Live Photos was one of the features that I was most looking forward to testing out after watching the Apple Event. A simple, and not necessarily useful addition to the iPhone 6s and 6s Plus brings photos to life with a brief tap of the finger. Let’s check out exactly how to use the feature.

How to animate a Live Photo with 3D Touch

In a technical sense, Live Photos capture about a second and of half of time before and after a photo is taken. So, if you are taking an image of child on a swing or a diver jumping in the pool, your iPhone will automatically catch the brief moment before and after the image is taken, creating a little video vignette.It should be noted, that these Live Photos capture sound as well. These animated vignettes can be played at any time by pressing firmly down on the screen.

Step 1.

Go to the Live Photo you want to animate in your Photos app.

Step 2.

Press down (with some force) on a photo to make it go “Live” with sound.

It has also been stated that Live Photos will work on older devices by tapping and holding your finger on an image. However, the image must be a Live Photo in order for that to work.

They also animate when you swipe between them in the Photos app. You can also set Live Photos as your iPhone’s Wallpaper or as the watch face on your Apple Watch.

Live Photos are a pretty cool feature that Apple is marketing, but it does look like they take up about twice as much space as a normal photo. That could be a deal-breaker for folks with the 16GB device.

We’ll be updating the post with a video walkthrough of how it works to give you a better idea.

Let us know what you think of Live Photos in the comment section.