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Tag: Live Photos

January 5, 2025

Why iPhone’s Camera Burst Mode is Better than Live Photos

If you think you’ll miss the moment when snapping an iPhone photo, using Burst mode instead of Live Photo mode can save the day. Here’s why.

If you like the Live Photo feature on your iPhone so you can later choose a better ‘Key Photo’, you might want to reconsider your preference. Why? Well, it houses a huge limitation that can really ruin your shot.

Sure, it all seems so magical that you can take your 3-second mini-movie that’s behind a Live Photo and then, after the fact, scrub through all of video frames to select a better still frame. It’s a wonderful technique to use when shooting a group pic when someone’s eyes are inevitably mid blink. The ability to later choose a better freeze a fraction earlier (or later) can make all the difference between the perfect photo and one that goes in the digital trash.

I’ve been shooting Live Photos this way for a long time. But when choosing a different Key Photo, I’ve sometimes not been satisfied with the final results. Here’s the problem…

Choosing a New Key Photo will Crop It!
The ‘prime’ image your iPhone snaps is higher quality than other frames from a Live Photo. And as soon as you choose an alternate frame, the entire picture frustratingly crops in a bit (not a lot… but enough).

That can be a deal breaker if you’ve taken a group shot and someone is close to the edge of your framing. After choosing a different Key Photo, that person will likely get cropped out, and there’s nothing you can do about it.

This picture-killing crop just happened to me at a family gathering, and the cropped-out person was me! (Yes, thankfully, the group allowed me to take another shot.)

Even if you overlook that limitation and tell yourself you’ll give your shots enough ‘safe space,’ it’s also hard to ignore the overall quality difference. The new Key Photo doesn’t look as crisp.

Under well-lit and well-framed circumstances, this isn’t an issue. And to be fair, it took me a while to discover these drawbacks.

And while a Live Photo with a different Key Photo can be better than nothing at all, there’s a more effective way to capture additional visual frames around a particular photo moment.

10 Burst Photos are Better than 1 Live Photo
iPhones offer Burst mode, which captures 10 photos a second. (That’s likely going to get you what you need!) Instead of tapping the shutter button on your iPhone, you simply slide it to the left and hold it there until you’re done ‘bursting.’ (Then release.)

For a more tactile experience, you can also squeeze your ‘Volume Up’ button.
To activate that feature, go to:

  • Settings
  • Camera
  • Turn on “Use Volume Up for Burst”

While primarily designed for action moments like sports photography, it’s also ideal for posed group shots when you’re trying to get everyone’s eyes open at the same time.

Each of these high-speed photos will be the same quality. No compromises.

Burst Mode with Countdown
You can also use Burst mode for your iPhone shots using a countdown timer. It’s a perfect way to set up a group shot that you also want to be in.

  • Pro tip:
    If you’re wearing an Apple Watch, use its Camera Remote app to control your iPhone. (Just be sure to first turn off Live Photo mode. Otherwise, you’ll snap a Live Photo instead of the 10 standard burst shots.)

I like to prop my iPhone on a window ledge and have the group face the window. Not only does the window ledge double as a tripod surface (be careful), but the light from the window will nicely illuminate your subjects.

Delete your Unwanted Bursts
You do need to do a bit more work afterwords with your Burst photos to manage the 20 or 30 shots you’ve generated from a particular moment (instead of 2 or 3 Live Photos).

Just review your Bursts and select the images you want to keep. The rest are deleted. (If you don’t follow this organizational task, you could quickly get overwhelmed with too many photos on your iPhone.)

Not Mutually Exclusive
Too much work? Well, you can leave it to the automated but limited structure of Live Photos. That’s a set-it-and-forget it solution. It’s easy, but it won’t always give you best-quality pictures. On the other hand, Burst mode will.

Can you use both? Absolutely (though not simultaneously).

Burst Away
Moving forward, I’ll think of a Live Photo as a backup plan. But if I’m really being planful in framing the moment, then using Burst mode is the way to go.

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November 10, 2024

How to Frame a Live Photo for Hogwarts or your Muggle Home

If you extend the wizardry of an iPhone’s Live Photo mode and add your imagery to a digital photo frame, you can transform your photography. It’s not so futuristic. Here’s how to bring more motion to reframe your photos today.

I’ve always been on the fence regarding the value of Live Photo mode on an iPhone. This feature appears to magically turn a still photo into one with three seconds of motion. Of course, the reality is these ‘magical’ photos are just little movie files (1.5 seconds before and after you snap).

Sure, creating a Live Photo is useful so you can later pick out a better ‘key photo’ frame. That’s especially helpful in a group shot if someone’s eyes are mid blink. But if you really want to capture a micro movie, I recommend just shooting in video mode for a few seconds.

But I think Apple is onto something that isn’t yet mainstream. And it connects with how you would want to display a Live Photo. I would offer that these moving photos are ideal in a digital photo frame.

The Perfect Moment can Take Longer than 3 Seconds
If you think about the Harry Potter films and all those ‘living’ paintings often seen in the background, the paintings are effectively digital photo frames magically displaying live portraits. Of course, the motion in each painting is specially curated to display a longer moment or a complete action from the character in the frame. If you went back and clocked them, they’re probably double the length of an iPhone’s Live Photo.

Often, a ‘moment’ in time that’s visually meaningful takes more than 3 seconds to complete. But as photographers (and aren’t we all?), we’re trained find that singular frame that captures it all.

But you can also just let the ‘live’ unfold. Sometimes, that’s so much easier. And Apple would say that’s exactly what a Live Photo offers.

Extended Live Photos are Better
However, I don’t think a Live Photo is entirely optimized for this task. It’s just too short, and you can’t be sure you’ll capture the complete end of the moment in front of you. Apple’s automation of its Live Photo process creates an imperfect crop of time versus how long the moment requires.

I feel you’ve really got to be running your iPhone in video mode for at least a few more seconds to ensure for that.

And in doing so, you’ll create what I’ll call an ‘extended live photo.’

Yes, it’s simply a seven to ten second video clip. But now your mindset should shift to still see it as one extended moment… with motion. (Do you feel your brain vibrating with this aha moment?)

Photographic Magic
Okay. So now, you’re creating something entirely new. Congratulations. You’re a wizard.

But what are you supposed to do with these extended live photos? Well, as I mentioned up top, they’d look great on a digital photo frame. All of your longer visual moments would still be short, but entirely complete without being abruptly cut off.

So, you’ve just got to bring a new mindset to your photography with the goal of finding and capturing these extended moments and then showing off your short videos on your digital photo frames. Soon your home will start to resemble the hallways at Hogwarts.

If you want to give it a shot, here are some ideas on where to spot perfect visual moments for this.

Opportunities for Extended Live Photos
First off, any moment for a still photo can also make for a great extended live photo.

  • People hugging
  • Blowing out birthday candles
  • Vacations
  • School reunions
  • Outdoor activities
  • Your pet simply staring at the camera

Find the Highlight from a Longer Video
If you’re already planning on taking a longer video, later selecting a five to ten second highlight will probably make for a great extended live photo.

Create a Living Group Portrait
We’ve been trained to think of a group shot as a still moment where everyone is smiling and looking at the camera.

I would offer that’s only part of the picture. The energy and motion that surrounds that one perfect frame is often as interesting, if not more so. In a group, the interpersonal dynamics are usually on full display (people talking and laughing together).

  • I’ve seen the New York Times use this visual strategy online when presenting people features. (It’s quite compelling.)

Enjoy Nature’s Beauty
If you’re a nature photographer, why not simply capture 10 seconds of that beautiful scene?

Adding in the ‘live’ will totally bring the still moment to life.

It’s a similar strategy as creating a live portrait, but much easier as nature is always strutting its stuff.

What About the Audio Track?
Technically, you don’t need the audio if you’re displaying your extended live photo on a digital frame. Sure, some of these frames can play sound, but I don’t expect you’ll use that functionality. (Photo frames are meant to be seen and not heard.)

But your extended live photos should still be optimized for the sound to heard. That’s because the clip may later be used with its audio track for a future use. So be mindful to trim these short video clips accordingly.

Keep it Moving
Digital photo frames are hardly new. I wouldn’t even call the product line that exciting anymore. But if you feed them with your own ‘extended’ live photos, that can be a real game changer.

And sometimes, you might naturally just shoot a video for only 10 seconds. Later, you’ll ask yourself how you might use it. Well, now you know!

I’m just a mere Muggle, but using this photographic trick for your digital photo frames will always look like magic.

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