The most exciting change to YouTube this year has been the added support for 360 degree video. YouTube made the announcement back in January and rolled out the new feature in March. Since then users and brands alike have been quick to produce their own 360 degree content. Below are a few examples from Red Bull, Go Pro, Avicii, and DimensionGate.
As you can see, 360 videos fully immerse you in the cinematic experience. You can watch a race from the perspective of a race car driver, teleport yourself to the savannah, or surround yourself in the music you love. The possibilities for this exciting new feature are endless. If you’re looking to display your products or services in a way that will stand out and wow potential customers or clients 360 video advertisements may just be the answer. In fact, there are currently so few 360 videos on YouTube right now that it’d be very easy to produce an extremely viral video.
How Do You Create 360 YouTube Videos?
Before beginning to create 360 video for YouTube, you’ll first need to obtain a camera that has 360 degree capture capabilities. The following 360 cameras are YouTube compatible:
- Ricoh Theta
- Kodak SP360
- Giroptic 360cam
- IC Real Tech Allie
If you don’t want to invest in a 360 camera, you can still produce 360 videos using multiple cameras and 3rd party stitching software like Kolar.
Recording
Once your camera setup is in place you can begin shooting videos. For best results, record your video at a high resolution according to YouTube’s advanced specifications. YouTube currently supports 360 videos with 24, 25, or 30 frames per second.
Uploading
To upload your video to YouTube you’ll need to include certain metadata for playback to be enabled. The best way to go about doing this is to download the 360 Video Metadata app for Windows or Mac. Once the app has been installed you can import your video file and click “Inject and save” to produce the YouTube ready version of your video.
Viewing
360 videos are supported on Android, Chrome, and iOS. You can also view 360 videos via Google’s virtual reality Google Cardboard set. When viewing on your computer you can change your view using the circular toggle button on the top left of the screen, or you can use the WASD keys. On your mobile device or tablet you can change your view by simply moving your device around. To view a full selection of the 360 videos produced to date YouTube curates a 360 video playlist that you can visit.
360 Video For Advertising
There are an endless number of potential uses for 360 video within the advertising world. 360 video is already an obvious marketing tool for real estate agents who could create videos to give virtual tours to potential buyers without having to arrange a meet up time and convene on site. By the same token, this marketing tool would work great for product demos. As you explain the product, potential buyers could pan around the video to view exactly what you’re talking about or focus on the features that matter the most to them. Additionally, the travel industry could greatly benefit from this tool. Having a 360 view of the hotel you’re thinking about staying at or the tourist destination you’re contemplating visiting could definitely help to push a sale.
Another great use for 360 video is to deliver a fully immersive one of a kind experience. Whether it’s a video shot from the stands of a sports game or the helmet of a motocross rider. Advertisers are given the capability to get very creative with this new feature. Imagine being fully immersed in a 360 degree video ad. You’d probably be much more engaged and far more likely to watch the whole video.
In Conclusion
360 video is something brand new and exciting. It’s a great idea to take advantage of this feature to grab new viewers and get extra web clicks before the novelty wears off. Not sure how to implement 360 video for your industry? Comment with your industry below and we’ll reply with a few ideas. If you need help producing a 360 video Tipping Point is your solution. We specialize in 360 video and virtual reality video production. We’ll work with you to produce engaging and immersive visual content that’s sure to amaze. Contact us with inquiries or for more information.
