How to Create 360 Photo

Create 360 photos like a pro with our step-by-step guide

Overview

Learn how to create 360 photos like a pro with our step-by-step guide. Whether you’re a photographer, real estate agent, or event organizer, 360-degree images are a powerful tool for immersive experiences. Discover the best equipment, software, and tips for capturing high-quality 360 photos. Get started today and enhance your virtual tours!

How to Create 360 Photo: A Step-by-Step Guide

360-degree photos are transforming the way we experience and share visual content. Whether you’re a photographer wanting to expand your portfolio, a real estate agent aiming to give potential buyers a full view of a property, or an event organizer looking to provide virtual access to your event, learning how to create 360 photos can significantly elevate your work.

In this article, we’ll walk you through every step of the process, from choosing the right equipment to publishing your final images.

Why 360 Photos Matter

360-degree photos are a powerful tool for immersive storytelling and interactive experiences. Instead of showing a flat image, a 360 photo allows viewers to look around a scene in every direction. This offers a more engaging and lifelike experience.

For industries like real estate and events, it provides a virtual “try-before-you-buy” experience, allowing potential customers to feel as though they are physically present in a space.

For example, a real estate agent can use 360 photos to showcase an entire room or outdoor area, giving prospective buyers a far more comprehensive view than traditional photos can offer. Photographers can also expand their services by offering 360-degree images for weddings, landscapes, or any occasion that would benefit from full-scene capture.

With platforms like threesixty.tours, you can easily host and share 360 tours, making it simple to integrate these immersive images into your website or portfolio.

Virtual Tour Below 👇 - Try it Out!

Essential Equipment for Capturing 360 Photos

Before diving into the process, you need the right equipment. Here’s what you’ll need to get started:

360-Degree Camera

While it is possible to stitch together a 360 photo using multiple images, using a dedicated 360-degree camera is much easier and faster. These cameras capture the entire scene in one go, thanks to their dual or multiple-lens setup. Some of the best 360 cameras on the market include:

Insta360 ONE X2: Great for high-quality images and ease of use.
Ricoh Theta Z1: Known for superior image quality and raw image capture options.
GoPro MAX: Ideal for both 360 photos and videos, and it’s rugged for outdoor use.

Check out The Best 360 Cameras for Virtual Tours if you would like to dig deeper into the 360 cameras. These cameras have a vast price range going from $400 up to $3,000. The above mentioned article can help you decide on which one and shows the comparison between them.

Tripod

Stability is key when shooting 360 photos. Even small movements can cause blurriness or uneven stitching, so using a tripod ensures the camera stays perfectly still. Look for a sturdy tripod with a 360-degree rotating head for easier alignment for your tripod for 360

cameras.

Smartphone

Most 360 cameras connect to a smartphone via Wi-Fi or Bluetooth, allowing you to preview and control the shot. The camera’s companion app will help you adjust settings, frame the shot, and trigger the capture remotely, reducing the chance of camera shake.

You can even create a 360 image right from your Iphone! Learn how to take 360 photos with iphone.

Editing Software

Once you’ve captured your 360 photo, you’ll need software to process and refine the image. Some popular options include:

Adobe Photoshop (for more advanced editing)
PTGui (for stitching multiple images into a 360 panorama)
Insta360 Studio (for easy editing with Insta360 cameras)

How to Capture a 360 Photo

Now that you have the right gear, it’s time to take your first 360 photo. Follow these steps:

Find Your Scene

Whether you’re indoors or outdoors, ensure that the area you’re capturing is clean, well-lit, and visually appealing from all angles. 360 photos work best in spaces where viewers would naturally want to look around—such as a living room in a house or a scenic outdoor location.

Set Up Your Camera

Mount your 360 camera on a tripod at the ideal height for your shot. In most cases, eye level works best for immersive experiences, but you can experiment with different heights depending on the subject matter.

Connect and Preview

Open the camera’s companion app on your smartphone. This will allow you to preview the scene and make any necessary adjustments to exposure, white balance, and other camera settings.

Shoot the Photo

Once you’re happy with the framing, use the app to trigger the shot. If you’re taking multiple shots to stitch together later, ensure that you rotate the camera on its axis evenly after each capture.

Virtual Tour of Hotel 👇 - Try it Out!

Processing and Editing Your 360 Photo

After capturing your 360 photo, it’s time to process and refine the image. Here’s how:

Stitch the Photo

If your camera automatically stitches the photo for you, this step may not be necessary. However, if you’ve taken multiple images to form a 360-degree panorama, you’ll need software like PTGui or Hugin to stitch them together seamlessly. Most if not all of 360 cameras today do the stitching for you. Learn How Do 360 Cameras Work.

Edit the Image

Even 360 photos can benefit from some post-processing. You might want to adjust brightness, contrast, and sharpness, or even remove unwanted objects. Use software like Adobe Photoshop to make these adjustments. Just be careful to maintain the seamless look of the 360-degree view, as heavy editing can sometimes disrupt the immersive experience.

Export in the Right Format

Make sure to export your photo in a format that supports 360 viewing, such as equirectangular projection. The standard dimensions for a 360 photo are 2:1 (twice as wide as it is tall), and common resolutions include 4096 x 2048 or 8192 x 4096 for high-quality images.

Publishing and Sharing Your 360 Photos

Once your photo is ready, you’ll want to share it. There are several ways to publish and distribute 360 photos:

Social Media

Many platforms now support 360-degree content, including Facebook and YouTube. These platforms automatically detect the 360 format and allow viewers to pan around the image using their mouse or touchscreen.

Virtual Tour Platforms

For a more professional presentation, you will need a platform like threesixty.tours. With threesixty.tours, you can create and host interactive virtual tours that incorporate your 360 photos. This is an excellent option for real estate agents, universities, or event companies looking to offer immersive virtual experiences. Threesixty.tours is a very affordable and user-friendly software.

Embedding on Websites

Many content management systems (CMS) like WordPress offer plugins or tools to embed 360 photos directly into your website. This can enhance your site’s visual appeal and keep visitors engaged for longer.

Best Practices for Stunning 360 Photos

To ensure your 360 photos stand out, follow these best practices:

Lighting Matters: Make sure your scene is well-lit, as 360 photos can exaggerate shadows and overexposed areas.
Minimize Clutter: The immersive nature of 360 photos means every detail counts. Remove unnecessary objects from your scene to avoid distracting viewers.
Keep the Camera Level: A tilted horizon can ruin the immersive effect, so always check that your camera is perfectly level.
Edit Thoughtfully: Make sure edits, especially object removals or retouching, are subtle to maintain the realism of the image.

Check out our 10 Amazing tips to create better Panoramic pictures.

Finale

Creating a 360 photo may seem daunting at first, but with the right equipment and techniques, you can capture stunning, immersive images that engage viewers and elevate your virtual tours. Whether you’re looking to showcase a property, document an event, or simply explore new creative horizons, learning how to create 360 photos is an invaluable skill.

Ready to start creating your own 360 photos? Explore the tools and features available on threesixty.tours and take your virtual tours to the next level today!