A 360 virtual reality photo allows you to see the photo from every angle including above, below, behind and next to you.

If you’re on Facebook, you may have noticed an interactive image while browsing your feed. These photos instruct you to move your phone around (or your mouse) to view different parts of the photo. It’s a fun way of viewing 360 degree virtual reality images created for various reasons.

Many brands are using them to immerse their target audiences in amazing 360 experiences. The possibilities are limitless and Facebook is using it as an early attempt to get the average consumer comfortable with virtual reality.

New technologies and ways to implement digital art intrigue me. So, of course being the nerd that I am, I had to figure it out…

The process of creating one is actually pretty easy to do using certain consumer smart phones, software, and cameras. I had already created artist caricatures for SnapChat Geofilter campaigns I did for San Diego’s Hip Hop Radio Station JAM’N 95.7.  After doing a little research and piecing all the artwork together in Adobe Photoshop, I came up with the image below. There are certain things you need to pay attention to when creating the graphics, but I won’t bore you with the details.

Virtual Reality Image
Virtual reality image created in Adobe Photoshop for radio station JAM’N 957 in San Diego before being uploaded to Facebook 360 viewer.

 

After encoding the image with the proper metatags, I uploaded it to the Facebook 360 viewer and got the result below. Depending on what you are using to view this, you may have to move your mobile device around or click and drag with your mouse. Clicking the image below will open in Facebook. 

Facebook 360 Virtual Reality Photo
Facebook 360 Virtual Reality Photo

I hope it worked for you!

I was rather pleased with the results of my first attempt. Next up is virtual reality video!

You may ask: Well, why would I want one of these virtual reality 360 photo thingies?

Here’s the answer why: Creating sexy interactive features like the example above helps increase your brand exposure on social media.

Oh… You’ve read this far and maybe you want you want to collaborate? Drop me a line on my contact page.

 

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