Top 10 Ways to Get Inspired Taking iPhone 6s Live Photos

When you first got your iPhone 6s, you were probably taking Live Photos left and right just for the novelty of it. It’s fun to 3D Touch the photos and see a brief animation with some sound surrounding the moment you press the shutter button. However, it’s easy after weeks and months to forget the feature exists once that novelty begins to wear off.

Live Photos is actually a really useful feature because it lets you capture moments in ways you could really only get on video before. If you’ve already forgotten about it or you’re new to the concept on your iPhone 6s (or jailbroken iPhone) and want some useful tips, take a look at these ten great situations when taking a Live Photo really enhances the memory.

1. Replace Burst Mode

Previously, when you wanted to get a nice action shot, you’d have to either take a video or press and hold the shutter button to activate burst mode. This rapidly takes shots one after another to capture fast movement. Then later you could flick through the series to see the action unfold. Now this isn’t necessary. Just take one still photo with Live Photos turned on and 3D Touch to see the whole event.

2. Record a Personal Memo

While you’re taking a Live Photo, try mentioning something you want to remember into the camera. Maybe something like the name of the restaurant you’re at so you don’t forget. Since Live Photos records audio, going back to see a picture of the food you’re eating, for example, will also reveal your message about the restaurant so you know for the future. Realistically you can use this for any type of memo.

Note: Live Photos record 1.5 seconds of audio before the shutter and 1.5 seconds after. So time your message appropriately.

3. Capture the Waves

Next time you’re at the beach and you want a perfect image of the ocean and sand, make sure Live Photos is enabled. The photo will look pretty enough on its own, but once you 3D Touch you’ll be able to see the water ripple and the seagulls flying.

4. Relive the Concert

Concert photos almost always come out bad because cameras are least optimized for those extreme lighting environments. Make sure you take Live Photos instead, so when you’re at a concert you can 3D Touch to see the dancers on stage and clips of the performance without recording any video. That should make up for the blurry mess of photos you snapped a few drinks in.

5. Become One with Nature

Contrary to concert photos, close-up macro shots are often some of the highest quality because they reveal so much detail about different objects. If you enjoy capturing photos of flowers or small critters, make sure you use Live Photos to bring them to live. Critters will crawl and flower petals will flitter in the wind.

6. Get Artsy in the City

Stand in front of a busy street with traffic moving quickly. (Not in the street, in front of it!) An urban area is ideal. Then, smile as you normally would and get someone to take a Live Photo. 3D Touch the photo and suddenly just about everything in the frame is moving, from all the cars behind you to the people on the sidewalks, while you remain calm in a pose. It makes for great effect.

7. Take Faux Panoramas

Live Photos capture motion, so in the 1.5 seconds before and 1.5 seconds after you hit the shutter button, sweep your phone horizontally across a beautiful scene. The still photo will look nice, but 3D Touch will paint the full picture with your movement. This also works if you need to save a full line of horizontal text that won’t fit in the frame.

8. Jump In and Out

This idea requires very precise timing, but it’s a fun and unique way to take almost secretive photos. In the 1.5 seconds leading up to someone else pressing the shutter button, jump out of the frame. Then in the 1.5 seconds after, jump back in. The still photo will essentially be just a blank background with no one in the frame, but 3D Touch will reveal your big secret.

9. Record Software Instructions

If you’re the tech-savvy one among your family and friends, you probably get bombarded with computer and smartphone questions. It’s hard enough to explain different steps over the phone without sight of the device they’re using and it’s tedious to have to visit in person. If someone needs instructions doing something online, for example, just take a Live Photo in which you demonstrate what to click and when. Then just send that along sans the bulk of a real video or even an animated GIF.

10. Start the New Year

This only happens once every year, but it’s so worth it. Make sure you take a Live Photo during the big countdown or when the clock strikes midnight on New Year’s Eve. You’ll get to relive the excitement of ringing in the new year!