PHOTOV Docs / Reference / Live still
Live still
A live still is what remains after AirDrop into a folder: one JPG, without the Live Photo’s short video. On iPhone a Live Photo is two pieces—a still and about two or three seconds of video—tied by the same Content Identifier. AirDrop into the Photos app can join them again. AirDrop into Finder, Downloads, or a work folder only needs one image, so the system sends a compatible JPG and leaves the video behind. That JPG still carries the Live Photo tags (Content Identifier and Live Photo Video Index). The file ends where the JPEG ends, with no video bytes after it and no short MOV of the same name beside it. It is not a HEIC, and it is not a separate long video.
In Photos on iPhone, select the Live Photo, tap Share, tap Options at the top, turn on All Photos Data, then AirDrop. The option has existed since iOS 13 (September 2019); iOS 12 and earlier do not have it. It sends the original file and the short video on AirDrop; Messages and Mail do not use it. A complete send should leave the original HEIC (or an untranscoded original) plus a paired short MOV, not a JPG that only keeps the tags. PROFESSOR recognizes this JPG: a blue Related button on the bottom status bar opens this page.
Send the video with the still
- On iPhone, open Photos and select the Live Photo.
- Tap Share (the square with an arrow).
- Tap Options at the top of the share sheet. Do not tap AirDrop yet.
- Turn on All Photos Data. That switch exists from iOS 13.
- Tap Done, then AirDrop to a folder on the Mac.
- On the Mac, confirm a short paired video arrived with the still—usually HEIC plus MOV, not a lone JPG that only keeps the Live Photo tags.
Versions
| Item | Fact |
|---|---|
| When the option exists | From iOS 13 (September 2019). iOS 12 and earlier have no All Photos Data row. |
| Ways that include the short video | AirDrop. Current user guides also allow All Photos Data on iCloud links. |
| Ways that drop the short video | Messages, Mail, and AirDrop to a folder with All Photos Data off. The receiver gets one image, so the system sends a JPG and leaves the Live Photo video behind. |
| After a complete send | The original still (often HEIC) plus a paired short MOV. Same stem, not a separate long video of tens of seconds. |