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Facebook Update: Panoramas with 360 Degree Photos
Virtual Reality and panoramic photos and videos are gaining popularity at a jaw-dropping rate. To go hand in hand with the new era of media experience, Facebook, the social networking giant, has announced that it would roll out an upcoming update to its app which would add a feature called the “360 photos”. As evident from the name itself, 360 photos is aimed at enhancing the 360-degree panoramic photo viewing experience up to a great extent.
What is it all about?
This revolutionary feature is supposed to enable the Facebook app to automatically convert a 360-degree image or a panoramic photo into a 360 photo once it is uploaded via a photo viewing app, or even via a 360-degree camera app. The insignia of a 360 photo is the compass icon that comes along with the photo.
Simply put, Facebook users can now share 360-degree pictures taken using any 360 degree or panoramic camera app, just as they would do in case of any other photograph. Rest of the magic would be performed by the Facebook app. The smart Facebook app would intelligently auto detect the panoramic or 360 image and would convert it into a much spectacular and immersive image.
Ease of Access
With this enhancement, smartphone users would be able to immerse themselves in a 360-degree photo just by tilting their phones in the direction they desire to explore. Alternatively, this can also be done by tapping and dragging the desired area of the 360 photo or the panoramic image.
After so long, the time has ultimately come, when we can get rid of the infuriating zooming-ins and zooming-outs. The 360 photo app will revolutionize the world of 360 photography and Virtual Reality. This cross-platform app will compatible with iOS, Android, and Gear VR.
Facebook’s Official Statement
Andy Huang, the product manager at Facebook, stated that; almost a decade ago, they introduced Photos on Facebook, and within no time, Facebook escalated exponentially to become the most popular medium for social networkers to share their special moments with the rest of the world.
As of now, Facebook is strongly emphasizing on 360 images and virtual reality as the organization believes that the future of media lies in 360 images and Virtual Reality. We are also anticipating Instagram to integrate this cool new feature to its app in the days to come.
What are the Possibilities?
This magnificent feature brings with it a whole new dimension of media experience. Many celebrities and publishers have been lined up by Facebook for sharing 360 photos. Combining high quali360-degreeree images with Virtual Reality technologies, and the possibilities become nearly limitless. For an instance, you can have the feeling of being in a concert of your favorite music band within a crowd of thousands, while in reality you are just sitting on your couch and enjoying a warm cup of coffee in a rainy day.
Think of being at a NASA’s space station and being mesmerized by the beautiful night sky while you are actually sitting beside the pool in a sunny afternoon. Missing home? Imagine sitting beside your loved ones while taking a short break from a tiresome day. Imagine your favorite holiday destination right at your fingertips.
Advertising and marketing is yet another field which can be totally revamped by the use of the 360 photo feature.
Won’t it be great to wonder at a life-sized movie poster of your most awaited movie? How cool would it be to have a taste of your favorite sports car? How about the feel of a classroom of the college you are about to pursue? or a travel spot which you have recently visited.
How to Cast the Spell?
The following few steps will help you find your way through sharing 360 or panoramic photos on Facebook.
- The first step would be to tap on the ‘Status’ option on the top of your News feeds page or your timeline.
- The next step is to tap on the ‘Photo/Video’.
- After that, select the 360-degree photo or the panoramic photo from all your photos you wish to share.
- Then, tap on the ‘Post’ option to share it with the rest of the world.
As a matter of fact, here you may notice that the photos that are 100 degrees wide or wider will automatically be converted into 360 photos. Only, a single 360 photo can be uploaded at a time.
On successfully uploading the photo, you can follow the following simple steps to view the recently uploaded photo or any 360 degree photo uploaded on Facebook:
- Find the photo with a compass icon
- You can tilt your screen along the direction you want to explore.
- As an alternative, you can drag the area within the photo you want to explore.
- You can single tap on the photo to go full screen.
- You can make the image more popular by selecting the ’Boost Photo’ option that lies just below the image.
Furthermore, there would also be an option called as ‘View in VR’ for viewing these images in a Virtual Reality headset like the Samsung Gear VR for an immersive and much deeper perspective.
Final Remarks
Facebook has marked its place in the history of social networking as it is the platform that focuses mostly on media uploaded by users. With the integration of features like the 360 photos, Facebook can be rest assured that, it would remain a step ahead of other social networking platforms in terms of user uploaded content / media.
Although, there are other players like Facebook which transfer a humongous amount of media. Still, there is no match to Facebook in its genre. They all have their own shortcomings. For example, Twitter concentrates more on texts than media. Snapchat doesn’t allow your photos to be broadcast. Whatsapp is limited to be used from only one device. Facebook hits the sweet spot between a media sharing platform and a ‘text-chatting’ platform. The addition of the 360 photos would make it even sweeter.
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