Exporting 360 Media for Use in ThingLink

In order to use your 360 content captured on an Insta360 camera, you will need to convert the media into the appropriate format. While 360 cameras capture images and videos of a full 360 degree sphere, digital images are flat and rectangular (eg. media shot on your smartphone or videos on YouTube). These 360 images must therefore be distorted in order to fit in flat and rectangular space.

Much like the various methods used to display the globe on a flat map, these differing types of distortion are called projections. There are many different types of 360 projection, and different types and brands of cameras often output different projections, but 360 and immersive tools such as ThingLink generally require imported images to be in specific 360 projections - often the equirectangular projection - in order to display properly. These instructions will teach you the basics of using Insta360 Studio to convert images taken using our Insta360 cameras into the correct projection to import successfully into ThingLink and similar tools.

Please Note: While most 360 cameras have phone apps which allow you to view photos taken with the camera on your phone, those apps should generally not be used to export images from the cameras, as, when photos are saved to your camera roll, the projection used may not be the correct one for importing into other software.

Insta360 Studio Application

Insta360 Studio is the software provided by Insta360 for editing and converting images taken on their cameras. All UCF faculty can access Insta360 Studio Installers for Windows and Mac computers via an FMC SharePoint folder. Contact or visit the FMC for additional assistance, or schedule a Post-Production Suite appointment to visit the center and use the application here with one-on-one support.

Instructions: Converting Your 360 Media

Follow the step-by-step guide below for distorting your 360 media captured on an Insta360 camera into the appropriate format for distribution. These steps must be followed in order to use your media in platforms like ThingLink or Insta360 to create virtual tours and other immersive content:

Transferring Media to Your Computer

All Insta360 cameras use MicroSD cards. It may be located at the bottom of the camera, under a door, or inside a battery compartment. Refer information about the specific model of camera to identify the location of the MicroSD slot on your specific device. Additionally, each laptop will likely have a MicroSD or full-size SD card slot in a different location. Refer to information about your specific laptop model to identify the SD slot. It's possible you may need to use a memory card reader to connect the card to your computer.

Contact or visit the FMC for assistance or troubleshooting support.

Locate the MicroSD card in your Insta360 camera.
Remove the card by pushing in slightly until you hear a click.
Insert the card into the MicroSD card slot OR memory card reader into your computer.
Browse to the files on your MicroSD card using the File Explorer (Windows) or Finder (Mac).
Create a New Folder on your computer and rename it to be relevant to the project. (eg. FMC-Tour_360, DLC-Tour_360)
Copy & paste the files to the new folder.
Make sure all your content is transferred before checking in your gear at the FMC or deleting the assets on the MicroSD card.

Using Insta360 Studio

In the file browser dialog box, locate the folder where you saved your 360 media.
Select all files you copied from the camera's MicroSD card and select Open.

The media will open in Insta360 studio as both .dng and .insp format of each image. The .dng format allows for more extensive editing to color and lighting, but either file format is fine to use.
Double-clicking on an image or video in the left panel will open it full-size in 360 projection in the center of the Insta360 studio window, usually displaying the 360 projection from the top.

If desired, interact with the media and make changes with the following actions:
- Click and drag the image to change the perspective.
- Scroll up or down to zoom in or out.
- Use the line of grey buttons on the right-side of the screen to make changes to the media, including horizon leveling and the way that the images from the Insta360 camera's two lenses are stitched together.
- Use the vertical row of white buttons located in the lower right corner of the image to change how the image preview is displayed. This includes widescreen and planet projects, the aspect ratio of the preview window, and the ability to view the image preview in full screen.
Right-click on an image or video in the image list on the left side of the screen and select Start Export.
- Multiple images can be selected by holding the control key (on Windows) or the Command key (on Mac) and selecting all the desired images.

Open the Export 360 Image tab in the top of the export window OR use the Export reframed photo tab to export only portions of a 360 image.
Rename the media in the File Name field.
Click Change after File Path to choose a destination folder or location on your device for where the exported media will be saved. (Ideally, this will be a subfolder in the folder location with the original media assets from the camera).
Click Start Export in the lower right.

The image will be exported as an equirectangular projection and ready for use in ThingLink or other immersive viewers.

After You Finish

Once your media is converted into the proper format, it can now be imported into ThingLink or another 360 immersive content viewer. ThingLink will be the most user-friendly option and is available for all UCF faculty, staff, and students. For information on logging into ThingLink with your UCF credentials, review the Interactive Learning in ThingLink module or schedule a ThingLink Assistance appointment with the FMC for additional support.

Table of Contents for the 360 Media Creation module
Page Link	Description
Overview	Introduction to the 360 Media Creation Module.
Understanding 360 Cameras	Learn about different 360 cameras and file formats that you will encounter during 360 content production.
Best Practices	Learn best practices for working with 360 cameras. This includes camera placement, camera movement and stabilization, lighting, and audio recording.
FMC's 360 Cameras	A brief list of the 360 cameras available for checkout by UCF faculty at the FMC.
Using Insta360 Studio	Overview of Insta360 Studio's software for post-processing and stitching your 360 images or videos to create an immersive and interactive file.
Distributing 360 Content	Brief overview of methods of delivering your 360 virtual tours, escape rooms, and simulations using either ThingLink or Webcourses@UCF.

Click here for this module's Table of Contents.