iPhone Live Photo handoff tool
GIF to Live Photo Converter
Have a GIF? Turn that GIF into an iPhone Live Photo-ready handoff. Preview it, fit it for portrait screens, and export an iPhone-ready .mov in your browser. The final save into Photos happens on your iPhone with intoLive, Shortcuts, or another compatible app — the web cannot write a Live Photo into your library.
Export your iPhone-ready MOV from a GIF
Everything here runs in your browser. Add an animated GIF, check its frames and length, choose an iPhone fit and a short output length, then export a .mov file to continue on iPhone.
Choose an animated GIF (up to 30MB). The file stays on your device and is not uploaded to a server. Got a video? Use the video converter instead.
3. Choose an iPhone fit
Live Photos are portrait. Fit keeps the whole GIF with padding; Fill crops it to fill a portrait frame; Original keeps the source shape.
4. Set a short output length
Live Photos are short. Many GIFs are under a second, so the tool loops your GIF up to the length you choose.
5. Export the iPhone-ready MOV
Convert the GIF into an iPhone-ready .mov in your browser, then open it on your iPhone in intoLive, Shortcuts, or a compatible app to finish the Live Photo.
Add a GIF to begin.
Processing happens locally in your browser. Nothing is sent to a server, and the page never writes to your Photos library or changes your wallpaper.
How the GIF to Live Photo handoff works
- 1
Add and check your GIF
Load an animated GIF and review its frame count and length in the browser. This is the web-prep step — fast, private, and on-device.
- 2
Fit it for iPhone
Pick a portrait fit and a short output length. Short GIFs are looped to a steadier Live-Photo-friendly length.
- 3
Download the iPhone-ready handoff
Export the GIF as an iPhone-ready .mov. It is not saved as a Photos Live Photo yet, because a web page cannot write one into your library.
- 4
Finish on your iPhone
Open the handoff file on your iPhone in a compatible app to convert it into a Live Photo, then apply it from iOS Settings > Wallpaper.
Finish on your iPhone with a compatible app
A downloaded .mov is not yet a Photos Live Photo. The save step into a real Live Photo, and applying it as a wallpaper, happen on your iPhone in a compatible app or Shortcut. These are commonly used options — check each app’s current pricing and reviews before installing.
intoLive
Imports a GIF, video, or photo and exports it as a Live Photo on the device. After it saves to Photos, set it from iOS Settings > Wallpaper.
Shortcuts
Apple’s Shortcuts app can run a community "make Live Photo" shortcut on a saved clip; review any shortcut before you run it.
Lively
Converts between Live Photos and videos; useful for saving your handoff clip back as a Live Photo on the device.
VideoToLive
Another App Store option that converts a clip into a Live Photo saved to Photos, ready to set as a wallpaper.
Then set it as your wallpaper (iOS 17 or later)
- Save the converted Live Photo into your iPhone Photos library from the app.
- Open Settings > Wallpaper and choose Add New Wallpaper.
- Pick Photos, then select your saved Live Photo and enable the Live (play-on-wake) option.
- Tap Add, then set it as your Lock Screen wallpaper pair.
Apple’s official flow applies an existing Live Photo as a Lock Screen wallpaper on iOS 17 or later; the conversion from a GIF to a Live Photo is the third-party step. Steps and app availability change over time, and we have not tested every iPhone model.
What this GIF converter does not do
This page does not save a Live Photo into your Photos library, does not set your iPhone wallpaper from the web, and does not need any account. A web page cannot write a Live Photo asset, and Safari downloads land in Files rather than as a Photos Live Photo. The honest boundary: the browser exports the iPhone-ready .mov from your GIF, and a compatible iPhone app or Shortcut saves it as a Live Photo. This page is not a GIF maker, a GIF compressor, or a video converter. We have not verified this on every iPhone, so treat the app steps as a starting point.
GIF to Live Photo converter FAQ
Can this converter turn my GIF into a Live Photo right in the browser?
It can export an iPhone-ready .mov from your GIF in the browser, but it cannot write a Live Photo into the iPhone Photos library. Use intoLive, Shortcuts, or another compatible iPhone app for the final save.
How do I convert a GIF to a Live Photo on my iPhone?
Export the iPhone-ready .mov here, then open it on your iPhone in intoLive, Shortcuts, Lively, or VideoToLive, save it as a Live Photo, and apply it from iOS Settings > Wallpaper.
Is the handoff file an MOV or an MP4?
The primary export is an iPhone-ready .mov built with local MOV conversion. If your browser cannot run the conversion, the tool falls back to a real MP4 or WebM capture of the animation and shows that actual format.
My GIF is very short. Will the Live Photo be too quick?
Set a longer output length and the tool loops your GIF to reach it, so a sub-second GIF becomes a steadier two- or three-second clip before you finish it on iPhone.
Does my GIF get uploaded anywhere?
No. Reading the GIF, previewing it, and exporting the handoff all run locally in your browser. The GIF is not sent to a server.