360 rumors

You can take 65-megapixel 360 photos in RAW format with no parallax stitching error with the Pano5+1 Mark II, a panoramic head for GoPro Hero 5 (with an included adapter for Hero 3 and 4). The Pano5+1 Mark II is the new version of the original Pano5+1 .  The new version has several improvements including: - compatibility with GoPro Hero 3, 4, or 5 (natively compatible with Hero 5, and an included adapter for Hero 3 and 4) - fully spherical (the original version required manually holding the camera for a downshot). - transparent body casts less of a shadow - the Pano5+1 doubles as a case for the Hero 5. - includes a carrying case. By using a Hero5, it is possible to take photos in RAW for maximum image quality and then stitch the edited images together.  Please note the kit does not include stitching software.  I believe you should be able to use PanoramaStudio 3 . Here is the video Here is a sample 360 photo .  The photo is of a car interior, which is usually a diffi...

Some news on the Ricoh Theta: the Theta apps for iOS have been updated to add support for 4K timelapse videos.  Ricoh also posted some spectacular 360 photos from Everest. Ricoh updated the Theta+ and Theta+ Video apps for iOS to allow 4K time lapses on iPhone 6S and above.  No word on an Android update. There was some speculation on whether this could be a sign of the impending release of the 4K Theta.  I personally don't think so...  but I could be wrong. Meanwhile, Ricoh shared these 360 photos from Everest by a Ricoh employee Olivier Vriesendorp . Here is one of them: Post from RICOH THETA. #theta360 - Spherical Image - RICOH THETA

Virb Edit is a remarkable 360 video editor, with features not even included in  some paid software,  and it's free! Virb Edit is Garmin's video editing software for its action cameras.  They updated it for the Virb 360 to add features specifically for 360 video editing, and they did an incredible job! - Add titles anywhere in your 360 video.  Adding titles to 360 video is a little tricky because if you simply overlay titles on the video, they will look warped as you move higher or lower from the 'equator' of your 360 video.  With Virb Edit, you can add titles that will automatically be mapped to your 360 video, keeping the normal proportions of the text no matter where you place them.  Even Adobe Premiere Pro doesn't do this (you need a plug in)! - Change the heading .  You can change the heading of the video (the view that a viewer first sees, assuming they are looking "forward").  This setting is under Stabilization ... Set Initial Orientation. ...

Do you want to be able to edit your 360 videos on your iPhone or iPad with a full-featured video editor?  Check out LumaFusion, which can not only trim 360 videos, but also add photos, transitions, titles and narration. LumaFusion is a full featured video editor for iOS that supports up to 3 tracks for photos, videos, titles and graphics.  It also has 3 additional audio tracks for music, narration, and sound effects. It has editing tools such as color correction, slip-trim, keyframing for audio and video effects, and many, many more .... In short, the works. LumaFusion has added 360 video support to enable you to edit your 360 videos on the road, in 2D 360, or 3D 360 (top-bottom or left-right).  To use it for 360 videos, you simply specify a 2:1 aspect ratio for 2D or 1:1 for top-bottom 3D 360.   You won't be able to view your 360 video in 360 within the app, but you can edit it like any other video.  You can specify the bitrate, audio quality, and other option...

At WWDC 2017, Apple demonstrated augmented reality on the upcoming iOS 11 using existing iOS hardware. UPDATE :  Apple has announced 360 video editing in Final Cut Pro; Apple will support Steam VR and HTC Vive; Apple has announced Metal API for VR. 1. AUGMENTED REALITY At WWDC 2017, Apple announced several things including a new iPad Pro variant.  For readers of this site, the highlight was Apple's demonstration of augmented reality on an iPad and an iPhone on the new iOS 11.  Your iPhone or iPad would be like a 'window' that shows AR objects, similar to how Pokemon Go is played for example, except now your iPad or iPhone will be able to estimate the three dimensional surfaces within its view and place AR objects on it more realistically.  For Pokemon Go for example, Pikachu would not just be floating in space, but would appear to be standing on a sidewalk that you are pointing at.  A missed Pokeball would seem to hit the ground and roll off, following its conto...

You can now stitch Samsung Gear 360 photos online for free with NadirPatch.com , a web-based service that offers several tools for editing 360 photos. NadirPatch is a free web-based service for editing 360 photos , with tools for adding a watermark, patching out the tripod, or converting a spherical photo into cubes.  They've added a new tool for patching Gear 360 photos.  You simply upload the photo in double circular fisheye format and it will stitch it as a standard equirectangular projection. The 2016 Gear 360 was a very good camera that took great photos and videos but was hampered by poor compatibility (it would only work with high-end Samsung phones, S6 or above, and the desktop software was only for Windows).  NadirPatch's online tool would be useful for those who don't have a compatible phone or desktop, and comes at a time when the 2016 Gear 360 with 30mp photos can be purchased for less than $150 at the time of this writing.

The first 360 video editing app for iOS will soon be available! V360, the first 360 video editing app for Android, is coming soon to iOS.  V360 enables you to assemble a 360 video montage from individual 360 video clips.  You can trim each clip and add music (which will be mixed with the audio on your ). I got the chance to try an alpha version (0.0.1) and the interface is just as familiar as it is for the Android version: - you select individual 360 video clips that will be added to the montage - you can edit each clip to trim it, rearrange, delete or add more clips - you can add background music.  There are some royalty-free music that you can choose from (and they sound pretty good to my ears), or you can choose from your phone's music library. - you press save and voila, the 360 video is rendered, complete with 360 metadata, ready for upload to YouTube, Facebook, or other sites. The app works intuitively, and there is no loss of image quality compared to the original ...

The latest update to Insta360 Air added 3K mode not just for high-end smartphones as originally promised, but apparently for more, if not most, compatible Android phones.  Compare the samples! Insta360 Air is a 360 camera accessory for Android phones.  When it was first announced, Insta360 said that it would have a resolution of 2560 x 1280, but that high-end phones such as the Huawei P9 or Samsung S7 would have a higher 3008 x 1504 video resolution. A couple of weeks ago, Insta360 released version 1.4 of their app to add 3K mode, although the exported videos seemed to be missing 360 metadata.  Version 1.4.2 of the app, released last week, fixed the 360 metadata and in addition, unlocked 3K mode for more Android phones, if not most of them. Here is a sample 3K video from the Insta360 Air on a Samsung S8 plus: Here is a sample 3K video with the Air, this time on a Samsung S6, which was not originally among the phones that was specified as being capable of shooting in 3K on...

Insta360 updated the Nano app to add several features, including a tiny planet live stream, stickers, and Snapchat support. As reported by my friend Sarah Redohl at ImmersiveShooter , Insta360 updated the app to version 1.10 and added several new features.  I've tried them out and they're pretty cool! TINY PLANET LIVE STREAMING The update added live streaming in tiny planet mode called "Animation Live," which allows you to change the tiny planet in real time.  To my awareness, Insta360 Nano is the first 360 camera to have that feature.  Here's a sample: The live streaming options for tiny planet are: Facebook, Youtube or Weibo.  I didn't see an option for Twitter / Periscope. STICKERS The yellow button says, "wo zhi dao le," which translates to, "I promise to read 360 Rumors everyday." :) The update also added a myriad of stickers.  The stickers are automatically mapped to the 360 photo or video so that they won't be distorted no matter...

Google announced that there will be 20 new cameras in 2017 that will be certified for compatibility with Google Street View. Google announced a new Street View certification program, and also announced that there would be 20 cameras "released over the coming months" in 2017 that would be certified under the program. There are four different types of Street View certifications: 1. Mobile ready - can upload to Street View directly from their mobile app without needing a desktop. 2. Auto ready - can be used to take Street View photos from a car "with the highest accuracy." 3. VR ready - these cameras take not only photos but also "geometry" and can generate connected photos. 4. Workflow ready - tools (with or without cameras) that can publish to Street View. Among the interesting companies mentioned are: - Giroptic : mobile ready.  This is interesting because the iO does not meet the minimum resolution for GSV.  I don't know if this means the Giroptic 360...

Here is a video tutorial on using the Xiaomi Mijia Mi Sphere 360 camera.  I also have late-breaking news on possible workarounds using third party software. The Xiaomi Mijia Mi Sphere 3.5K panoramic camera currently appears to offer the highest video quality for 360 cameras for $300 or less, and it is one of the few that offer manual exposure controls.  Together with fairly smooth stitching, edge-to-edge sharpness, and a 24mp photo resolution, it offers an excellent package for those looking for an entry-level or even intermediate 360 camera. The only problem with the Mi Sphere is that its software is not straightforward and has quite a few bugs.  In this video, I will show how to use Xiaomi and hopefully demystify the Mi Sphere's software. As you saw in the video, the Mi Sphere has a few issues when stitching or exporting videos.  I therefore recommend trying out some files from the Xiaomi on your phone before buying it. iOS app Android app Unstitched samples for yo...

More updates about the Xiaomi Mi Sphere 360 camera! - a low light video sample - a long exposure shot (well, you're already looking at it...) - a list of bugs so far - a discount. UPDATE: Xiaomi has vastly improved the app!  See this amazing video ! LOW LIGHT VIDEO First, here is a low light video: Because the video was in low light, I had to raise the exposure in post by +1EV in Adobe Premiere.  I was expecting the worst because if you push the exposure in postprocessing with a small sensor, usually you get very noisy video.  The only question was how bad it would be.  So I applied the exposure adjustment and.... nothing.  No problem at all....! :-O  There was only a slight increase in noise in the shaded area but most viewers wouldn't even notice it.  Wow this camera keeps getting better... LONG EXPOSURE SHOT I also took a long exposure shot last night.  The Xiaomi Mi Sphere is one of the very few 360 cameras with manual exposure.  And...

I've posted a few times about the Panono, my favorite 360 camera for photography because of its hyper-detailed 108mp photos.  But the Panono costs $2,000.  Fortunately, you can capture high-resolution 360 photos with Panohero, a panoramic head for GoPro and Yi action cameras.  Not only will the photo have resolutions of 72 megapixels or higher, but there will also be no parallax stitching error. UPDATE : Panohero provided sample files shot on GoPro that you can use to try stitching yourself here . Before all-in-one 360 cameras were invented, photographers shot panoramas with traditional (non-360) cameras.  Today, panoramic photography is still the best way to capture 360 photos with detail that cannot be matched by existing 360 cameras. One problem with panoramic photography is that it's quite technical.  First, you need a suitable lens such as a fisheye lens, which are not always cheap.  Second, you'll need to shoot the panorama properly.  If you just...

Panono is the highest resolution all-in-one 360 camera with 36 lenses and 108 megapixel resolution. Its only drawback is that the stitching is often not perfect and is tedious to correct.  In this post, I will discuss how you can stitch Panono photos yourself, or fix Panono stitching errors. Panono is my favorite 360 camera for photography.  Its images are very detailed, and the dynamic range is unequaled among 360 cameras.  Its colors look natural and images look fantastic with only minor editing.  Here is a sample: THE CATCH However, until now I could not recommend the Panono without qualifications because the stitching is usually not perfect, especially when there are subjects close to its minimum distance of around 1.5 meters.  When there are stitching errors, they are often glaring, and ruin an otherwise excellent shot.  Worse still, they are not easy to correct in post. When you have often unpredictable errors like this, it's hard to rely on it for pr...

The Mac desktop stitching software for the 2017 Samsung Gear 360 is now available! Here is the link to the Mac software . Here are the requirements for the software . I don't know yet if the 2017 stitching software can also stitch photos and videos of the original Gear 360. Samsung also posted the requirements for the PC version of the desktop software (Gear 360 Action Director 2).  In case you missed it, the link to the new Action Director software is here .  The new software can work with both the original and the new Gear 360.  The software can be activated with either the original Gear 360 or the 2017 Gear 360's serial number. Meanwhile the 2017 Gear 360 is still pretty hard to find outside of Korea and parts of Europe.  However, you can buy it on eBay where reseller prices have dropped to as low as $260 (just $10 more than the MSRP) . Thank you very much to Axel Baumann of  www.video-tv355.de for sharing this info!

Realtime stabilization has now been added Insta360 Air, the first 360 camera for Android phones.  Here's a demo and a tutorial for upgrading the firmware required this feature. Here's the demo video and tutorial: HOW TO INSTALL Before you begin, here are two tips for installation: 1. When connecting the Insta360 Air to your phone, connect the Air directly and not through an adapter.  This will minimize the chance for errors. After installing, you can go back to using the adapter. 2. You'll be inserting and reinserting the Air a lot.  To avoid smearing the lens, you can put the Insta360 Air in its silicone rubber case upside down.  You'll still be able to insert it into your phone. Here are the steps. 1.  Install the Insta360 Air app version 1.4 or above on your smartphone. As of April 27, version 1.4 is still not live on Google Play Store but you can download the beta version from Insta360.com.  Use your phone to go to Insta360.com .  On the upper lef...

Muvee just launched a 360 video stitcher for the Mac, which can stitch Samsung Gear 360 videos and trim videos losslessly, and will add video editing features in the future. The  Samsung Gear 360  is currently the most affordable 4k 360 camera (until the TwoEyes VR camera is released).  However, its photos and videos must be stitched on a compatible phone (Samsung S6 series, S7 series, or Note 5) or on a PC with the included software.  Now, Muvee has made a stitching software for Mac users.  The software is available for a free 15-day demo (with watermark).  If you like it, you can buy the software for $49.95. Users will get a free update that will add video editing features such as - adjusting the exposure of either lens (I hope they include color adjustment), - a storyboard to put multiple 360 photos together into a slideshow - adding music. I don't know yet the software can stitch Gear 360 photos and whether it will be able to put multiple 360 videos t...

LG 360 Cam , one of the most affordable fully spherical 360 cameras, received an update to its app that added several new features including 360 audio. The LG 360 Cam app received an app update, which is supposed to add several features: 1. 360 audio :  With 360 audio, the sound will change to reflect the direction the viewer is looking at, including directly above or below. Here is a sample video with 360 audio: 2. 360 preview .  Until now, when viewing a live preview on the app, you could only see either the front lens view or the rear lens view.  The update is supposed to add a true 360-degree preview. 3. Bottom logo sticker .  The update adds the ability to add a watermark.  I'm not sure if the watermark is customizable. 4. LED on/off .  The update adds the option to turn the LED on or off. I tried the update but I wasn't able to access any of the new features.  It appears that a firmware update is required.  However, I haven't been able to up...

360 PhotoBall is an Android app that enables you to print 360 photos on paper which you can then assemble into a ball. 360 PhotoBall is available on the Google Play store for $0.99 . Thank you very much to Pepe Vazquez for bringing this to my attention! For a high quality print of your 360 photo, printed seamlessly in full color on a sphere (both on the inside and on the outside), check out Scandy !

Holo Impact: Prologue There are literally hundreds of VR games available on the Steam store for HTC Vive and Oculus Rift.  While many (or even a majority) are not worth playing, there are some excellent games that have escaped the notice of users.  In this series of posts, I'd like to highlight some very good games I've tried that are not very well known (yet). Holo Impact: Prologue (HTC Vive; Oculus Touch).  This is a super awesome shooter (pictured above).  In concept it's somewhat similar to Xortex from the Lab, where you control a space fighter with your motion controller.  But in Holo Impact, you are flying forward.  Yes there are a few games in this genre, but Holo Impact blows them all out of the water.  Besides the spectacular graphics, the gameplay is also fun, and it's a little challenging but not overwhelming (at least in Normal difficulty)! If you like shooters, this is a must-buy for the HTC Vive or Oculus Touch (yes, Holo Impact is ...