Live Photos Take Up Same Space as Two 12 MP Still Images

When it comes to the iPhone 6s’ camera, Apple highlights three major improvements, one of which is Live Photos. As explained by Phil Schiller during the keynote, Live Photos do take still photos, but also capture an additional 3 seconds before and after the photos were taken. Here is how Apple describes it.

A still photo captures an instant frozen in time. With Live Photos, you can turn those instants into unforgettable living memories. At the heart of a Live Photo is a beautiful 12?megapixel photo. But together with that photo are the moments just before and after it was taken, captured with movement and sound.

You can bring those moments to life anytime simply by pressing anywhere on the photo. You can even set your favorite Live Photo as your Lock screen wallpaper, so you can relive a moment any time you take your iPhone 6s out of your pocket. And you can view Live Photos on your other Apple devices, too.

Of course, this is the magical element that breathes life into the frozen moment captured by your iPhone and brings a new experience to how you relive memories. Actually, this isn’t new; there are apps in the App Store that provide a similar feature.

Otherwise, little is known about Live Photos. Matthew Panzarino of TechCrunch, however, is there to fill some of the information gap. In a video released by TechCrunch, he explains that Live Photos take the same space as two 12 MP still photos. What’s interesting is the technique Apple uses to take the images: Your iPhone starts taking pictures the moment you launch the camera app and stores only the last one when you press the shutter button. Then the new system will select from the moments before and after you pressed the shutter and compress it into the new format.

[via MacRumors]