FAQ

Here you will find some of the most common questions and answers from our customers about our Virtual Reality Manager 360 pro:

Cameras for Virtual Reality Photos

For the virtual reality photography you need a suitable camera.
Here are some examples:

Monopod or Tripod for shooting 360° photos?

For 360° photography, a monopod works better than a tripod. The main reason is that the monopod covers a much smaller area below the camera.

So when you scroll in the 360° picture, and look straight down you will hardly notice the footprint from the monopod directly under the camera, contrary to a tripod which is easily seen.  If the light in your  360° comes from the side you will also see shadows from your tripod/monopod in the, it can be devastating to have shot the perfect 360° picture only to find out that the shadow of the tripod destroyed the scenery.  Tripods provide better stability as the name suggests it has 3 support legs, and are much better suited for most types of photography (macro, portrait, landscape, nighttime or astral).  Monopods are the preferred choice for shooting 360° photos, sports, wildlife, parades and other crowded events.

Monopod or Tripod for shooting 360° photos?

The average height of a man in the United States is 5 feet 9 inches, and the average height of a woman is 5 feet 4 inches, than average eye level is about 5 feet.  Because 360° photos allow the viewer to look in any direction and offer a level of immersion that you can’t find with any other type of photography, the ideal height of the camera should be at eye level.  This means that the height of a camera should be around 5 feet.

When in small rooms, or near a wall, in a door or door step, you should lower the height of the camera by 5-6”. It will allow you to have a better view on the surrounding and show continuity from a small space into a bigger room.

When shooting 360° photos lighting and shadows are very important to consider when composing your photo.  Because 360° photos captures everything in all directions, you can’t hide a flash and must rely 100% on natural light and existing lighting fixtures.  Start by turning on all lights to add depth and color to the room.  When possible change out yellow incandescent bulbs to daylight white balanced LED or CFC bulbs.  Daylight white balanced bulbs give the most accurate vibrant colors to the room.  When shooting on really bright days slightly close curtains or window coverings so the contrast of the natural outdoor light doesn’t overpower the light sources in the room.  Double check your 360° photo and adjust accordingly if it’s washing out the colors in your 360° photo.

Like traditional photography, the rule of 2/3rd applies.  Try not to take photos from the exact center of the room because it will make the space seem smaller.  You want to try find a point 2/3rds the way that gives the best view of the space or focal points of the room.  This way the viewer can see it without having to turn the 360° photo to understand what the room is about.
If it is an “open concept property” you might need to break up bigger spaces up into themes.  For example an open plan kitchen/dining area/living room can be one space and at the same time 3 sub-areas.  Take 3 photos for the space with each photo giving the best possible view of each sub-area. (i.e. one photo captures the entire kitchen from the best angle, another captures the whole dining room, and the 3rd captures the best view of the family room).  Since the photos are all 360° the user can turn them around and get different perspectives of the 3 areas and really get a “feel” for the space as if they were actually there.

Depending on the 360° camera you are using, you might face problems if the sun or other light source is extremely bright.  Some cameras like Matterport don’t do so well in bright daylight and you might have to wait for an overcast day or for clouds to block out the sun.  Remember that the 360° photo captures everything so avoid large obstacles that might block the view that you want to show.  Try not to shoot really close to poles, columns and trees.

In public spaces pictures are generally allowed.  Anybody can take as many pictures as he wishes. You can even upload them if you want to online to social media websites and other sharing services, but you can’t use them for commercial purposes if the people in your photos haven’t signed a waiver.   If you take the perfect photo and can’t get all the people that are recognizeable in your photo to sign a waiver, you must make sure they they can’t be identified by blurring their faces.  Vehcle license plates must also be blurred.
Want to sell your photos for commercial use (product sale and/or endorsement). If the photo is used in a commercial website (one sponsored by a business or that sells products or services) -- the unauthorized use of your image would probably violate your right of publicity. The public must be able to identify you in the photograph.

Usually when you're shooting interiors it's for a very distinct reason, and usually that includes showing off the room and making it look as attractive as possible . Since the owner has a reason for you to be there, the room has usually been staged or refined for the picture before you arrive.  Thus, you're not taking a 360° picture of what the room really looks like in most cases, but instead a 360° picture of what the owner wants to portray.
With this in mind, don't be afraid to move furniture, decorative items, etc. to best show off the room in a 360° photo.  I've had to move couches and rearrange living rooms before to make the most of available lighting and placement.  Remove all items that don’t belong like dishes on kitchen countertops, shoes laying around, toys, and anything that seems out of place.  After you shoot 360° photos of a property nothing can be hidden from the viewer since they can turn the photo around in any direction.  A quick walk thru and 15 minutes of tidying up will make all the difference in the end.  Many things can be fixed or corrected in Photoshop or other software, but it's a good idea to try and correct as much in person to save you time and hassle.

This is one of the most important tips for interior photography and it's a simple one:  Try to shoot from a corner of a room, it makes the space appear larger.  Just like a mirrors works, this makes a room appear larger, longer, even more livable. In small rooms lower the height of your 360° camera.
When you shoot straight at a wall, it can make the room seem flat, and sometimes walls can end up bending oddly on camera. Look through any major interior magazine and you'll see the corner of the room is the best place to shoot towards.

Probably the most important step in the process of shooting a picture is styling the room. You will need to allow time to clean and prep the room for the 360° photo shoot. And don’t forget, it even has to be the room next to it, you might be able to look into it through a mirror, or a TV screen 😉
By de-cluttering we remove distractions for the eye. The details make the difference. In particular, watch for piles of stuff, coffee tables full of magazines, notes on the kitchen refrigerator, remotes on the sofa, too many miscelaneous items sitting on a bookcase, etc. These things clutter a picture and can be take off the focus from the beauty of the final 360° shot.
Treat every 360°shoot like the million dollar shoot when you stage the room.

Find what makes this location unique. How can you capture this and show it to the viewer? If the building has great views, an amazing pool, beautiful brick walls, amazing chandeliers, try to embrace them. Every building, every interior has a story, you need to find it and tell it to the viewer. And with a 360 picture it gets  so much easier.

Great 360° photography can be easily undermined by poor post production. One way to make the process a lot more consistent, repeatable, and speedy is to use Photoshop actions. This 65 Premium Actions bundle is a great place to start.

These actions have been studied and thoroughly tested, making them true image enhancers. The results of these actions are realistic re-creations of traditional effects, without any gimmicks. They make contrast correction, lighting, color and sharpening into much simpler steps.

You have more questions?

If you have any questions or concerns before or after your order don't hesitate to call or email us so we can answer any questions you may have.