This month we spin around and turn our attention to working with 360 degree video and still images. If you’re ready to graduate from ‘flat’ media to something more immersive, welcome aboard 🙂
What is 360 degree video?
With a traditional camera, you ‘point and shoot’. With a 360 degree camera, there is often no need to ‘point’ at all, as it captures a full 360 degree image of everything around you. Modern cameras can even ‘magically’ remove a tripod or selfie stick from the recorded video – Awesome!
Here’s a promotional video for the recently released Insta360 X3, showing just how far this kind of device has come in recent years!
The evolution of 360 degree cameras
360 degree cameras are not new, but their specifications have evolved significantly in recent years. Our first 360 camera was this LG model from 2017. It produced usable images and video for the time:
You may also recognise this ‘cute’ 360 degree device from Samsung (2017). Again, the quality was fine for personal projects. You can still purchase this device at time of writing, but the app is no longer supported and will not work with recent phones:
In recent years INSTA360 has taken the lead in consumer 360 degree devices. The Insta360 X3 (below) was released in September 2022, offering 5.7k video resolution and high-resolution (72mp) still images. With the addition of HDR video, timelapse and ‘regular’ wide-angle video recording, it’s a very versatile device. The Insta360 app offers an array of clever edits though a laptop is needed to work with full resolution video files. We’ll be using footage from this camera this month!
INSPIRE!
Immersive video can be created from VIRTUAL animated environments:
…as well as for showcasing the beauty of the natural world:
It’s also commonly used for creating ‘virtual tours’ of properties and tourist attractions:
And yes, it can even be educational:
Ready for more?
We’ll be introducing our special series of explainers next week. If we’ve piqued your interest, here are some great starting points for your immersive journey:
