Insta360 will add support for 180-degree 3D capture to its Insta360 Pro and Pro 2 cameras, the company has announced at the Adobe MAX conference.
With the new 180 3D functionality, Insta360 Pro and Pro 2 users will have the option to isolate the footage captured by only the lenses necessary to capture a 180 3D video.
This footage can then be used to create a stereoscopic 180-degree video for playback in a VR headset at a resolution of 4K x 4K per eye. Insta360 explains how it works:
Creators just point their camera in the direction that they want to capture a 180 3D video (the front is the direction the camera’s display screen is facing) and then start a recording as they normally would. At this time, they’ll still be recording a full 360-degree video, giving them the freedom to choose either format – or both – after the fact.
Using either the Insta360 Stitcher software or Insta360’s dedicated extension for Adobe Premiere Pro CC, creators can toggle on or off a 180 3D setting when they import their footage for editing. When toggled on, the software will grab only the video files needed for a 180 3D video.
In the case of the Insta360 Stitcher workflow, users will then be able to automatically stitch and convert their selected footage to a standard format for 180 VR, before carrying out further editing in a software of their choice.
The Adobe Premiere Pro CC workflow is even more intuitive. The new 180 3D functionality has been added directly to Insta360’s existing “No-Stitch Editing” extension, and the workflow is as easy for 180 video as it is for 360.
After importing their footage, users will be able to immediately carry out a full edit on a proxy version of their video, allowing them to see exactly how the finished 180 video will look without wasting a moment on stitching or conversion at the outset of their project.
When the video is trimmed, polished and ready to export, the extension will stitch only the footage that made it into the final cut of the video and convert it into a standard 180 3D format. The upshot: At the beginning of a project, creators can jump right into their edit, and by the end, they’ll save time and hassle.
Insta360 says the upgrade will be available later this month via a free software update to its Insta360 Stitcher software, as well as its integrated editing tool for Premiere Pro CC.