How to Make a 360 Video: A Beginner's Guide

What is a 360 Video?

Although 360 videos had been around for quite some time, they started to gain popularity when YouTube started promoting them in 2015. What makes a 360 video different is that, unlike traditional videos that offer a limited perspective from a single direction, 360 videos allow the viewer to engage with the scene in all directions. As the immersive quality of these types of videos enhances the feeling of presence and depth, creating 360 videos for social media platforms can help enrich your viewers’ interaction with your content.

360 videos provide a unique viewing experience by allowing users to explore a scene from various angles, creating a sense of immersion as if they were actually present. Your audience can drag the screen with their mouse or use the arrows on the top left-hand corner to move the video in different directions, and when they are on mobile, they can use their fingers to slide and see what is going around in other angles. This is why creating 360 videos are a popular choice for travel, hiking, and biking vlogs, action videography, simulation videos, entertainment, and commercial use.

Now, let’s get a bit more technical:

There are two ways to film a 360-degree video. You can either use multiple cameras to get shots from different angles, or you can use a 360 camera built specifically for this purpose.
The most common 360 video type is the monoscopic, or spherical, videos. This is done by stitching multiple frames into one image to form an equirectangular projection. Don’t panic if this sounds too complicated, we will guide you step by step to make the editing easier - and to be fair, some 360 cameras come with an editing app that basically does all the work for you.
The second type, called the stereoscopic, is the star behind our beloved virtual reality videos. This type of formatting consists of two images for each eye to form a 3D effect and can be watched with VR goggles.

One thing you should never forget is that editing is the key to creating a good 360 video. Music is a crucial part of editing if you want your content to turn out to be engaging and captivating for a better viewer experience! To set the right mood in your videos, you can browse our extensive royalty-free and non-copyrighted open source music library at Snapmuse.com.

What is a 360 Degree Camera?

If you like a challenge or have crazy good editing skills, it is definitely possible to make a 360 video without a 360 camera. Nevertheless, investing in a 360 camera comes with many benefits, even if you are not opting for 360 video content all the time!

A 360 camera is equipped with dual 180-degree lenses facing both front and back for complete spherical coverage of your surroundings. As the camera stitches these two images together to create a full 360 video, make sure the stitch line between the two lenses is not facing you if you don’t want to end up with a compressed image of yourself. The resolution of these cameras is related to stitched image output which will be wrapped in 360 degrees. So, to ensure the highest quality viewing experience, aim for no less than 4K resolution in your 360 videos.

One of the best things about 360 cameras is that they have incredible stabilization. Even if you rotate your camera or film yourself biking on a bumpy trail, these cameras focus on the subject and level the horizon to capture astonishingly smooth footage without the need for a gimbal! The stabilization also makes them excellent drone replacements. Can’t get the hang of flying a drone or want to film in a flight-restricted area? Just attach your selfie stick to your 360 camera and you’ll be surprised how effortlessly good the outcome can be.

As many 360 cameras come with multiple videography and photography modes, you can capture the perfect solo shot by choosing the angle you think is the best without relying on the photography skills of another person. Also, almost all of the 360 cameras in the market support 360 live streaming, and many of them are waterproof.

Without a doubt, another one of the best features of these cameras is that they can be used as action cameras. While the Insta360 X3 comes with a 4K single lens mode which you can switch into with a single button, you can always easily edit your footage to create a flat video regardless of the type of 360 camera you’re using to create your content.

This amazing versatile feature is excellent if you are trying to decide if investing in a 360 camera would be worth it even if you are not going to create 360 videos all the time. These types of cameras can come in very handy especially if you are a podcast creator who has recently developed an interest in videography and want to boost up your podcasts with visuals for YouTube. All these said, even the most breathtaking visuals cannot come close to how music can power up and enliven your podcast game. To explore the highest-quality insight music for podcasts you can find all you need in our massive podcast library for free intro, outro, background, and transition music.

Why is the Insta360 X3 the Best 360 Camera on the Market Right Now?

The Insta360 X3 is by far the best 360 camera option in the market for most beginners and professionals. With two 1/2 inch lenses, the Insta360 X3 is a two-in-one camera that features both a 360 mode and a single lens mode for action camera use.

Here is what else the Insta360 X3 has to offer:

When in 360 video mode, it can capture 5.7K videos at 30, 24, and 25 fps, and 4K videos at 50 and 30 fps. With the single lens mode, the highest resolution you can get is 4K at 30 fps, with 2.7K at 60 fps as an alternative.
Its video modes include the Standard mode, Me mode, HDR, Timelapse, TimeShift, Bullet Time, and FOV +. With the Me mode, the camera focuses on the user without any further editing needed, HDR captures the details in highlights and shadows, and the FOV+ functions as the perfect choice for PoV shots.
Its photo modes feature the Standard mode, HDR, Burst, Interval, and Starlapse.
The camera has four microphones and three audio modes. Direction Focus is best for videos with multiple audio sources such as interviews. Wind Noise Reduction is suitable for outdoor scenes and windy environments, and Stereo mode is for those who opt for more static scenes.
Its Flowstate Stabilization levels the horizon and allows you to shoot smoother and more stable videos than other 360 cameras.
It comes with a shockproof design, is waterproof up to 10 meters, works at temperatures between -20 and 40°C, and has a battery life that can shoot 81 minutes of 5.7K video at 30 fps. You can change the settings through the large touch screen or simply use its voice control feature.

What makes the Insta360 X3 a winner is that it comes with its own AI-powered editing app which basically does all the editing for you! The Insta360 editing app and its desktop version Insta360 Studio, as you can easily guess, include multiple modes for editing as well which makes reframing unapologetically effortless.

Use the wireless app to quickly create an astonishing video, add some captivating music with an app like Capcut Edit to make your content more engaging, and voilà! You are right on track with your Instagram Reels, TikTok, and YouTube Shorts schedule. To take the weight off your shoulders, we crafted a comprehensive guide on how to add music CapCut Edit for your edits to come to life with the perfect music addition.

How to Make a 360 Video on YouTube?

YouTube is designed to support monoscopic (spherical) 360 videos, stereoscopic 3D VR 360 videos, and 360 live streaming. For high-quality videos, you should shoot and edit your 360 videos in the highest resolution and bitrate possible.

The recommended aspect ratio for 4K videos is 3840x2160 with a bitrate of 53–68 Mbps for SDR videos and 66-85Mbps for HDR videos, and the encoding format selected as H.264.

If you are not using Adobe PremierPro to edit your 360 videos, you should use the YouTube-recommended 360 Video Metadata Tool to inject metadata into your video. If you skip this step, your video will be uploaded as a normal video. To inject metadata, all you need to do is to open the app, select your video file, and check “Spherical Video” for monoscopic 360 videos. For VR videos, you’ll need to check all the boxes.

What Gear Do You Need for a 360 Video?

As every content creator knows, accessories play a fundamental role in achieving unique and eye-catching shots. The invisible selfie stick stands as a game-changer accessory for vloggers. Once attached to the stitch line, this selfie stick is magically erased from your shot and some models can even be extended up to three meters. With the help of this accessory, your 360 camera instantly becomes a drone replacement. This comes in extremely handy if you want to give your daily vlogs or travel vlogs a more stylized look and take your audience’s breath away.

If you want your vlogs to reach millions of viewers, one small invisible selfie stick can only do so much to change the world on its own. To grow your audience and enhance your personal style, complement your content with the alluring spell of music! To elevate your vlog and discover the hidden musical gems of the best mood-setting vlog music, take a look at our diverse vlog music no copyright free download library.

Other gears you can use with your 360 camera include any type of camera mount you prefer, such as a mouth mount for PoV shots, motorcycle u-bolt mounts, chest mounts, hand mounts, and the list goes on. You can also use a wireless mic adapter for cleaner audio. If you are considering getting the Insta360 X3, using an Insta360 Quick Reader is a life-saver to save some storage space on your phone.

For underwater use, we recommend that you protect your camera with a dive case even if it is waterproof. One last thing you should look out for to make sure no damage comes to your camera is using a lens guard or preferring a stable monopod over a tripod to prevent your camera from falling over.

How to Edit a 360 Video?

Now the shooting is done and it’s time to edit your 360 video. To edit your video, you can use your camera’s editing software, Adobe Premiere Pro, or Adobe After Effects. The difference between editing your video in Premiere Pro and After Effects is that, with After Effects, you’ll need to render your video in Adobe Media Encoder to inject metadata before publishing it on Youtube.

Don’t forget that no editing is complete without music! If you want to set your content apart from others, choosing the right music is an essential step for editing. You can browse our extensive royalty-free music library on Snapmuse.com and find out how you can add music to your video in Adobe After Effects through our detailed guide.

If you opt for using Premiere Pro, you should install your camera’s editing software to your computer. This way, you can stitch your front and rear footage. During the process, check the Install Plug-Ins for Adobe Premiere box when the Select Additional Tasks page appears. Then, you’ll need to install a free plugin called the GoPro FX Reframe for keyframing. Finally, you are ready to edit your 360 video in Premiere Pro.

Hit Command + I to import your footage.
On the top-left corner, click File, New, and Sequence to create a workspace sequence. The most common setting preferred in this step is DSLR 1080p24 located under the Digital SLR file.
Click and drag your clip to your timeline and hit Keep Existing Settings.
Stitching: From the top menu, go to Windows and enable Effects and Effects Control. On the Effects panel, search for Reframe and drag the GoPro FX Reframe to your timeline. On the Effects Control Panel, go to GoPro FX Reframe and select UHD 16:9 under Source Image to adjust the framerate for a 4K video.
Keyframing: Now that you’re done with the preparation, you can experiment with your video as you like. On the Effects Control panel, you can use the Pan, Tilt, Rotate, Lens Curve, and Zoom effects to customize your video.
After you’re pleased with the results, hit Control + M to Export your video.

How to Upload Your 360 Video?

Uploading a 360 video on YouTube is pretty much the same as uploading any other video:

Make sure you inject the metadata after editing.
Open YouTube, click Create in the top-right corner, and select Upload Videos.
When you select your file, YouTube will automatically recognize it as a 360 video.
Enter a title for your video, add tags and choose your thumbnail.
Processing a 360 video can take up to an hour. After your video is uploaded, you can watch it to see how it will look when it’s published. When you’re happy with the results, you can hit Publish.