It’s time to look around more. As announced in May, Facebook has rolled out support for 360 photos in its News Feed, allowing you to easily upload 360 photos taken with 360 cameras and smartphones.
With 360 photos on Facebook, you can click and drag on photos to get a full 360-degree view (on your desktop). Meanwhile on your mobile, you can swipe to see different parts of the photo, or move/tilt your phone.
Facebook is really putting its muscle behind 360 videos and photos, and it’s making uploading and sharing 360 content simple and seamless. It even has its own 360-degree camera.
Consumer-level 360 cameras are very new, and thus, scarce at the moment. Aside from the LG 360 Cam, Ricoh Theta S and Samsung Gear 360 cameras, consumers will be hard-pressed to find affordable, available options.
The good news is you don’t even need a 360 camera to create 360 content. You can take panoramic shots from your iPhone or Samsung Galaxy phone. You can also you 360-ready photo apps like Google Camera, Photo Sphere to do similar feats.
To upload is simple. Once you’ve shot your 360 masterpiece, just upload the photo by tapping “Photo/Video” above “What’s on your mind?” box in your Facebook app. Select the 360 photo.
It will appear on your News Feed like a normal photo, except that it has tiny compass icon to denote that it’s a 360 photo.
On Samsung Gear VR-compatible phones, you’ll see a button on the top left corner of your photo that says “View in VR.” Just tap this and insert your phone into you Gear VR headset to see your 360 photo in VR.
Facebook is really trying to push 360 content to the masses, although it isn’t the only big brand taking it seriously. YouTube supports 360-degree video and Flickr also has a Flickr VR app for viewing 360 content on a VR headset. The only major tech brand that seems to be lagging behind is Apple.
We’re only at the tip of the iceberg, and as more brands jump in and consumers embrace this phenomenon, it’s only a matter of time before it explodes.
For more on Facebook 360 content, visit facebook360.fb.com/
Image credit: Facebook
