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Getting Live Photos

How to get the Movies from Live Photos

Did you know that you can use Live Photo videos in your Final Cut Pro projects? Each Live Photo contains a 3-second video clip. This might be all you need to help describe some events/places. It's also useful if you want to create a montage of some event.

To get the video from a Live Video is a bit tricky. Once you get it, then it's just a matter of following the processes in the future.

Once you get the video clips, you treat them just like any other clips. These video clips will be in the 1440x1080 aspect ratio. Depending on your project, you will likely have to trip the clips so they fit in the aspect ratio that you are using.

Getting a Live Clip

There are three ways, that I know of, to properly get Live Photos from your iPhone into Final Cut Pro. Note: Live Photos movies will not export if you use AirDrop.

Using Apple Photos App

You can export videos from Live Photos in Apple Photos, but it has been done using a particular method.

After you select the images that you want to export, go under File and then Export, and then select "Export Unmodified Original..." This is important because if you used the "default" Export Photos option, you won't get the movies.

Pro Tip: Create a Smart Album for Live Photos, so that you know what you have available on your computer.

Photo Live Export

iMazing

iMazing is a great way to add/remove files from your phone. iMazing allows you to export the movie portions of the Live Photos, so your not missing out on the photos effects.

When you export a Live Photo image that has a movie connected to it, you'll get notified that there's a live photo. Simply check the "Include video files." to transfer the files.

iMazing Live Photos
Exporting Live Photos in iMazing

Just keep in mind that the "Include video files" is not checked by default.

Google Photos

Since March 2016, Google Photos properly saved Live Photos on backups. This means that you can access the video portion of a Live Photo.

When you download the Live file, the movies come along for the ride! To find all the Live Photos that you have backed up, a simple search for "Live Photos."

If you have used Google Photos for a while, for fun, search for "Live Photos 2016" to see all the old Live Photos.

Unzip the download and you'll see a Movie file along with the photo of the Live Picture. Simply add the movie to your

Sample Clip

This a quick clip that I put together from various Live Photo's taken last year at the Encore Hotel in Boston, Massachusetts.

 

About

This blog series will explore the many different features and tools of Final Cut Pro X. We will cover everything from basic editing techniques to more advanced topics such as color grading and motion graphics. We will also provide tips and tricks to help you get the most out of Final Cut Pro X.

Schedule

Monday Media Monday
TuesdayQA
WednesdayKeyboard Maestro
ThursdayGluten Free
FridayMacintosh
SaturdayInternet Tools
SundayOpen Topic