360-degree photography is a revolutionary concept for many sectors. Today, it is seen as a tool for marketers, advertisers and other creatives waiting to catch the wave of a new trend, a buzzword used to promote almost everything from shoes to selling a burger. It enables us to explore new environments and interact with products on our wish list like never before. 360-degree media, consisting of 360-degree videos and images, is a great way for developers to enhance traditional apps with immersive content.
Discover how 360-degree photography renderings are a boon for many sectors, from giving people access to explore remote places to connecting them with different cultures.
Here is a list of areas where the use of new age technology has brought about a radical change in how people look at the world.
Armchair Traveling with Virtual Reality
360-degree photography is having a tremendous impact on the tourism industry. With a 360-degree view, you can now immerse yourself much more than by just reading a simple tour guide.
With this innovation, you can virtually walk through your hotel or destination and submerge yourself in an engaging experience to see what the place is really like before making reservations. Because of this, virtual reality is a more immersive experience than the traditional options out there today.
Moreover, hotels, resorts, spas, and more can showcase their facilities to the world and virtually bring people to their location to help turn the sale. Companies can attract and convert potential travelers into bookings by giving people a taste, or a visual opportunity to dip their toes in the water. Imagine having access to an underwater scuba diving tour as you plan your vacation.
360-degree imagery can fulfill travel experiences for people who wouldn’t be able to physically make a trip. Not everyone has the opportunity to just pack a bag and travel to the other side of the world, whether it’s for cost reasons or something more logistic. That’s where armchair travelling with virtual reality serves as a convenient getaway replacement, satiating your desire to experience your dream destination.
There are a few websites that create and collect interactive 360-degree panoramic photographs of the most beautiful cities in the world. This gives the viewer a real-world feel and the freedom of being on location, where they can turn 360° and get a closer look at every detail.
Visual Solutions for Architects and Developers
Marketing and advertising aspects aside, 360-degree imaging technology greatly contributes to the architecture and design industry. It presents architects, collaborators, and customers to experiment within a virtual environment, with a design tool that allows better decision making. While virtual reality allows the user to experience what it is like to be inside an environment, the 360-degree imaging processes the idea, imitating real life experiences that try to match specifically what the eye sees.
It gives users new and enhanced ways to document progress, communicate project scale to stakeholders, and approve stages from off-site locations. The interactive images not only tell the story of the finished project but the time that went into building it.
Interactive panoramic imagery also sheds light on the new architectural features and the construction workers who contributed to the project. A 360-degree view shows off a property’s exterior and its surrounding areas and includes them as part of a 3D tour.
Using 360-degree in Sports
360-degree videos are being used throughout the sports world, with a number of clubs, organizations, and brands using it on both Facebook and YouTube to bring fans closer to the action.
A French Football team partnered with YouTube to launch a series of 360-degree video clips taking fans behind the scenes. The series is aimed at showing the everyday life of the football club, giving fans an opportunity to witness activities they wouldn’t normally get a chance to see.
This amazing imaging technology gives viewers a first-hand experience of whatever they wish to experience, ranging from swimming with the sharks or biking down a mountain, without the threat of injury.
The last few years have seen a major uptake of virtual reality and 360-degree video, enabling the creation of immersive content in video games, training applications, and video entertainment. Major sports events are being broadcast in 360-degree video, offering viewers new levels of immersion to experience the event like never
Art Comes to Life
A single perspective hardly does justice to a piece of art. The 360-degree technology creates an interactive narrative that shows the complex structures and artwork from many angles, allowing art to be appreciated not just from a single viewpoint, but to be experienced as a whole.
A change is being brought about in the way art is viewed, as well as studied, today. The Metropolitan Museum of Art uses a project called “360° Spin” which incorporates technology to capture three-dimensional artwork. This greatly enhances the experience of seeing a three-dimensional artwork, such as a sculpture, and brings to life art in an exciting way.
Visual E-Commerce
360-degree product imaging is the latest trend in e-Commerce business. Tech-savvy shoppers want to see as many pictures of a product as they can before committing to a purchase online. With customers wanting a visually engaging, convenient, and comprehensive e-commerce experience, more and more brands are using 360-degree imagery to meet these evolving expectations.
By using 360-degree product photography, website visitors can now interact with the product using their mouse! Consumers can click and drag these 360-degree product photos and view them from any angle they chose. The visitor is now in control of what they want to see, no longer what you allow them to see.
Interactive 360-degree product photography allows online customers to virtually spin a product to view it from every angle, giving them a comprehensive visual understanding of the product. Even for a small online business, 360-degree photography gives the visitor the feeling they are shopping with a real store. This establishes an increased level of trust that eventually breaks down barriers and hesitation to move forward with the purchase.
The link shows how a brand has used 360-degree video to promote a rocking chair with a slatted design. An online shopper gets a better feel of this outdoor furniture when they can view it from all angles.
