Using a Photo Sphere

November 30, 2013

Well, taking a picture using a Photo Sphere is fun, exciting, yet, ~~tiring~~, especially when you’re standing right under the heating sun………

So, what is in Photo Sphere mode?

You can photograph the world around you, creating fully immerse 360-degree panoramas, wide-angle scenic shots, and even what’s above and below you. Photo Sphere mode is available in the Camera app on Nexus devices running Android 4.2 Jelly Bean. You can also create photo spheres manually with a DSLR and third party panorama software.

But, how to create a sphere? :0 🙂

To capture the scene, adjust the camera angle so the blue dot is centered inside the doughnut. Hold the camera steady until a single frame of the scene and stop button appears .
Stand in the same place, rotating your camera slowly following the dots throughout the entire area you want to capture. You don’t have to hit all of the dots but the more you hit, the more accurate and detailed your photo sphere will be.
To create a full photo sphere, you’ll need to complete a few rotations (typically 5) tilting your camera up or down to capture all areas..
To begin creating the photo sphere, touch the stop button at the bottom of the screen. It may take a minute or so to complete.
To view your most recent photo sphere, swipe left on the main camera screen, and touch the Photo Sphere icon to pan automatically through the shot.

Tips:

Since it’s my FIRST time to create a photo sphere, honestly, it’s quite hard for me at the first glance. HAHAHA. So here’s a TIP: (From the Google support)

Hold the phone vertically, not sideways. This will minimize or eliminate any missing areas at the top and bottom.
Hold the phone at face level close to your body (but still positioned where you can both comfortably see the display and also tilt the phone to capture a full sphere).
There are two different ways to approach creating a photo sphere. Choose whichever feels more natural to you.

Slowly rotate around keeping your phone as close to your body as possible while still being able to see the screen.

Capture photos around the horizon first
Then, slightly tilt the phone up or down, keeping your phone roughly in the same location
Repeat the above process to capture several rows of photos (most devices will require five rows for a full sphere)