Video to Live Photo Converter
Convert video to Live Photo from a short clip, without installing an app. Preview locally, trim one to three seconds of motion, then export a still with embedded movement for Apple Photos or Google Photos.
Drop your video here or click to browse
Your browser previews the video locally. Suggested size: under 500 MB.
No video? Try a sample clip
Click to load instantly — short public clips with motion, ready to trim into a Live Photo
How to turn a clip into a Live Photo
Upload a supported clip
Click the drop zone or drag in an MP4, MOV, or WebM file. Playback stays on your device so you can confirm the footage before you commit to an export. If a sample clip is easier, load one from the gallery and practice the same trim workflow.
Find a sharp, focused moment
Scrub the preview until the subject is clear and the camera is steady. Handheld shake, busy backgrounds, and long pans rarely feel natural when a gallery plays only a couple of seconds of motion. A face, a wave, or a small gesture usually works better than a full scene change.
Trim start and end times
Use the sliders to keep roughly one to three seconds. That length matches how Live Photos behave on phones: a still you can share, plus a short loop of movement when someone presses and holds. Cut dead air at both ends so the motion starts immediately.
Choose an export style
Pick a single Motion Photo JPEG for Google Photos and many Android galleries, or the Apple pair ZIP when you plan to import a JPG plus MOV into Photos on iPhone, iPad, or Mac. The still frame comes from your start point, so set that slider on a frame you would actually post.
Convert locally, then open in Photos
Click convert. The browser captures the poster, trims the motion, and packages the file on your machine. Download the result and open it in a motion-aware app. A generic image viewer may show only the still — that is expected, not a failed export.
Why convert clips into Live Photos here
Local preview before you export
You see the actual frames in the same tab as the trim controls. There is no waiting on an upload queue, and you can swap files until the motion you want is on screen.
Trim controls built for short motion
Live Photos are not mini movies. The start and end sliders exist so you can isolate a gesture instead of shipping a ten-second clip that feels awkward in a camera roll.
Processing stays on your device
Trimming, poster capture, and packaging run in the browser with WebCodecs. The source file is not sent to Pixwit servers for this tool, which is useful for family videos, client drafts, and anything you would rather not upload.
Works with everyday camera formats
Phone cameras usually write MP4 or MOV. Those are the most reliable inputs. WebM and other containers can work when your browser can decode them; if preview fails, convert the file first or try Chrome or Edge on desktop.
Output matched to Apple and Android
A single JPEG with embedded motion is convenient to share. The ZIP pair is the practical path when you care about Apple Photos treating the result as a native Live Photo instead of a silent still.
Built for still-plus-motion, not GIF loops
A GIF repeats forever and often looks compressed. This workflow keeps a photographic still as the default view and reserves motion for press-and-hold, which is closer to how iPhone Live Photos behave in Messages and the Photos app.
What you get when you convert video to Live Photo
A Live Photo is a still image plus a short burst of movement stored with it. Friends see a normal photo in a grid; they feel the original moment when the gallery plays the attached clip. That is different from posting the whole recording, and different from an animated GIF that never settles on a single frame.
Live Photo vs a regular clip vs a GIF
A regular file is something you tap to play. A GIF loops in place and is usually low-fidelity. A Live Photo sits in a camera roll like any other picture, then reveals motion on press-and-hold or in apps that understand the metadata. Use this page when you already filmed something and want the still to remain the hero — a toast, a pet looking up, a skyline with moving clouds — without asking people to watch a video player.
Apple pair or Motion Photo JPEG
Apple’s Photos app expects a JPEG still paired with a short MOV, imported together. Choose the ZIP when iPhone or iPad is the destination and follow the import so both files land in the library. The single JPEG path follows Motion Photo conventions used by Google Photos and many Android galleries. If a chat app recompresses the file, motion can disappear; keep the original download as your master and share from Photos instead of from a compressed messenger preview.
How to pick a cover frame that still looks good
The cover is what appears in albums, AirDrop previews, and places that ignore motion. Set the start slider on a sharp, well-lit frame of the subject’s face or the product, not on a blurry in-between. If the best still happens in the middle of the action, start the motion slightly before that frame so playback leads into it. Avoid hard cuts, flash frames, and text overlays that look messy as a thumbnail.
Length, lighting, and source quality
One to three seconds is the sweet spot for most phone galleries. Longer segments start to feel like a video stuffed into a photo. Film in good light when you can; noisy night clips compress badly once they become a still. 1080p is plenty. Extremely long 4K files may feel sluggish in the browser — trim them in a dedicated cutter first, then bring the short take here. Sample clips on this page are only for learning the controls; your own footage will look more personal and usually sharper.
When a Live Photo beats posting the full clip
Travel and places
A three-second swell, a tram passing a facade, or northern lights drifting behind a still skyline can live in a photo album instead of a camera-roll video dump. The still remains shareable; the motion is there when you want it.
Pets, kids, and family
Tail wags, first steps, and quick hugs are easy to miss in a long recording. Isolate the gesture, keep a flattering still, and save a file that grandparents can open in Photos without hunting through minutes of footage.
Weddings, birthdays, and stages
Candle blow-outs, toasts, and a few frames of walking across a stage often work better as press-and-hold memories than as another Reel. Keep the motion short so the still still looks like a portrait.
Products and social teasers
A slow turn of a bottle, fabric catch-light, or steam over a plate can hint at movement in a shop grid. Export the JPEG when you need one file; use the Apple pair when the same asset should also live in an iPhone library.
Live Photo conversion FAQ
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