How to make a video a Live Photo on iPhone
The Photos app can’t turn a video into a Live Photo; Apple only goes the other way. To get a Live Photo from a video you need another app: TikTok can save videos as Live Photos, and so can video-to-Live-Photo converter apps.
What iPhone can and can’t do
Apple’s Photos app turns a Live Photo into a video with Save as Video (see how to save a Live Photo as a video). There’s no matching button for the way back. Keep in mind what a Live Photo is: a short moment, with 1.5 seconds recorded before and after the picture. Whatever app you use, pick the few seconds you care about most.
From a TikTok video
TikTok’s help says that when a creator allows downloads, you can save their posts and convert their videos to Live Photos. The save options are behind the Share button:
- In the TikTok app, go to the video.
- Tap the Share button on the side of the post.
- Choose to save it as a Live Photo. If there’s no save option, the creator has turned downloads off.
For your own posts, TikTok always keeps the download options, even with downloads turned off for others.
From a video in your camera roll
For your own clips, use a video-to-Live-Photo converter app from the App Store. Typically you pick a video, choose the part you want, and the app saves it to Photos as a Live Photo. Before you pay, check that the App Store page says it saves Live Photos, not just videos or GIFs.
To check the result, open Photos. To see only Live Photos, tap Collections, scroll to Media Types and tap Live Photos. Touch and hold it to play. For a moving Lock Screen, see how to set a Live Photo wallpaper.
When a photo is what you really want
Tada makes Live Photos from photos, never from videos, so it can’t convert your clip. But if the video holds a moment you’d like as a moving picture, save one frame and let Tada make it move:
- In Photos, play the video and pause on the frame you want.
- Tap the More button, then Save Video Frame as Photo.
- Open Tada, tap Make it Live, pick that photo, choose how it moves and tap Save.
The motion is new, made from the still, not the motion in your video. Breathe and Puff are free. Natural and Lively use AI to move the whole scene; your photo is sent to our AI partners, and Tada asks before the first time (see the Privacy Policy).
Questions
Can iPhone turn a video into a Live Photo without an app?
No. The Photos app can save a Live Photo as a video, but it has no option to turn a video into a Live Photo. You need TikTok or a converter app.
Why won’t my converted Live Photo move on the Lock Screen?
Apple says the Lock Screen motion works with Live Photos that can be translated into slow motion, so not every Live Photo moves there. Check that the Live Photo button is on, or try a different one.
Can Tada turn a video into a Live Photo?
No. Tada starts from a photo, never a video. You can save a frame of the video as a photo and make that photo move with Tada.
Sources: iPhone User Guide: Edit Live Photos on iPhone · Apple Support: Take and edit Live Photos · TikTok Support: TikTok’s video-download privacy settings · TikTok Support: Sharing on TikTok · iPhone User Guide: Save a video frame as a photo on iPhone · iPhone User Guide: Locate photos and videos by media type · iPhone User Guide: Create a custom iPhone Lock Screen