What is a virtual tour?
If a picture paints a thousand words, a virtual tour must paint around a million. An immersive, interactive, 360° virtual tour is the perfect way to invite potential customers to explore your location or property from the comfort of their own armchair.
A virtual tour is not a video walk through. It is constructed by the interlinking of a series of spherical panoramas. The viewer can move through the tour by their own route and at their own pace, using interactive hotspots to transfer between panoramas.
The process starts with the photo shoot, which normally takes a couple of hours. We use a couple of methods to take 360° images, which we then stitch into an equilinear image, as you can see below.
A virtual tour is not a video walk through. It is constructed by the interlinking of a series of spherical panoramas. The viewer can move through the tour by their own route and at their own pace, using interactive hotspots to transfer between panoramas.
The process starts with the photo shoot, which normally takes a couple of hours. We use a couple of methods to take 360° images, which we then stitch into an equilinear image, as you can see below.
This image was taken using a camera with a dual fish eye lens, resulting in two 180° panoramas. Each of the images is made up of 9 bracketed shots to provide a detailed HDR image, which are then merged and stitched together to form the image above. The tripod is then carefully removed from the image to give the"floating camera" effect.
So, the picture you can see above and below is actually made up of 18 RAW images, merged and stitched together.
Then, we use state of the art software to convert the image to the one you can view below in 360°. This is the same image as the one above, viewed in a different way. You can look all around, up, down, zoom in and out and explore the room completely. And no tripod!
So, the picture you can see above and below is actually made up of 18 RAW images, merged and stitched together.
Then, we use state of the art software to convert the image to the one you can view below in 360°. This is the same image as the one above, viewed in a different way. You can look all around, up, down, zoom in and out and explore the room completely. And no tripod!
These images can then be linked together using interactive hotspots. The hotspots can either take you to a different location in the room or property, or they can open up still images, videos, text information, menus, booking platforms, maps... the only limit is your imagination.
You can see the full tour of this property on our portfolio page.
For larger properties or locations which require even more detailed images, we can go a step further. We can offer the option of using images created with a mirrorless camera and a nodal panoramic head. This means that the image quality is far higher, with each spherical panorama being made of 9 images, each of which is made up of 9 bracketed shots. So each spherical panorama would be made up of 81 individual, RAW images, seamlessly merged and stitched together.
What happens next?
Once the draft tour is completed, we will send you a link so that you can view it and let us know any amendments you would like to make. Once you are happy with the result, we will send you an iframe code so that you, or your web designer, can simply add the virtual tour to your website. All of our tours are HTML 5, which means that they will be viewable on all platforms, including PC, Mac, smartphones, tablets and even VR goggles.
As an alternative to embedding the tour on your website, we can also send you a URL link which you can share by email or on Facebook etc.
We can also upload the 360 photographs to your Google business listing if you prefer, so that anybody who searches for your business will be able to view your property in 360 degrees, straight from Street View on Google maps. It's a great way to increase your business's profile and engagement with potential customers on Google.
As an alternative to embedding the tour on your website, we can also send you a URL link which you can share by email or on Facebook etc.
We can also upload the 360 photographs to your Google business listing if you prefer, so that anybody who searches for your business will be able to view your property in 360 degrees, straight from Street View on Google maps. It's a great way to increase your business's profile and engagement with potential customers on Google.
All our virtual tours include...
Additional options
We can offer a range of additional options to go along with your virtual tour, which will look great on your website, social media feeds or even incorporated within your tour via an interactive hotspot.
These include 360 video, aerial photography and video, interior "flight" video using a specialist gimbal, tiny planet images and, of course, traditional location photography. For more details, please click here. |
Contact us for a quote
Tours can consist of anything from a single panorama, (ideal for a shop or small cafe) to any number of linked images (perfect for larger spaces such as wedding venues, showrooms, hotels, conference or sports facilities). Prices start at £149 plus vat. We would be delighted to provide a quote for you as the price is dependant on the number of panoramas you would prefer and the size of the property.
All of our tours include free hosting, so there are no recurring payments or hidden charges.
For a no obligation quote, please get in touch here.
All of our tours include free hosting, so there are no recurring payments or hidden charges.
For a no obligation quote, please get in touch here.