Live photos being imported as video

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Level 1

5 points

Live photos being imported as video

When I import photos from my iPhone, Photos will import years' old live photos as videos that are 2-3 seconds long. It's messing up my library and I've not figured out a way to prevent this. I've run the repair tool but the problem is still there.

I've recently moved from an Iphone 7 to an iPhone 12 and used a backup (which included all the photos) to do so. I think it was around this time this issue started happening.

I'm using an iMac 2012 running Catalina 10.15.7 and Photos 5.0 (161.0.120). My iPhone is running the latest OS

Thanks.

iMac 27″

Posted on Jul 6, 2023 06:55 AM

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Answer 1

léonie

Level 10

199,927 points

Jul 6, 2023 11:35 AM in response to TTYTT

As you probably know, a Live Photo is a pair of a high resolution still frame and a short video clip.

When you import such a pair together at the same time, Photos will combine them to a Live Photo.

But this will not work, if one of the files has already been imported, either the still frame or the video clip, then Photos will just import the missing part and not combine them to a live photo.

Before you import Live Photos, ensure, that there is no part of the Live Photo already in your Photos Library. If there is, delete it from the library, also from Recently Deleted.

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Answer 2

TTYTT Author

Level 1

5 points

Jul 10, 2023 04:37 AM in response to léonie

I have tens of thousands of images going back years. To identify them all and remove them would be a lifetime's work! Surely this is a bug, because what you;re suggesting is that every time I connect my iPhone to my iMac to backup my photos I need to make sure that none of the photos on my phone are already on my computer - meaning I must delete all but the most recent photos on my phone.

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Answer 3

léonie

Level 10

199,927 points

Jul 10, 2023 04:55 AM in response to TTYTT

Usually Photos can recognize, if a Live Photo or any photo or video has already been imported, when you import from the same device in the same format.

Upgrading to a new iPhone and restoring it from a backup of the old iPhone seems to have changed the format or the creation date of the old Live Photos. And they can no longer be recognized as already imported, when you try to import from your Mac. Currently you cannot trust the selection of items that are shown as new items for importing and will have to select manually the items that are really new, when you import from the iPhone.

The easiest way would be to switch to iCloud Photos. After deleting all items from the iPhone but the really new ones, that are not already on your Mac, enable iCloud Photos, both on the iPhone and your Mac, and you will automatically keep the Photos Library on both devices identical.

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Live photos being imported as video

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