Take and edit Live Photos

With Live Photos, your iPhone records what happens 1.5 seconds before and after you take a picture. Then you can pick a different key photo, add a fun effect, edit your Live Photo, and share with your family and friends.

How to take a Live Photo

  1. Open the Camera app.

  2. Make sure that your camera is set to photo mode and that Live Photos is turned on. Tap the camera controls button, then tap the Live Photo buttonNo alt supplied for Image to turn Live Photos on or off.

    Camera app showing the camera controls button in the upper-right corner

  3. Hold your device still*.

  4. Tap the shutter buttonNo alt supplied for Image.

Live Photos is on by default. You can turn Live Photos off temporarily or permanently. For quick access to Live Photos, turn on the Live Photos indicator:

  1. Go to Settings, then tap Camera.

  2. Tap Indicators, then turn on Live Photo.

How to find and play your Live Photos

  1. Open the Photos app, then tap Collections.

  2. Scroll to Media Types and tap Live Photos.

    To find your Live Photos album, go to Photos then tap Collections, then scroll to Media Types and tap Live Photos.

  3. Tap one of the photos to open it.

  4. Press and hold the screen to play the Live Photo.

How to change the key photo

  1. Open the Live Photo and tap the Edit button.

  2. Tap the Live Photos buttonNo alt supplied for Image.

  3. Move the slider to change the frame.

  4. Release your finger, then tap Make Key Photo.

    You can change the Key Photo for your Live Photos in the Camera app.

  5. Tap Done.

You can also toggle the Live Photo effect between off and on. When you're editing a Live Photo, tap the LIVE button at the top of the screen to turn Live Photo off or back on.

How to add Live Photo effects

  1. Open the Live Photo.

  2. Tap the Live Photos buttonNo alt supplied for Image near the top of the screen.

    You can switch your Live Photos to other effects or to a normal photo in the Photos app.

  3. Choose Loop, Bounce, or Long Exposure.

Learn how to turn a Live Photo into a video on your iPhone

How to change the key photo

  1. Open the Live Photo that you want to edit.

  2. Tap the Edit button, then tap the Live button.

  3. Drag the white frame to choose a different thumbnail, tap Make Key Photo, then tap Done.

If you edit your Live Photo in a third-party app, you might lose any Live Photo effects that you've applied.

How to share your Live Photos

  1. Open the photo that you want to share, then tap the Share button.

  2. If you want to share the still photo and not the Live Photo, tap Live in the upper-left corner of the photo.

  3. Choose how you want to share your photo. Note that if you share via Mail, the Live Photo is sent as a still image.

When you receive a Live Photo on your iPhone or iPad via Messages, tap the photo to open it, then press and hold to see it come to life.

If you're using Messages on your Mac, double-click the Live Photo to open it. The Live Photo plays through once. To play it again, click the LIVE button in the bottom-left corner of the photo.

How to turn off Live Photos

From the Camera app, tap the camera controls button, then tap the Live Photos buttonNo alt supplied for Image to turn off Live Photos. A slash through the Live Photos button means that the feature is off.

The Camera app turns Live Photos on again automatically. To keep Live Photos off permanently, follow these steps:

  1. Go to Settings.

  2. Tap Camera, then tap Preserve Settings.

  3. Make sure that the switch next to Live Photo is turned on.

* You can take Live Photos on iPhone 6s and later, iPad (5th generation) and later, iPad Air (3rd generation) and later, iPad mini (5th generation) and later, and iPad Pro models from 2016 or later.

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