In this article:
- Video source requirements
- Marking your video as 360
- Managing your 360 video settings
- Uploading 360 video from mobile devices and third-party apps
- Review page for 360 video
Video source requirements
Before you begin uploading a 360 video to Vimeo, we recommend taking a look at the following requirements for your 360 video source file so we can make it look as beautiful as possible.
Projection type: All 360 video uploaded to Vimeo should be equirectangular. The image should resemble a 3D sphere flattened onto a 2D rectangular: think of a spherical object (e.g. the planet), mapped onto right-angled coordinates (e.g. a giant poster in geography class).
Source type: You can upload monoscopic or stereoscopic 360 video to Vimeo. Monoscopic 360 video is filmed using one camera per field of view from one single point of view, and all videos are later stitched together to form one equirectangular video.
For stereoscopic 360 video, Vimeo supports the top/bottom layout. These types of sources include two equirectangular videos, one on top of another, contained within the same file. The left/right layout for stereoscopic video is not supported and cannot be rendered as 360 within the Vimeo player.
Resolution: We support upload and playback for videos up to 4K.
Aspect ratio: We recommend a 2:1 aspect ratio for 4K monoscopic 360 video. For 4K stereoscopic 360 video, we recommend a 4:1 aspect ratio for each of the two equirectangular images stacked on top of each other, so that combined image has a 2:1 aspect ratio.
Audio format: Vimeo supports standard mono, 2-channel stereo audio, and surround audio with 5.1 and 7.1 channel layouts. We also support spatial audio in the first-order and second-order ambisonic format (AmbiX).
⚠️Note: Vimeo only supports playback of 7.1 channel audio on browsers that support the Opus codec.
Metadata: During upload, we’ll detect the settings of your 360 video to the best of our robots’ abilities based on the metadata of your source file (projection type, audio format, etc.). You’ll see dismissable error notifications on your video page and video settings if we pick up on something in your source file that may not be supported.
Most cameras and editing software don’t include metadata by default for 360 video. We recommend using either Spatial Media Metadata Injector or Premiere Pro’s VR video settings to inject metadata into your source file before upload.
If neither of these options are available to you, don’t worry. Vimeo doesn’t require your source file to have 360 metadata attached, and if it doesn’t, we’ll default to the most common 360 video settings: a monoscopic format and a stereo audio source.
Marking your video as 360
After you initiate your upload, you have the ability to edit your video’s title, description, privacy, and other basic settings. You also have the option to mark your upload as 360 by visiting the Settings menu (on the right hand corner). Toggle the option to Recorded in 360 followed by adding the source type. The changes if made are automatically saved.
After turning on the "Recorded in 360" setting, you’ll be given the option to select monoscopic or stereoscopic (top/bottom layout) from the drop-down menu. Make sure to hit the "Save" button before you leave the settings page.
The selection of monoscopic or stereoscopic does not determine how your viewers will enjoy your video (that’s based on their own preference and headset situation). This setting is about your source file and will help us render everything just as you intended based on how you recorded your 360 video and stitched it together.
If you do not select a source type, we’ll automatically default to monoscopic. If you’ve already injected 360 metadata into your video file (using Premiere or another spatial media injector), our robots can detect this and select all the necessary options for you.
Managing your 360 video settings
Advanced 360 settings: To set the field of view and default orientation for your video, click Advanced 360 settings below “Recorded in 360” on the Distribution > Subtitles tab of your video settings.
- Field of view (FOV): Choose the boundaries of the frame in Field of View (FOV), which you can set between 30-90 degrees (75 degrees is the default). This is the portion of video that is visible by the viewer at any given point. It’s similar to a zoom effect without technically magnifying your video.
- Default orientation: Enter the exact coordinates for your pitch and yaw. Pitch tilts up or down, while yaw moves from side to side. This determines what “forward" means for your video, or the exact point in space your video begins.
These settings only apply to the desktop viewing experience, and do not apply when your 360 video is experienced in the Vimeo mobile apps (with or without a headset).
Embed settings: If you’re a Vimeo Standard and higher, Vimeo Plus and higher, or Enterprise member, you have access to even more control of the 360 embedded video player. Under the Embed tab of your video's Advanced settings, there’s now an option to disable the 360 badge and the compass (gyroscope). These settings are checked by default and can only be removed in the embedded player, not on vimeo.com.
Thumbnail: 360° videos will have auto-generated thumbnails matching a human field of view, such that you no longer need to upload custom thumbnails to correct the perspective.
Uploading 360 video from mobile devices and third-party apps
You can upload 360 videos using your mobile device. If you don’t inject the 360 metadata before you upload, you’ll need to access the video settings from a tablet or desktop computer to set your video as 360. This also applies for uploads through third-party apps that use the Vimeo API (e.g., Dropbox).
Review page for 360 video
Vimeo members Standard and higher, Pro and higher, or Enterprise can use the video review page to share their 360 videos quickly and securely. The review page’s in-video notes are not currently supported for 360 videos and will be disabled automatically.