Creating & Editing 360 Degree Videos:
Complete Step-by-Step Guide

To import a 360-degree video, first create a 360-degree project.

• Open Movie Studio Platinum and in the drop-down menu "Movie settings", select the option "360°".
• In the drop-down menu, you can choose from three options for resolution for 360 degree videos. If you're not sure about which resolution to use, just click on "Create project".
• When you start the program you will will be asked whether you want to switch the video monitor to an interactive 360 degree display. Click yes.
• In the Media Pool, locate your 360 degree video file and then drag and drop it into the project.

Only a section of the image material is shown in the 360° view. The normal view displays the entire video material. You can switch the 360° display on and off using the video monitor menu top left.

• To play or pause the project, press the spacebar. To set the playback marker, click in the timeline.

If the video clips have been stitched together correctly, you should see a normal video image in the activated 360 degree display. The visible section can be moved on the preview monitor using the mouse. If the video appears distorted, you'll need to stitch it first.

360 degree cameras film using multiple lenses simultaneously in order to capture all perspectives. If you load data from a 360° camera, individual image sources must first be mixed. This process is called "stitching". Normally, the source material is already stitched, but if it isn't, you can also stitch 360 video manually.

• To do this, open the "360° stitching" tab in the Media Pool.

Here, you can combine images from the 360 degree video file to create an undistorted image that is not skewed.

• Next, check if there is a suitable preset for your 360 degree camera in the top dropdown menu of the stitching dialog.
• Using the sliders in the dialog, you can manually mix both images until you get a uniform image.
• Click on the image and change the angle by holding the mouse button to check the stitching results from a different perspective.

You can edit a 360 degree video just like any other in the Timeline.

• Place the playback marker at the beginning and end of the section and press the "T" key at both positions.
• Click on the cut passage and delete it from the track with the "Del" key.
• Switch to "Mouse mode for all tracks" and move the rear parts of the video forward to close the gap.
• For more precise editing, move the mouse pointer to the cut borders until it becomes the Cut symbol. You can now compress or stretch the borders.

Distorted 360 degree videos can be straightened using video stabilization. However, the normal video stabilization tool cannot be used for immersive videos. The "360 degree video" effect folder includes a special video stabilization tool that can be used for 360 degree videos.

• Open the Effects tab in the Media Pool and click on the "VEGAS 360° Video Stabilization" tile, then activate the effect in the Media Pool on the right.
• Select a stereoscopic mode ("up - down" or "side by side") and click "Run analysis".

Play the 360 degree video to check how it turned out.

• You can use the "smoothness" slider to refine results.
• You can click "Undo analysis" to undo this action and run the analysis again using different settings.

• To add a title to a specific position in a 360 view panorama, load a title template from the Templates tab in the Media Pool or click the title button in the toolbar above the first track.

For titles, the program automatically switches back to the normal 2D view.

• Write some text for your title and customize the text properties.

Unlike normal titles, 360° titles are not able to be seen in every field of view. We therefore recommend you create titles in larger font size so that they can be seen by viewers.

• Switch back to the 360 degree view using the menu in the preview monitor.
• Click the thumbnail and drag the direction of view to the position where you want the titles to appear.
• Open the "360 degree editing" dialog. Above in the dialog, activate 360 degree video editing and then click on the button "Orient to perspective".

The title should now appear in the viewer's current field of view. If you set another field of view it may either not be visible, or could appear skewed (e.g. at an angle from below or from the side). In this case the viewer has to move the image until they have reached the right view.

In other respects, titles are normal overlay objects which can be positioned in 360 degree space just like any other overlay objects. Here's how to apply overlay objects when you make 360 view video – for instance photos, directional arrows or symbols:

• Drag the overlay object (normally a cropped graphic) onto a track underneath the 360 video.
• Open the "360 degree editing" effect dialog and activate the option for 360 degree editing.
• Now drag the displayed section through the monitor until the image object appears where the title should be positioned.
• In the dialog, click on the button "Orient to perspective".

The object will now be placed at the selected position in 360 degree space.

360 degree video also contains an audio track that you can also edit – you can add your own recordings or music to your immersive video just like any other file.

• Drag the audio files that you want to use for the audio track to empty tracks underneath the immersive video and cut and position them here.
• To add a voice-over, connect a compatible microphone and then click on the red record button underneath the preview monitor. Select "Audio" from the selection dialog and start recording. The 360 degree video will be played back during recording, so that you can see directly what you're providing commentary for.

• To export 360 degree video, select the "Video as MPEG-4" option in the "File" menu.
• Activate the "Show all" option in the presets to view all the available export presets for 360 videos.

360 degree videos can contain a lot of image files and this can cause juddery playback on some smartphones. If in doubt, select a lower resolution.

360 degree videos can also be used as normal videos. To use your immersive video in this way, choose the direction of view that you want to use.

• Via the File menu, create a new 2D project and then import a 360 degree video into this project.
• You will then be asked if you want to switch the video monitor from 360 degree display to standard display settings. Click yes.

Now that the display has switched, you will see the 360 video again in a distorted view that contains all of the image content. The editing mode will be displayed in the "360 degree editing" effect dialog as "Select section from panorama".

• Activate 360 degree video editing in order to select a section of the image.
• You can change the direction of view using the "Alignment" button.

The dialogs includes other parameters you can use to set the perspective more precisely. For example, you can move the viewer slightly backwards so more details from the image material are visible.

Using the keyframe animation, you can even program the observer's movements. This option is ideal if you want to video 360 panorama landscape recording with a simulated tracking shot.

• When you've finished editing, you can export the 360° film as a normal video via the File menu.
• To transfer the video with the perspective you've chosen directly to smartphone, upload it to a social media platform or burn it onto a disc, go to the Options tab in the upper right-hand corner of the program.

Here, you will see a separate interface for burning discs as well as the dialog "Finish movie".