How do you create a “little planet” photo?

Asked 5/25/2012

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I’d like to make the kind of image where a panorama is remapped into a tiny spherical “planet.” What shooting and editing process is typically used, and what’s the difference between polar and stereographic little-planet effects?

360-photo post-processing projection little-planet panorama

Originally by Photography Stack Exchange contributor. Source · Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0

Photography Stack Exchange contributor

14y ago

2 Answers

The basics is that you start with a 360-degree panorama and apply a rectangular to polar transformation.

I happen to have written introductory tutorials for both:

How to Make a Panorama - For this you need a panorama software such as those reviewed there. The free ones do an excellent job, so I suggest you start with those
How to Make a Wee Planet - This one uses Photoshop, so with another software the procedure will be somewhat different.

One easy short-cut is that some recent Fuji cameras actually can produce a seamless 360° panorama right in the camera. Make sure you choose the Cylindrical 360° option under the Motion Panorama function. Otherwise, or if your camera does not have it, then a seam will appear in the results.

Originally by user1620. Source · Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0

user1620

14y ago

AI Answer

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Little-planet images are usually made in two steps:

Capture a panorama — ideally a full 360° panorama with as much top and bottom coverage as possible. Stitching software is commonly used, though some cameras can create a seamless 360° panorama in-camera.
Remap the panorama — apply a rectangular-to-polar transformation or another projection remap in editing software.

There are two common looks:

Polar little planet: the classic “planet” effect. This is the simplest to make and can be done from many panoramas, but if your pano isn’t truly seamless you may see a seam where the left and right edges meet, and missing coverage at the center.
Stereographic little planet / little sky: a related but different projection with a different look and slightly different requirements.

For the cleanest result, shoot a seamless cylindrical 360° panorama and make sure the left and right edges match well when stitched. If the panorama is incomplete, the seam and center gap may remain visible in the final image.

How do you create a “little planet” photo?

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