360 PANORAMA PHOTOGRAPHY TUTORIALS
HOW TO MAKE 360 PANORAMA PHOTOS
(click on the image and drag your mouse – requires Quicktime)
360 degree panorama pictures and photography (spin-o-rama panoramas!) takes in an entire field of view and then some! It also takes in all the sky – or vertical area, as well as the ground beneath your feet. But using special VR software, you can transform your panorama images into immersive environments, create virtual tours of far away places and amaze friends, and add a ton of value-added punch for clients.
This is an ADVANCED 360 Panorama photography tutorial. We assume here that you have already created the correct pano projection image. So you don’t get frustrated, please read the basic how to panorama tutorials first.
At the heart of these 360° panoramas, is the equirectangular projection panorama that we created in the first tutorial. Equirectangular panoramas comprise an area of view that is 360 by 180 degrees. These proportions MUST be maintained to make a QTVR movie.
So the basic process is to take your 360 panoramic picture, and use special software to create your “spinorama panorama.” What you’ll need is some free software called Pano2QTVR. With this application you can create Quicktime movies. With the paid version you can create Flash movies. However if you want to make Flash movies I recommend you buy the newer version, called Pano2VR.
THE 360 PANORAMA PHOTOGRAPHY TUTORIALS STEPS:
Install and open Pano2QTVR
Click the “create a new project” button and name your project. Try “test” just for now. This will open the project window:
Make sure Equirectangular is selected. Make sure your image is an equirectangular projection, 360 by 180 degrees!
Click the … button to navigate to your image file.
Next, click on the Settings Tab on the top menu.
The software will automatically determine the best size for your movie. Just click the Optimal link to accept the default, it does work best!
Next in Movie Properties, set the size for your movie. Typically if you are displaying in on a web page it will need to be less than the width of your page.
Leave everything else at the default settings.
Click CREATE! In a few minutes your new spinorama will open. And that’s how simple it is.
Take a look at the 360 pano of the Viewpoint Lookout at Munson Mountain Park in BC. Heaven on Earth!
The end of part 1 of 360 PANORAMA PHOTOGRAPHY tutorials!
