Not so long ago, Instagram and other social networks were flooded with a new fashion trend - "live" photos. How to make a live photo? At the moment, many different programs have been developed, thanks to which you can achieve the desired effect. In iPhones with the operating system iOS 9 and above, this function is enabled in camera mode. Now we are not talking about pictures that convey real emotions, or random photos, but about animated pictures, where only one specific episode comes to life. With all the similarities to gifs, they are still different.
What are live photos?
Live photos are images in which the main subject remains static and the background is animated, or vice versa. In fact, any detail can move: eyes open / close, leaves flutter, water flows, hair flutters, etc. Everything else remains strictly motionless, which creates a feeling of real magic.
What is the difference between "live" photos from gifs?
We used to call the animated image consisting of several static frames as a gypsy. All GIFs, respectively, are in GIF format.
Live photos are a combination of the JPG and MOV format. Such a hybrid is only supported by iOS 9 and higher. All other gadgets, if you transfer this file, will see only a JPG picture. To show the world the original appearance of such a Live Photo, it is most often converted to GIF format.
Well, of course, the very style of live photos implies that part of the image will be static, and part will be animated, thereby creating a gap in the template and the effect of magic.
How did the fashion for live photos appear?
When Apple launched its new product 2 years ago, many users were interested in how to take a “live” photo on the iPhone 6. Not only did the gadget’s camera quality become much higher, it also added a mini-video function that was saved in a “live” format photo by combining JPG and MOV. Despite the megapopularity, this novelty still had a number of disadvantages:
- the photo was played only on iOS 9, in order to convey the effect of movement on other devices, it was necessary to convert the file to GIF format;
- accompanying sound was recorded, which differed little from the new format from video and was not always convenient;
- The iPhone recorded 45 frames, and reproduced the image at a speed of 15 fps, which was very similar to a gif, but the file itself was much heavier;
- there was no function for editing the picture and erasing the audio series;
- the slightest trembling of hands was fraught with a spoiled frame;
- Live Photo format was very specific, because it combined MOV and JPG. If they tried to send this "live" photo by mail, then only the JPG component remained, the main effect of the movement disappeared.
How to make live photos?
Fortunately, now there are a lot of interested users of not only the iOS operating system, but Android, wool of the Internet, can find many alternative ways to create live photos.
If you are the owner of the famous "apple" smartphone, you must know how to make a "live" photo on the iPhone. To do this, you need:
- Open the Camera app.
- Activate the mode of "live" photos (life off).
- Press the shutter button.
If you are the owner of a smartphone with the Android operating system, then one of the most suitable ways for you is to use the free Loopsie application. We will talk about him a little lower.
How to edit photo
The updated version of iOS 11 introduced several new effects for live photos. If earlier they could only be viewed, now there is an opportunity to turn off the sound, loop through “live” photos or play them back and forth. Also added the slow shutter speed function. The developers took care not only about how to make a "live" photo on an iPhone, but also about editing it.
Convert live photos
We learned how to take “live” photos on an iPhone 7. But how to adapt this format for other operating systems? For this, Live Photo needs to be converted. If you are interested in the question of how to make video from "live" photos, then the answer is simple: just download the Live Gif application. It costs a little more than 100 rubles and, as you might guess by the name, can format live photos in GIF format or video file. After certain manipulations in this application, the material will become suitable for publication on social networks. You can also use the Motion Stills application from Google, it works on a similar principle.
How to animate a jpg photo?
Let's say you have a favorite photo that you wanted to “revive”. This can be done in Photoshop or in a special Plotagraph application. This program has a toolbar and, importantly, reference information that will help you figure out how to make "live" photos on an iPhone. This application is paid, costs about 400 rubles. How does it work?
Open the application, select the desired picture, click the "animation" button. On the screen you will see arrows, they need to be placed on those sections of the photo that you plan to revive. Next, click the "Mask" button and overwrite the entire area that you want to leave static. The next step is the choice of animation speed and saving.
Maskart
This application is free and without watermarks. It is easy to use, but it can create spectacular live photos from video. How to work with him?
- Open the program.
- Choose the right video.
- Find the best freeze frame and click Done in the upper right corner.
- If necessary, crop the video with the slider.
- Brush paint the area that should move.
- Deficiencies can be fixed with an eraser.
- We go into the video editor and adjust the color. Done!
This application only works on Apple gadgets.
Loopsie for Android
Many have now wondered how to make “live” photos on Android. Very simple, a number of applications have also been developed for this operating system. There are cheap and very expensive ($ 200), there are also free ones.
The Lupsey app is shareware. After a few days of using the demo, a watermark appears.
The first step is to install the program. Open Lupsey and shoot a video in it, holding your hands as static as possible. You can use a tripod or fix the phone in another way. So the "live" photo will be the most beautiful.
Before you start recording video, you can choose the size of the sides, switch the desired camera and use the grid - in this situation, it helps out a lot.
Having shot the video, the program starts the stabilization process, it hides trembling hands and other technical irregularities.
Next, select the "Animation" mode and spend on the area that we want to "revive". At this stage, you can choose the playback style: from start to finish or round-trip. The live photo is ready. Now it can be shared on Facebook or Instagram.
Live Photo in Photoshop
At this stage, many were interested in whether it was possible to create a fashionable image in the Photoshop program. Yes, this is not difficult, but the work will be more painstaking than in special applications for smartphones.
It is very important that your version of the program has a video creation function. How to check it? Open the "Window", then - "Timeline". Look for the Create Timeline button. If it is not, then the video creation function is also, unfortunately, not.
Now let's figure out how to make a "live" photo in Photoshop.
First of all, open a photo, for example, in JPG format. An animated effect can be created from one or more photos. In any case, the main object and background should be on different layers.
If you have one photo that you plan to revive, then you can do it as follows:
- Create a copy of the layer in image editing mode.
- Separate the main object from the background. No matter which highlighting tool you use, the main thing is that the effect is as accurate as possible.
- Once you have separated the background from the foreground, check for extra details. If necessary, they must also be removed.
- Clarify the edges of the mask and make the selection more even.
- Recall that all manipulations must be carried out with a copy of the layer.
- Create a duplicate of the bottom layer. For convenience, we sign the layer with the main object with the number 1, and the background with the number. "We don’t touch the background.
- We take the “Stamp” tool, set the opacity to 100% and select the average softness value.
- Go to the middle layer (background) and start using the Stamp tool to hide the main object.
The next step will be the process of "revitalization", before which it is recommended to reduce the size of the image so that it later plays more easily and does not slow down.
- Go to the "Window" menu and select "Timeline".
- Click on the button "Create a timeline for the video."
- The buttons are located on the left: “Stop”, “Play”, “Rewind / Fast Forward”, “Scissors”, etc. The duration of the video image can be changed with a special slider, as in any other editor.
- Layers are automatically transferred to the timeline, which makes it possible to work with each of them separately.
- For example, select the zoom effect for the background by right-clicking. Next, play the video and see what happens.
- To create an aerial perspective, you need to work with the layer on which the main object is depicted. It can also be approached or moved away, as well as determine the direction of movement.
- We convert the image to a GIF animation or video file. Done!
As you see, many programs and conditions have been created to be creative. Feel free to discover something new, perhaps your creative brainchild will become the next fashion trend!