A lot has changed since the days of looking at slides and seeing simply depth of field. Since around 2010 modern day VR has come out through the companies of Oculus Rift, HTC Vive, and the Sony Playstation VR.
The ability to create 360 video has been around since around 2016 when users could attach a few GoPro’s together in a rig to capture pictures and video.
This process was very difficult as the content creator had to go in and use software to stitch together the individual images.
Cameras today are so much smaller than one would expect. With a double lens setup these cameras take photos of the entire area and then stitch the photos together instantly. Using a 360 camera has become as easy as using a regular camera. Some popular 360 cameras today include the Ricoh Theta 360 and the Insta360, prices of these devices range anywhere from around $150 up to $400 and even up to $16,000 for the absolute top of the line professional cameras. Of course you can get your hands on a cheaper older model thats still high quality that is way cheaper! I was able to snag one for as low as 40 dollars from Swappa.com. I encourage anyone looking to get into the 360 media industry to do some research to really see what it is they want to do with a 360 camera as there are many different types of cameras all at different price ranges.
Using a personal 360 camera like the Insta360 S or the Samsung Gear 360 is super easy. The Insta360 (a camera I do not have) seems to be one of the easiest to jsut point and shoot as it connects directly into an iPhone and can shoot 360 content using the phone. This means that a user can just plug and play. The one downside to this kind of camera is that to use it you will always have the “Selfy arm” in view, as you will have to hold your phone to capture content and use its abilities. The advantage of a stand-alone camera is that you can set it somewhere and take the photos as well as hold it and take the photos.
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To edit 360 content all one has to do is download their manufacturer’s app, or a separate third party app like VeeR Editor. Most of the time the easiest application to edit these kind of photos and videos will be the manufacturer’s app.
As 360 content takes off, the easiest way to share it is through Facebook and Youtube. These platforms have built in 360 degree formats for videos and photos and can even be played in a VR Headset to truly maximize the immersion experience. If you want to get creative there are many other ways to share 360 photos. As just one can create many different types of photos. Examples include: Tiny Planets, Split View, Inverted Planets, Panoramics, and even more.
My personal favorite.
