How to take and post a life photo on Instagram: all methods

How to surprise your followers on the social network Instagram if almost everything possible has already been tried? The answer is obvious – animated images. This will definitely bring a lot of brightness and creativity to your feed. If you are interested in this feature but have no idea how to do it, stay with us. Here you will find ways to create and post live photos on Instagram.

We create and post life photos on Instagram from our phone

Before we start making live photos, let’s understand what it is. As already mentioned, these are images that include:

• any effects (such as rain, snow, bubbles, fire, flying insects, etc.);
• “animated” elements (model’s hand waving, clouds moving, or sea waving).

The movement in such animation is looped, meaning it constantly repeats. With good processing, it looks quite natural and very unusual.

So, let’s get to the main point of our article – let’s animate the picture. Note that the step-by-step instructions for different operating systems will differ. Namely:

1. On iPhone 6S and above, such photos are taken using the built-in feature in camera mode called Live Photo.
2. On Android, as well as on iPhone 5S and below, everything is created using third-party utilities.

Let’s consider each option separately.

On Android

Let’s start with the operating system of alien smartphones. Follow the steps below to create an animated picture:

1. Unlock your gadget screen and go to Google Market.
2. Click on the search bar and enter the name “Vimage.”
3. Click on the corresponding application and install it on your phone.
4. Launch Vimage and tap the “+” on the home page.
5. Select “Gallery” and choose the photo you want to make come alive.
6. Edit the blur, color, and saturation of the image in the “Adjustments” tab.
7. Click on the “+” under the photo, and then select “Multiplier.”
8. Color the area that will move in the future.
9. Use the “cross” and “timer” icons to change the direction and scale of the movement.
10. Add more animations to the image through the “+”.
11. Click on the arrow in the upper right corner of the screen.
12. Wait for the program to save the result.
13. Tap “Share – Instagram – Feed” and switch to the “Mp4” format. If you choose Gif, the file quality will not satisfy you.
14. Add filters and captions if desired.
15. Upload the recording.

Check out the effects option to add snow, rain, and even live bees to your photos.

Useful to know. Vimage has a watermark. To remove it, you need to buy the Pro version for an additional fee or bother to add white frames to the photo beforehand and then remove them after processing in the tool.

On iPhone

Mounting a live photo on an iPhone 6s and above is much easier than on Android. You just need to:

1. Take a photo in live format using the camera.
2. Open the Instagram social network application.
3. Log in to your account.
4. Swipe right to open the story mode.
5. Swipe up from the bottom of the screen to open the gallery.
6. Find the taken picture and click on it.
7. Loop the photo using a 3D-touch press.
8. Edit as desired: add a sticker, attach a hashtag or poll.
9. Select the category you want to share with.
10. Post the publication.

Posting live photos through third-party applications

If you want more options and tools for creating moving pictures, take a look at two popular editors:

• Zoetropic;
• StoryZ.

Let’s figure out how to work with each of them.

In the first option:

1. Install Zoetropic on your device and launch it.
2. Skip the authorization moment and click “New Photo”.
3. Open the gallery and choose the desired photo or take a new one.
4. Click on the “Mask” option and paint the area you want to fix.
5. Switch to the “Movement” tool and set the direction using the arrows.
6. Open the “Stabilize” function and mark the points where you want to stop the animation.
7. Add an animal or effect through “Overlays”.
8. Adjust the color and saturation.
9. Tap on the “three dots” in the upper right corner of the screen and click “Export”.
10. Adjust the playback speed and number of repetitions, as well as decrease/increase the resolution.
11. Confirm saving in Mp4 format.
12. Wait for your file to be processed.
13. Share the video in “Instagram Feed”.

In the second option:

1. Download the StoryZ utility to your smartphone and open it.
2. Click on the “plus” and choose one of the modes: animation, overlay, effects or background. Upload an image.
3. In animation, use “Masks” to select the area without animation. Use arrows to indicate the direction of movement. Upload a filter (snow, rain, etc.) and adjust the looping (loop, continuity, pendulum).
4. In overlay, add an effect (fog, fireworks, highlights) and define the area without animation using an eraser. Give the camera movement in “Camera FX”.
5. In effects, click on “Impulse” and choose, for example, “Convexity”. Set the range and speed of the effect. Move the animation to the desired part of the screen.
6. In “Background”, add a picture from the gallery (main) and a video (background). Use a brush to draw the area on the photo where you want to change the background.
7. Save the result by clicking on the “disk” icon.
8. Click “Share” and publish the post in the Instagram feed.

Useful to know. In StoryZ, you can use layers to add one or more overlays at once.

How to create motion on specific areas of a photo

If you plan to create a live photo for Instagram by animating only a specific area, use the PixaMotion app. Follow the steps in the instructions below:

1. Install and launch PixaMotion.
2. Select a favorite image from your smartphone’s file system.
3. Go to the “Animate” tab and place the arrows in the direction you want to move the photo.
4. Check the “Fix” option and determine the area that will remain still.
5. Filter the snapshot, add overlays, and save the video using the “floppy disk” icon.

Done. You can now share your post with friends on social media in the usual way.

Advantages of Live Photos over GIFs

What are the advantages of a moving photo over a GIF? Here’s what:

And of course, with a live photo you can add filters, effects, and even mask objects to prevent overlapping, etc.

Above are ways to create and post a live photo on Instagram. Use one of them and delight your followers with interesting content.