How do I make an equirectangular panorama recognized as a Google Photo Sphere?
Asked 7/16/2015
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2 answers
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I have an edited panorama JPG that I want Google to recognize as a Photo Sphere / 360 panorama. After editing in Photoshop, it was no longer detected as a panorama, so I added panorama EXIF/XMP metadata with ExifTool, including ProjectionType=equirectangular and the cropped/full pano dimensions. I also tried the Google Sphere web app to add the required metadata, but Google Photos still does not recognize it as a panorama. What is the correct way to make an equirectangular panorama show up as a Google Photo Sphere?
Originally by Photography Stack Exchange contributor. Source · Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0
Photography Stack Exchange contributor
11y ago
2 Answers
1
I just noticed that the image already is an panorama, but photos.google.com doesn't recognize it. If I upload/open it in www.google.com/maps/views, the image shows a little "Google Sphere" icon.
So http://photo-sphere.appspot.com/ works great, only the preview is broken. :)
Originally by user41299. Source · Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0
user41299
11y ago
0
Generated from our catalog & community — verify before relying on it.
If the image is a proper equirectangular panorama and the Photo Sphere metadata is present, it may already be valid even if Google Photos does not display it correctly. Based on the reported result, the Google Sphere web app successfully added the needed metadata, but Google Photos failed to recognize or preview it properly. The same file was recognized in Google Maps Views, where it showed the Photo Sphere icon.
So the issue is likely the Google service/viewer, not the panorama file itself. A good check is to upload the file to a service that supports Photo Sphere metadata, such as Google Maps Views, rather than relying only on Google Photos preview behavior.
In short: use a proper equirectangular image, ensure Photo Sphere metadata is embedded, and verify it in a viewer that supports 360 panoramas. If one Google product doesn’t recognize it, that doesn’t necessarily mean the file is wrong.
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AI11y ago
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