RollmarkLive Photos on iPhone: how much space they use and how to cut it
A Live Photo stores a still image plus a short video clip of roughly 1.5 seconds before and after the shot. The clip is small next to normal video, but thousands of them add up. Turn Live off with the circles icon in Camera, or make a still copy in the Photos editor.
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What is a Live Photo?
It is a still picture bundled with a short recording of sound and motion. Apple describes it as capturing what happens 1.5 seconds before and after you press the shutter, so a clip of about 3 seconds in all. When you press and hold a Live Photo in Photos, the clip plays. Wikipedia's article on the iPhone 6S notes that Live Photos arrived with that model in 2015.
How much space does a Live Photo use?
More than a plain still, and the extra is the clip. A plain photo might use a couple of megabytes. A Live Photo adds a few megabytes on top for the video and audio. The numbers differ by model and scene, so treat them as a range. A thousand Live Photos therefore cost several gigabytes more than a thousand stills.
Compare that with a single minute of 4K video, which can take several hundred megabytes. Live Photos matter less than long videos, but more than most people expect when Live is on by default.
How do I turn Live Photos off?
- Open Camera.
- Tap the concentric circles icon at the top. A slash through it means Live is off.
- To keep that choice between sessions, open Settings, Camera, Preserve Settings and turn on Live Photo.
- Take photos as usual. New shots are plain stills.
How do I convert a Live Photo to a still?
Open the photo in Photos, tap Edit, tap the Live icon at the bottom so it is crossed out and tap Done. The motion is dropped and the photo becomes a still. In the info or option panel you may see a choice to keep the original, depending on your iOS version, so read the prompt before you confirm. Do this on photos where the motion adds nothing, such as a screenshot of a sign or a document.
Which Live Photos are worth keeping as Live?
Keep Live for moments that move or make sound: a child laughing, a dog running to you, a wave, a toast. A still frame loses the laugh. Drop Live for landscapes, food, documents, products you photograph for a listing, and any shot taken for a record. You can sort your library once by that rule and take new shots with Live off by default.
| Subject | Live or still | Reason |
|---|---|---|
| Family, kids, pets | Live | Motion and sound are the point |
| Landscape, architecture | Still | Nothing moves |
| Food, products | Still | A clean frame is enough |
| Documents, receipts, whiteboards | Still | A clip adds weight only |
| Events, concerts | Live, or video | A few seconds of sound helps |
Can I see which photos are Live Photos?
Yes. Open Albums, then Media Types, then Live Photos. Every Live Photo in your library appears there. It is a fast way to judge how big the pile is. Open the album and look at the count under the title. If the count is in the thousands, a one-time sorting pass makes sense.
How does sorting fit in?
The simplest saving comes from deleting Live Photos you do not need at all, because the still goes too. A month-by-month pass finds them as part of a general cleanup. Rollmark, an iPhone app in development, shows a "Live" badge on the cards of Live Photos in the deck and an estimated size on each. It does not convert Live Photos to stills. It lets you keep or let go, and iOS confirms any delete. See the swipe deck page for the card details.
Will they play on other devices?
Live Photos play in Photos on Apple devices. When you share one, the recipient may get a still or a short clip depending on the app and the platform. If you want a person on another platform to see the motion, send a short video. If you want a clean still, convert first.
How do I choose a different key photo?
Every Live Photo has a key frame, the still that shows in the grid. If the chosen frame has closed eyes, change it. Open the photo, tap Edit, tap the Live icon, slide the white marker along the strip of frames and tap Make Key Photo, then Done. This does not change the size of the file, but it can save a Live Photo you would otherwise delete.
Can I share the motion without sending a huge file?
In the share sheet, Options shows a Live Photo switch. Turn it off to send a still. Photos also offers Loop and Bounce effects from the Live menu, which are lightweight ways to share a moving moment. If you only need the sound and movement for a friend, a short video from the Camera app works just as well.
A worked estimate with invented numbers
Say you take 15 Live Photos a week for three years, so about 2,300 of them. If each adds 3 MB for the clip, you carry roughly 7 GB of clips. That would equal about 3,000 extra stills. Converting half of them to stills saves about 3.5 GB. The numbers are made up, but the shape holds: a small habit repeated daily becomes a visible chunk of storage.
Does Live affect photo quality?
The key photo is a normal still, and it looks like one taken without Live. The clip around it is lower in quality than a video recorded with the Camera app. If you want motion that holds up on a big screen, record a proper video. Use Live for the memory of a moment, not for footage.
To see how much space each kind of file takes, read why photos take up so much space, and use the large videos guide for the heaviest clips.
Frequently asked questions
How long is a Live Photo?
About three seconds: roughly 1.5 seconds before and 1.5 seconds after the shutter press, according to Apple.
Do Live Photos use a lot of storage?
They use more than a plain photo because of the clip. Thousands of them add several gigabytes.
Can I turn a Live Photo into a normal photo?
Yes. Open it, tap Edit, tap the Live icon so it is crossed out, and tap Done.
How do I find all my Live Photos?
Open Albums, Media Types, Live Photos. The album lists every one in your library.
Does turning Live off stay that way?
Only if you turn on Preserve Settings for Live Photo in Settings, Camera. Otherwise Camera may reset it.