At that place's something to be said for a truly remarkable experience. Whether it'southward a keen party, the trip of a lifetime, or a particularly hilarious one-act show, having lived through information technology makes u.s.a. desire to talk nearly it.

Nosotros share these experiences. Nosotros tell our friends almost them, post the pictures and videos nosotros've captured on social media, and -- when they're really adept -- try to relive them.  It seems that we're starting to prefer living those experiences over having material possessions. No wonder that 360° video is becoming so popular -- it virtually creates those experiences for us, correct from the condolement of our online devices.  Check out our interactive guide to creating high-quality videos for social media here.

Merely 360° video -- which could exist described every bit a course of virtual reality that creates immersive visual content without boosted hardware other than a screen -- isn't as easy equally buying a new camera and uploading your video online. Like whatever other visual content, it has to exist created and shared strategically. Non sure where to begin? Nosotros've got yous covered with these five steps.

How to Create 360° Video: The Ultimate Guide

i) Have a practiced reason to shoot information technology.

"When you lot share a 360° video, you're asking the viewer to take a larger role in experiencing it," says Matthew Watkins, HubSpot's senior video editor and animator. "The content has to support that."

For that reason, he says, there are very few situations when creating video in 360° is actually "necessary." Only in that location are occasions when it'southward useful -- for example, if you're trying to create an enhanced, but virtual experience of a sure setting.

That could be why many of the most popular 360° videos pertain to travel or unique experiences -- see below. Those are the types of situations that are enhanced by this particular video format.

Watkins likewise encourages potential 360° video creators to understand how much of an undertaking it can be. When I asked if I could borrow his GoPro to tinker around, for case, he warned me, "Getting it prepare, shooting, and actually looking at the footage will run you most of the day." And then when you moving-picture show a 360° video, plan it like you would any other full-day project, and consider building in extra time, depending on how much footage you film.

2) Pick your content.

When we spoke with Michael Rucker of OmniVirt, the makers of 360° video content delivery engineering, he cautioned against creating something "lazy."

"People just stick a 360° photographic camera in the middle of the room and hit 'tape.' That actually detracts from the viewer'southward attention," he explained. Instead, he says, he finds the best content that allows the user to look anywhere or everywhere, "but in that location's something specific that grabs my attention."

Take this video of a cooking competition, for instance. Nosotros're able to view everything and see what every chef in the kitchen is doing, but our eyes are fatigued to the chef that's currently speaking.

It's videos like these that Rucker says requite the user a "sense of autonomy" -- i that provides an immersive experience, but still puts the viewer in control. He challenges brands to enquire, "What are those experiences?"

But he also notes that "the heaven doesn't take to exist the limit" when creating these experiences -- they can yet be somewhat simple in concept, and B2B marketers can also use them to their advantage. Local motorcar dealerships are one example, and Rucker says they tin can create content in many of the same ways that big-name automotive brands practise.

"What's it really like to sit inside of that used Toyota?" he asks. That content simulates a test bulldoze experience for users, without making them get out the house -- much similar local realtors, for example, can create immersive 360° virtual tours of property listings that the viewer can control.

In other words, the existent value of this kind of content is to requite the user a sense of what information technology's similar to use your product or service. So when you set out to create your 360° video, effigy out what that experience looks like -- and retrieve, don't be "lazy" nigh it.

iii) Become the correct camera.

When selecting a photographic camera, there are a few items to consider, like what you want to use the video for, and where you want to share it.

"It also comes downwardly to upkeep and comfort level," says Watkins, noting that beginners might want to get-go with something like a RICOH, which is a single unit and but has 2 sensors -- the behind-the-lens technology that captures the paradigm -- producing lower-resolution results than something more than avant-garde.

Rucker agrees. He tends to recommend cameras like the RICOH that serve as an "out-of-the-box solution" and don't require a supplementary rig, which is essentially whatsoever additional hardware that supports the photographic camera.

While there are times when that additional hardware tin generate more than robust image quality, Rucker says the additional hardware doesn't ordinarily come up with a great ROI -- "mainly because the 360° engineering science volition but yield an experience every bit engaging equally the story existence told," he explains. "So the more than accessible and versatile the recording device, the better chance that a proficient story tin be captured."

But for the sake of perspective, Watkins recommends looking at the quality of two different videos -- kickoff, this 1, shot with RICOH THETA South:

And this one, shot with a GoPro Omni™ -- which uses six different sensors (which are actually comprised of vi synced GoPro Hero 4s):

But in addition to maximum resolution -- 5376 x 2688 for the RICOH, versus 7940 x 3970 for the Omni™ -- at that place's a major difference in price point. The higher-quality selection comes with a hefty price tag, at $4,999.99 for the Omni™, as opposed to $269.95 - $349.50 for different THETA models.

Think how nosotros said you should have a adept reason for creating 360° video in the showtime identify? Brand sure you also evaluate how much y'all want to spend on a higher resolution.

Meanwhile, different sites like YouTube and Facebook have their own recommendations for the all-time cameras to use -- reviewing those lists might be helpful if y'all programme to share on a specific platform.

4) Sew the footage to create a unmarried video.

Once you record your video footage, the adventures with hardware aren't quite over nevertheless. You'll need a lot of power, due to the higher resolution of most 360° video files, which tends to require a higher RAM.

The complexity of stitching depends on how many unlike scenes you want to include in the terminal video. And that depends on what yous're filming -- some content, like elephants in the wild, only require setting up the camera in one place and letting it run continuously.

Compare that to the GoPro Omni™ example from higher up, which stitched together several scenes and was likely a bit more complicated to edit.

As for editing software, many photographic camera manufacturers also take their own proprietary software, "so typically, you're buying a workflow when you buy a camera," says Watkins. Otherwise, here are some recommendations:

  1. Rucker suggests Adobe Premiere Pro -- $239.88 per year | Monthly payment plans available | Bachelor for Mac or Windows | View supported file formats
  2. Kolor Autopano Video -- $319.89 | $640.84 for Pro | Available for Mac or Windows | Works with mp4, mov, and pano input file formats
  3. VideoStitch Studio -- $295 | Bachelor for Mac or Windows | Works with mov, mkv, avi, mp4, wmv, mpg, mpeg, mp2, m4v, 3gp, ogv, ogg

v) Select where the video will exist published.

Social Media

More social media outlets are supporting 360° video -- similar Facebook, YouTube, and Google's Cardboard applied science -- making them a top choice for where this content is shared. These platforms make information technology fairly easy for marketers to publish their 360° videos, but choosing where to share it notwithstanding requires some strategy.

Start, it's of import to know where your target audience spends its fourth dimension online -- that fashion, y'all'll be sharing the content on the networks most probable to exist viewed by your personas. And in addition to social media, observe out what kind of device your audition is using, since "the near fun way to view these 360° videos is on a phone or tablet," according to Watkins.

Rucker adds that you lot might want to have this usage information in heed before you lot create the content. "Get in right for the platform," he echoes.

Device

That communication is corroborated past data collected by VRLab Partner Fernando Tarnogol, who explored the average length of time spent watching individual 360° videos, co-ordinate to device and operating arrangement. Over one-half of the viewers were using mobile, confirming Watkins' hypothesis that the experience is better consumed there. On top of that, 48% of them were using Android devices -- which could be explained past the fact that, according to Watkins, 360° video isn't supported on Apple tree mobile outside of the app where it's hosted.

In society to view it on iOS devices, he explains, "You must use the YouTube app on an iPhone, or the Facebook app, if it's uploaded at that place."

That could be why so many marketers are unsure of how360° video tin be used outside of social media, Rucker says, which is when OmniVirt's technology becomes helpful -- information technology allows 360° video to exist distributed across the web. Take a look:

Source: OmniVirt

As with all content strategy, data is your friend. Pay attending to where and how your audience is consuming360° video, and create the experience for them while they're already in that location.

The Big Picture show

When information technology comes to creating and distributing 360° video, in that location are three basic pillars:

  1. Don't be lazy.
  2. Create content that allows users to experience your product or service.
  3. Be strategic about where you share it. Make sure it'southward reaching the right audition, in a place where it tin be optimally consumed.

But don't be too strict when it comes to that second colonnade. Y'all tin practice more than than just create the feel of a examination drive or an apartment bout -- in the case of the latter, for example, 360° video can too be used to aid potential renters or buyers explore the neighborhood. While the content should be relevant, information technology doesn't have to exist linear. If you're not having whatever fun creating it, your audience probably won't have much fun consuming it.

So while the heaven doesn't accept to be the limit, it nearly certainly can exist. With the right amount of strategy and selective applied science, you'll be on your way to creating 360° videos that are attending-grabbing, sharable, and -- with enough practice -- remarkable.

Desire more tips for creating video content? Check out these soundless video examples.

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Originally published February vii, 2017 eight:00:00 AM, updated March 25 2019