How to capture 360° images for ThingLink

There are two ways you can capture 360° images to use with ThingLink:

1. Using 360° cameras - ideal for high-quality content 
2. Taking a panorama on your phone and converting it - useful if you want to do a quick test or if you don't have a 360° camera

Using 360° cameras

Any camera that can create an equirectangular image with a 2:1 pixel aspect ratio and image resolution below 8192 x 4096 pixels can be used to take 360° images for ThingLink. If your camera produces images with other aspect ratios, you could alter them to meet the upload requirements.  Reference and try uploading the attachment in this article to see an example of a 360° image that is compatible with ThingLink. 

Here are some cameras tested by our team:

• Samsung Gear 360
• Insta 360 One X, Insta 360 One, Insta 360 Pro
• Xphase Pro X2
• RICOH Theta SC, S, V and Z1 models

Note that 360° cameras might produce files that cannot be uploaded to ThingLink. In that case, you need to convert the photos to equirectangular JPEG images. Please see this article to learn how this can be achieved with Samsung and Insta360 apps.

Generally speaking, any camera that can export full 360° images in equirectangular projection works with ThingLink.

Converting panoramas to 360° images

If you do not have access to a 360° camera or if you would like to quickly test a concept before using your 360° camera, you can take a panoramic image on your phone and use ThingLink's PanoTo360 converter tool to convert it to a spherical 360° image. Learn more about this feature here.

Please note that standard panoramas are not truly 360° images as they do not allow the user to look up and down. Thus, you will not be able to upload panoramas to ThingLink without converting them using our PanoTo360 tool or editing the image manually.