iOS 9: How to take Live Photos and use them as Lock Screen wallpaper

iOS 9 comes with some great new features, but it’s even better if you own an iPhone 6s or 6s Plus. The new iPhones let you take Live Photos, which are photos that have a couple of seconds of video automatically taken before and after the photo. So when you press down on a Live Photo via 3D Touch, you’ll see it animate.

In this tip I’ll show you how to take a Live Photo, and also use it as your iPhone 6s or 6s Plus’ Lock Screen wallpaper.

How to take a Live Photo on the iPhone 6s or 6s Plus

It’s very easy to take a Live Photo on the iPhone 6s or 6s Plus, here’s how you can do it:

1. Open the Camera app on your iPhone 6s or 6s Plus.

2. Set your Camera app to Photos.

3. Tap the yellow circles at the top to enable Live Photos.

4. Take your photo.

5. iOS 9 will capture a couple of seconds of video before and after the photo.

To see your Live Photo come to life, just press down on it in the Camera app.

How to use Live Photos as Lock Screen wallpaper

Once you have a few Live Photos, you may want to use one as wallpaper on your Lock Screen.

1. Open the Settings app.

2. Tap on Wallpaper.

3. Tap on Choose A New Wallpaper.

4. Tap on your Live Photo.

5. Tap on Set.

6. Tap on Lock Screen.

When you go back to your Lock Screen, you’ll see your new Live Photo there as the wallpaper. Press down on it to see it animate right on your Lock Screen.

Live Photos bring your images to life in iOS 9

I’ve been using Live Photos ever since I got my iPhone 6s, and I really like them. At first I thought they might be a bit of a gimmick, but once you get used to having them they add a whole new wrinkle to your photos. I’ve even caught myself pressing down on images that weren’t Live Photos and been disappointed to find out that they don’t animate.

Right now I’m using a Live Photo of my caique Xena: Warrior Parrot as my Lock Screen wallpaper. She looks very cute in the photo, but it’s neat to press down on the screen and then see her start moving around. It’s much more fun than just using a regular photo of her.

Apple did a great job with Live Photos. It was a very unexpected feature of iOS 9 on the iPhone 6s and 6s Plus, but it’s definitely something you will enjoy once you get used to having them. And I think they are well worth using a bit more storage space than a regular photo. Live Photos make photos much more fun and interesting by adding movement to what would otherwise be just another static image.

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