How to Edit Burst & Live Photos on Your iPhone

Recently we talked about 14 types of photos you can (and should) delete from your Camera Roll. Two of those types, Burst Photos and Live Photos, are neat to take but can also really eat up the space on your phone. So I thought I’d share with you how to cull the extra photos so you can keep the best shots.

How to Delete Burst Photos

Did you know that on your iPhone, if you hold down the Home button (or whatever button you use to snap a pic), you can take a burst of photos? This is great for high-speed action like sports or the hummingbird hovering outside your window. It’s also great for clogging up your camera roll. I don’t take burst photos often, and when I do, it’s usually accidental.  Luckily, you can pick the best shot(s) of the burst and delete the rest. 

• On your iPhone’s Photos app, you can easily find all of your burst photos in your Media Type albums.  Open the Bursts album, then select the Burst photo you want to look at.
• In the top left corner, you will see how many actual photos are included in the Burst. 
• To pick which part of the Burst you want to keep, click Select at the bottom, and you will see a carousel of the photos in the Burst.

• Scroll through the photos and select (in the bottom right corner of the pictures) the photos you want to keep (you can pick one or multiple photos).
• Click Done at the top right. You will then be asked if you want to keep all of the photos or just the photos you selected. Of course, given the topic of this blog post, I’m going to suggest clicking “Keep Only # Favorites.” 

Now that Burst is no longer in the Burst Album because it is now considered a single photo.

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How to Edit Live Photos

The first time I saw a Live Photo, my mouth literally dropped open. It was like a photo from Harry Potter. I had taken a picture of a group of family members, and I watched as my uncle quickly pushed his glasses up onto his nose. Live Photos seem like animated photos, but in reality, they are actually very short videos (about 3 seconds). I generally suggest that my clients turn off this feature unless they have a specific need for it. Video files take up much more room than a single photo would.

Luckily, there is a way to create a still photo from a Live Photo.

• On your iPhone’s Photos app, you can easily find all of your Live Photos in your Media Type albums.  Open the Live Photos album, then select the Live Photo you want to look at.
• Select the Live Photo you want to extract a still shot from.
• Click Edit in the top right corner.
• At the bottom, you will see a film reel of the individual frames that make up your Live Photo. Scroll through to find the photo you want to make the Key Photo. The Key Photo is the one that will show in your camera roll.
• Click Make Key Photo.
• Click Done

• Now that you’ve selected the key photos, tap the Share icon in the lower-left corner (rectangle with up arrow).
• Scroll through the bottom option tray and select Duplicate. Then you will be given the option to duplicate the Live Photo or to duplicate it as a Still Photo. Select “Duplicate as Still Photo”.
• Now your still photo will appear in your camera roll next to your Live Photo, and you can delete the Live Photo. 

Do you take a lot of Burst Photos or Live Photos? Let me know how you handle them in your personal photo collection.

If you would like more help with your digital photos, we are here to help. The first step is to schedule a complimentary 15-minute call to talk about your photo collection.

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