Facebook starts accepting panoramic 360-degree photo uploads

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Facebook today announced that it has started accepting 360-degree photo uploads. Panoramic photographs taken with your iOS device can now be uploaded to Facebook through the updated mobile app and are viewable in the web interface and on Facebook for iOS and Android.

Panoramic photos in your News Feed are marked with the compass icon. You can move your iOS device to pan around and even experience them in virtual reality with the Samsung Gear VR.

Panoramic photos, now on Facebook

Having introduced photos on Facebook more than a decade ago, “Today, we’re improving photos on Facebook so that people can share more immersive views of their world,” said the social networking firm.

A 360 photo allows you to see the photo from every angle including above, below, behind and next to you. When taking a 360 photo, the field of view will automatically be set to the middle of the photo.

Apple fans can take panoramic images that can be posted on Facebook using any iPhone from the iPhone 4s onward, in addition to the iPad mini 2 or newer, iPad Air and iPad Air 2 and iPad Pro.

You can check out some of the 360-degree photos from public figures, publishers and other organizations, like Paul McCartney, NASA and more.

“This medium enables new opportunities for creativity, and we’re excited to see what kinds of 360 photos get shared on Facebook,” the company said.

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Users can take 360-degree photos using their iOS device’s camera, in addition to Samsung’s Galaxy phones and using a 360 photo app or 360 camera.

How to post 360-degree photos on Facebook

Simply open the Facebook app and share the photo as you normally would any other photo. First, tap the status tool from the top of your Timeline or News Feed, select Photo/Video, then choose the photo you want to share and tap Post.

Once your photo is uploaded, use the mobile app to look around in it simply by moving your phone or dragging with your finger, or on the web by clicking and dragging.

To view the photo in full screen, tap it.

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Uploading a panoramic image wider than 100 degrees will result in the upload being automatically converted to a 360 photo. Keep in mind that you can only upload a single 360-degree photo at a time.

If you share a panoramic photograph on your Facebook Page, you have the additional benefit of reaching more people by selecting the Boost Post button below the image.

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“On Samsung Gear VR-compatible phones, you’ll see a button in the top left corner of your photo that says ‘View in VR’ If you tap on that button and insert your phone into your Gear VR headset, you can see your 360 photo in virtual reality,” says Facebook.

To learn more about Facebook’s support for panoramic images, check out this support document on the company’s website or visit the Facebook 360 site.

Source: Facebook