What Is an Apple Live Photo?

An exported Apple Live Photo is usually not one magic file. It is a high-resolution JPEG or HEIC still paired with a short QuickTime MOV. Matching content identifiers in the image metadata and movie metadata tell compatible software that the resources belong together.

Some export paths strip one or both identifiers. A viewer can still allow a manually selected pair with a warning, but it should block files when both identifiers exist and clearly disagree.

MP4 keeps normal video motion and can retain audio. When the MOV contains compatible H.264 and AAC tracks, conversion can be a fast remux rather than a quality-losing transcode. HEVC or unusual tracks may require local decoding and re-encoding, which depends on browser codec support.

GIF removes audio and limits color but is easy to embed as a loop. JPG keeps only one still frame. Use the original key photo for maximum still resolution, or choose a frame from the motion clip when timing matters more than resolution.

HEIC preview and HEVC video decoding are the two common compatibility boundaries. A local fallback can decode many HEIC images, while video may use WebCodecs or a large FFmpeg WebAssembly module. Those modules should load only after the user selects the corresponding tool.

A correct browser utility checks duration, dimensions, pixel work, and memory before generating dozens of GIF frames. It also stops workers and revokes object URLs after reset.