people convert a photo to a video and post it, forgetting that the "Save as Video" feature includes the background noise. If you were gossiping in the background while taking a picture of your lunch, that's going in the video. Tap the yellow speaker icon in Edit mode to mute the audio before you export if you want to stay safe.
Final thought on quality: If the video looks dark after conversion, use the "Auto" enhance tool in the Photos app before you export. It brightens the video frames simultaneously with the JPEG, ensuring the final MOV file isn't a muddy disaster.
That’s the reality of it. It's a simple tool with a lot of "gotchas." Use the native tools first, pick a sharp Key Photo, and watch your audio. You'll be fine.
Next time you're at a concert or a birthday, try the "Long Exposure" look on a Live Photo. It's a game changer for your feed. Just remember to screen record if you want the motion, or just stick to the standard video export for everything else. Keep it simple. It usually works best that way.