Turn a Live Photo into a Boomerang

[MacRumors]

Most iPhone users are familiar with Apple's Live Photos, which capture 1.5 seconds of video before and after you take a picture, with the aim of adding a little bit of life and movement to still images. What some users might not know is that you can also make a Live Photo bounce back and forth like a boomerang.

If you're familiar with Instagram, you probably know what a boomerang is. Since introducing Live Photos in 2015, Apple has added some effects to its Photos app that let you turn them into fun animated clips, and the Bounce effect is basically the same thing as a boomerang. It rewinds the action backward and forward. Here's how to make one of your own on iPhone.

1. Open the Photos app and select a Live Photo. (If you look under "Media Types" in the Albums section, you'll find all of your Live Photos collated in a folder of the same name.)
2. With the Live Photo open, tap the LIVE icon in the top-left corner of the interface.
3. From the dropdown menu that appears, choose Bounce.

The effect you choose will be applied immediately, ready for you to share it using the Share icon in the bottom-left corner of the screen. Note that there are two other effects that you can try in Photos: Loop repeats the action in a continuous looping video, and Long Exposure simulates a DSLR-like long exposure effect by blurring motion.

Did you know that it you get a blurry Live Photo image, you can open it up and see if other frames you captured are clearer, and then select a replacement "key photo" for it. Click the link to learn how it's done.

Article Link: Turn a Live Photo into a Boomerang

 

[truthsteve]

no thank you. this is the worst effect

 

[MasterHowl]

I use this feature all the time. Love it.

I do wish there was a way to batch turn off Live Photos for photos, though. Doing it one by one is tedious.

 

[orev]

Most iPhone users are familiar with Apple's Live Photos

No, they aren't. Most iPhone users have no idea that every photo they take is capturing a few seconds of audio and video, and since the default is to keep turning live photos back on, they're also unaware why their phone/iCloud storage keeps getting used up.

The fact that Apple included this feature and clearly has it set to keep using more storage space despite the user's expectation is a clear consequence of them charging money for storage space. It gives them incentives to do shady things like this so storage gets used unexpectedly.

The fact that disabling this requires digging into the Camera settings and then another level deep to find a completely counter-intuitive setting is just more proof of this, and is not at all reasonable "solution" to this.

 

[tonie walker]

hah! i thought an old probably deleted MR article resurface, similar to iCloud deleted photos. Thanks for reminding us though about this feature.

 

[RickDEGH]

We already got Apple/iOS 17.5 doing Boomerang with deleted pictures.

 

[star-affinity]

I just don't understand why ”bounce” seems to skip some frames that are there if you just ”live” watch the photo.

 

[CarletonTorpin]

Pro tip for actually getting a good looping bouncing action (with a proper start and finish):

Press the shutter at the precise middle of the action being photographed.

This seems to "force" the Looping Bouncing live photo to actually include all the photo's motion.

If you press the shutter too early, or too late, relative to the action being photographed, your Live Photo Loop Bounce will be mostly static.

EDITED: to change the verbiage from Loop to Bounce, for proper ineligibility.

 

[MysteriousStain]

I read “live potato into a boomerang” and thought this was going to be a quirky Friday article

 

[orev]

I just don't understand why ”bounce” seems to skip some frames that are there if you just ”live” watch the photo.

Most video compression algorithms assume that the video will be played forward, and they only save the changes between frames in the forward direction. Going backwards is more complicated as it needs to try to reconstruct the frame using the "forward" information but going in the "backward" direction.

 

[atlantino]

Is this Apple's attempt to turn the "deleted" photos reappearing fiasco as a new "feature"?

Apple: "Oh the photos you deleted in 2010 suddenly reappearing? It is Live Photo Boomerang, everything you delete will always come back to you in the future, we think you will love it!"

 

[kkee]

Is this Apple's attempt to turn the "deleted" photos reappearing fiasco as a new "feature"?

Apple: "Oh the photos you deleted in 2010 suddenly reappearing? It is Live Photo Boomerang, everything you delete will always come back to you in the future, we think you will love it!"

i wish I had that problems, alas my deleted photos never reappearing. I blame the “rumours” for my disappointment.

 

[jeremz1ne]

if i delete this photo will it come back in 4/5 years? asking for a friend

 

[MrCrowbar]

People didn't know about this? I'd love it if I could change where it starts and ends and also have the loop feature without the crossfade that ruins every single one.

 

[svish]

The different options allow to have fun with the photos to some extent.

 

[b17777]

Boomerang, like you erase the photo and it comes back years later ? LOL j/k

 

[Frantisekj]

No, they aren't. Most iPhone users have no idea that every photo they take is capturing a few seconds of audio and video, and since the default is to keep turning live photos back on, they're also unaware why their phone/iCloud storage keeps getting used up.

I also not sure they do. It is rare I see some feature I was completelly unaware of. Thanks for it. I may consider live photos now

 

[purplerainpurplerain]

When I read the title and my brain imagines throwing Polaroids at someone’s head.