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Do Live Photos take up space? How to compress Live Photos

The short answer

To compress Live Photos or regular photos on iPhone, tap Compress on PicWay’s Memories tab, pick your photos, and tap Compress. They get smaller and may lose some detail, while photo info stays as it was. Compressed Live Photos stay Live unless you choose to convert them to stills, and your original stays until you confirm.

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How to do it

  1. Pick your photos

    Tap Compress on the Memories tab, choose your photos on the Pick photos or videos to compress screen, then tap Compress. Grayed-out items are already compressed. You can also touch and hold a photo in your library and choose Compress.

  2. Compare in Set aside

    The new version and the original both show up on the Set aside page first. Tap Compare on the card to see before and after side by side.

  3. Delete the original when you’re happy

    Space is freed once you delete the original. Changed your mind? Tap Put back. The original stays in your library, and the compressed copy becomes a regular set-aside item.

Will compressing make my photos blurry?

Compressing makes a photo smaller and may lose some detail, so you can compare every photo before and after, and delete the original only if it looks fine to you. Capture time, location, and other photo info stay as they were.

If it saves too little space, PicWay keeps the original and changes nothing.

Do Live Photos take up space?

Yes. Besides the photo, a Live Photo records what happens 1.5 seconds before and after you take it (Apple’s guide), and both parts take up room. How much depends on each photo, so check the actual size on your iPhone.

Can you compress Live Photos?

Yes, and there are two choices:

  • Compress Live Photo: it’s still a Live Photo, with both the photo and the motion smaller.
  • Convert to still photo: removes the motion when you only want the still. On the Set aside page, tap the level on the compression card and choose Keep one frame.

Can I compress without opening PicWay?

Yes. Select photos in the Photos app, tap Share, and scroll to Compress.