When snapping a picture with an iPhone, the default setting captures what Apple calls a Live Photo which can be converted into a short video or even a GIF for easy sharing anywhere. Seeing the movement of a Live Photo with the iPhone is easy since a bit of motion appears when swiping between pictures in the Photos app. Sharing this experience with someone online, however, might require an extra step.
Apple has some special features built into the camera app that are not always obvious. For example, sideways swipe gestures are a quicker way to change modes from photo to video, portrait, or any other mode without tapping the words at the bottom of the display. Swiping up reveals camera controls to adjust brightness, set a photo timer, or access Live Photo settings. The default for Live Photos is automatic, but setting this to on will make every photo record for 1.5 seconds before and 1.5 after the shutter is pressed.
An iPhone Live Photo sometimes captures a moment in a much more interesting way than a snapshot. Sharing that ‘moving picture’ might be easier if it’s made into an animated GIF or a video and it’s possible to do so with apps on the iPhone. Apple makes saving a Live Photo as a video super easy. The user just needs to open the photo, then tap the Share menu in the bottom-left corner and select ‘Save as Video.’ Saving a Live Photo as a GIF requires setting up, but afterward, the option can be found in the same Share menu.
The ‘Make GIF’ Shortcut For iPhone
While the iPhone comes with a Share menu option to save a Live Photo as a video, saving as a GIF requires the use of the Shortcuts app. It’s only a six-step sequence so it could be entered manually, but a premade Shortcut is available in the Shortcut Gallery, making it easy to add this capability to the Photos app. To install it, the user should open the Shortcuts app, tap the gallery tab at the lower-right, then search for ‘Make GIF‘ and add it. After adding the ‘Make GIF‘ option it can be run from the Shortcuts app.
A more convenient method is to make it appear in the Share menu by tapping the ‘My Shortcuts‘ tab, then the ellipsis symbol (…) beside the ‘Make GIF‘ Shortcut, which will show the code of the Shortcut and provide options. Tapping the options button in the upper-right will reveal the toggle to ‘Show in Share Sheet.’ Once this is set up, it becomes a two-tap solution to convert into a GIF or a video by hitting share, then choosing either option from the iPhone Photos app’s share sheet.
Source: Apple
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