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Click on the video and drag your mouse to view the full 360 degree image. Mobile device users will be redirected to the YouTube app.

Open Lab 360-degree video screen capture

Click on the video and drag your mouse to view the full 360 degree image. Mobile device users will be redirected to the YouTube app.

360-degree Video

360-degree video is a video format in which the camera captures a full sphere of video, so the audience can look up, down, and turn around in a circle, allowing them to feel immersed in the environment the video is showing them. 360° videos are best viewed in a VR headset, like an Oculus Rift or Go, or a Google Cardboard, which is an inexpensive solution that utilizes your smartphone to create a viewer. However, they can also be explored on a smartphone or even on a computer by swiping or scrolling around. This emerging video format is great for transporting your audience to a scene in which there is a lot going on, and where they can look around them and follow different pieces of action or even different storylines.

Open Lab will teach you about best practices in creating 360-degree video, how to use our 360-degree cameras, and how to get started with editing 360-degree video footage. Training is available through Open Lab @ Canvas; supplementary training or assistance available by appointment. Once you have completed training, you will be designated an Approved User of our 360-degree cameras, and may borrow them for free (see the below Open Lab 360-degree cameras and how to use them section for more detail).

If you’re only interested in experiencing 360-degree video, and not creating it yourself, please see the Virtual Reality section of this website.

Faculty members interested in incorporating 360-degree video into a course they teach are encouraged to to set up a consultation with a full-time Open Lab staff member.

Garmin VIRB 360 Camera
Garmin VIRB 360 Camera

Garmin VIRB 360 Camera:

  • Spherical video in up to 5.7K/30fps resolution 
  • 360-degree audio
  • 4K spherical stabilization 
  • Automatically stitching
  • Livestreaming capability 
  • VIRB mobile app for simple editing

Once you have completed training (see the above How can I get started with 360-degree video section for detail), you will be on our Approved Users list, and may borrow a Garmin VIRB 360 camera kit from the Hillman Library Equipment Room for 3 days at a time. Other cameras are lent on a per-request basis. For special accommodation requests, please contact the Open Lab team. Please review the 360-degree camera section of the Open Lab member guidelines & handbook.

Immersive Archaeology screen captureCourse: Greek Archaeology, Pitt in Sicily

Professor: Dr. Jacques Bromberg

Open Lab tech: 360-degree video

While studying abroad in Sicily, students visit, experience, and research archaeological sites. Open Lab helps them move beyond a simple research paper, creating a 360-degree video to invite their audience immersively into their experience. While producing an engaging educational resource to share, the students learn to think spatially and develop production skills in a cutting-edge medium.

To read more about this project, visit the Pittwire article “Teaching Center Helps Students in Sicily Create 360-degree Tours of Archaeological Sites.”

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