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Videos are positively dominating social media, including on Instagram [3], which announced in June 2021 that it is "no longer just a photo-sharing platform." But don't feel like you have to replace all your photos in favour of filling your camera roll with videos. There is a way to take still photos and videos on an iPhone at the same time. If your brain didn't just combust at that statement, don't worry; mine and every single one of my friend's brains did for you. Digital creator Kelly Fiance [4] is one person who's shared this tip in an Instagram Reel, and I don't think I'll ever take photos the same way again.
If you enjoy stitching together videos of your life for recaps of your year, your month, or even a fun trip, this tip is going to be useful for you. It's so much better than converting live photos into a video clip (which I've done more times than I can count), and the picture quality remains high. If you're a content creator in any sense of the word, pay very close attention, as this iPhone hack will make your life simpler.
How to Take Still Photos While Recording a Video on Your iPhone
- Start recording your video.
- Tap the white circle on the bottom right-hand corner to take a picture.
- Stop recording your video when done.
- All pictures and videos will be saved to your camera roll.
That's literally it. It's hard to believe this not-so-secret capture button has been available to us for so long, but thank goodness it is.
How to Capture a Still Photo From a Prerecorded Video on Your iPhone
If you have a prerecorded video that'd you'd like to capture a still photo from, there's a way to do that, too (sort of).
- Open the video you'd like to take a picture from.
- Select the frame you want to turn into a picture.
- Using the volume-up and side buttons, take a screenshot of the frame, and crop it to your liking.
- Access the screenshot from your camera roll as you normally would.