Tripod, Lighting and Timer
Mount the camera at the right height, control reflections with light and remove the operator from the frame with a self-timer.
You will learn how to mount the camera, how to light a room so that it looks balanced on screen, and how to make sure the person operating the camera is not baked into the final panorama.
Mount the camera
A tripod for 360 cameras has an adapter arm that carries the camera above the head, so the lens sits roughly at 1.5 metres. Put the camera in place before switching it on, tighten every lock and check the bubble level before each shot.
- Extend the tripod legs fully and level the head.
- Fix the camera in the adapter with the cable side down and tighten the arm screw.
- Set the camera to the highest resolution and the 2:1 output format.
- Check the preview for a tilted horizon and correct it in the mount, not in the crop.
Control the light
Walk through the room before you shoot and switch off or move the lamps that create a hotspot in the middle of the floor. Open curtains and blinds instead of adding a strong lamp, because a single bright source produces reflections on glossy floors, glass and mirrors.
Trigger the shot
Use the self-timer with a delay of three to five seconds, or a remote shutter, and walk out of the frame before the exposure starts. Ten seconds is safer in narrow rooms where the camera stands close to a wall.
Check the last row of pixels in the preview after every shot. A photographer, a tripod leg or a bag in the frame is baked into the panorama and cannot be removed later.