Have you ever come across a GIF that perfectly captures your mood or personality and wished you could use it as a dynamic wallpaper on your iPhone? Live Photos on iPhones offer a touch of animation, bringing your lock screen or home screen to life. While GIFs are a fun way to share animated images, they aren’t directly compatible with the Live Photo format. Fortunately, turning your favorite GIFs into Live Photos is a straightforward process, and the best part is, you can do it easily using the Giphy app.
For iPhone users wanting to personalize their devices, converting GIFs to Live Photos opens up a world of creative possibilities. While there have been apps capable of this conversion, using Giphy provides a seamless experience directly from the largest GIF library online. This guide will walk you through the simple steps to convert any GIF into a Live Photo using the official Giphy app, enhancing your iPhone customization options.
What You’ll Need
Before we dive into the steps, ensure you have the following ready:
- iPhone: Any iPhone capable of supporting Live Photos.
- Giphy App: Download and install the “GIPHY: The GIF Search Engine” app from the App Store. This free app is essential for the conversion process.
Step-by-Step Guide: Converting GIFs to Live Photos
The process of turning a GIF into a Live Photo is remarkably simple with the Giphy app. Follow these steps to bring your favorite GIFs to life on your iPhone.
Install the Giphy App
If you haven’t already, your first step is to download and install the Giphy app. Head to the App Store and search for “GIPHY: The GIF Search Engine”. Install the app on your iPhone. Giphy is not just a conversion tool; it’s also a vast library of GIFs and a platform for sharing them.
Find Your GIF
Open the Giphy app and browse or search for the GIF you wish to convert into a Live Photo. Giphy’s extensive library makes it easy to find the perfect GIF for any occasion or mood. Once you find the GIF you want, tap on it to open its dedicated page within the app.
Save as Live Photo
On the GIF’s page, look for the ellipsis icon (…). This is usually located below the GIF, next to the share options. Tap on the ellipsis icon. A menu will appear with several options. Select the “Live Photo” icon, which is represented by circles within circles.
After tapping the Live Photo icon, you’ll be presented with two choices for saving your Live Photo:
- Save as Live Photo (Full Screen): This option saves the GIF as a Live Photo in full screen aspect ratio. Ideal for wallpapers to avoid cropping.
- Save as Live Photo (Fit to Screen): This option fits the GIF to the screen, which might add black bars at the top and bottom if the GIF’s aspect ratio doesn’t match your iPhone screen.
For using the Live Photo as a wallpaper, the “Full Screen” option is generally recommended to maximize the display area. Choose your preferred option. Giphy will then convert the GIF and save it as a Live Photo to your iPhone’s Photos app.
Access Your Live Photos
To find your newly created Live Photo, open the “Photos” app on your iPhone. Navigate to your “Albums”. You’ll find your converted Live Photos in either the “Camera Roll” album or the dedicated “Live Photos” album for easy access. If you mistakenly saved a GIF as a regular GIF instead of a Live Photo, it would be located in the “Animated” folder within Albums.
Set as Live Photo Wallpaper (Optional)
One of the most popular uses for GIF-turned-Live-Photos is to set them as animated wallpapers for your iPhone’s lock screen or home screen. To do this, follow these steps:
- In the “Photos” app, select the Live Photo you just created.
- Tap the “Share” icon (the square with an arrow pointing upwards).
- From the share sheet options, scroll down and select “Use as Wallpaper”.
- Adjust the Live Photo preview to your liking. You can choose how it’s positioned on the screen.
- Tap “Set”.
- Choose whether you want to set it as your “Set Lock Screen”, “Set Home Screen”, or “Set Both”.
Now, your chosen GIF, converted into a Live Photo, will animate when you 3D Touch (or long-press on newer iPhones) your lock screen, adding a dynamic and personalized touch to your device.
While GIFs from Giphy might not always be in the highest resolution, the fun and personalization they bring to your iPhone as Live Photo wallpapers is undeniable. Enjoy experimenting with your favorite GIFs and bringing them to life on your iPhone screen!
