Shoot first, frame later. With the ability to reframe and edit your 360º videos after filming, Insta360 cameras mean you can get your shot exactly how you want it every. single. time.
However, one question we often hear is, "What is reframing?"
To answer that, here's your complete guide to what reframing is and how to do it, as well as some awesome, easy-to-achieve effects to inspire your next creation.
What is Reframing?
Reframing means you can freely move your video's angle and perspective without setting up the shot beforehand. While it might seem daunting, it's very helpful and means you can customize and edit your 360º videos after filming to get the perfect frame each time.
Filming in 360 degrees means there are endless possibilities for your footage. By zooming in or out, changing perspective and adjusting the field of view (FOV), you can edit together a creative video exactly to your liking.
How you reframe is up to you, and there are multiple ways to do it on the Insta360 mobile app and Insta360 Studio (our desktop software). Whether it's by moving your phone, letting AI pick out the highlights, or manually choosing your shots, we'll walk you through each reframing option:
Getting Started
Keyframes (mobile and desktop)
ViewFinder
Quick Edit
AI Edit
Deep Track 2.0
Me Mode
Effects With Keyframes
Creative Edits
Exporting
Getting Started
First, make sure you've got the latest version of the app. Updates go out regularly with improvements, new effects, and features.
Import footage:
You can edit 360º videos straight from an SD card with a wireless connection or download footage to your phone and import it to the app.
Trimming shots:
Trim the start and end of your clip where you are setting up or turning off. You can always retrim after editing if needed. The Jump Cut feature lets you choose the best shots and removes everything else.
Aspect ratio:
Choose the aspect ratio based on where you will share your footage:
9:16 - vertical video (Instagram Stories, TikTok)
16:9 - regular horizontal (YouTube)
1:1 - square (Instagram posts/Facebook)
2.35:1 - widescreen cinemascope (Cinematic videos, short films)
Keyframes (Insta360 app)
The first reframing method is by manually adding keyframes to your footage. Keyframes tell the video where you want to look in your shot and fix the perspective to the one you choose. You can add multiple keyframes in your footage to show different perspectives and angles throughout your video. Keyframes provide a truly customized edit and you have all angles to play with. To do this, head to the Insta360 app, choose your 360º footage and tap Pro Edit.
- Scroll through the video timeline and find the point you want to edit
- Change perspective by swiping around the screen and pinching to zoom
- Click the yellow '+' icon on the timeline to add a keyframe. Holding down the screen will continuously play footage from the chosen perspective
- Go through your timeline and add more keyframes from any angle or view. You can also adjust the FOV
- Update keyframes by going back to the keyframe, changing perspective and tapping 'Update keyframe'
You can get super creative with keyframes and create head spinning edits with dynamic movements. If you're not sure how to create movements between keyframes or don't have time for a full edit, Pro Edit has over 40+ automatic movement templates to help you out. Simply tap the yellow + icon at the start point, adjust the perspective, tap Movement and choose a template. You can drag it across the timeline to make it as slow or as fast as you want and adjust the perspective of the endpoint. When you're done, the video will smoothly transition between the points with a dynamic movement! Learn more about the movement templates here.
Keyframes (Insta360 Studio)
For creators who prefer a desktop workflow, Insta360 Studio is also available for precise control and maximum resolution. You can reframe using the same keyframe process as the app to edit your 360º videos.
For an easier workflow, X4 produces one .insv file for 360º videos. All other 360º cameras produce two .insv files, one from each lens. One file has _00_ in the name, and the other has _10_. The rest of the file name is identical. You only need to import one .insv file and Studio will automatically read the other file. To ensure Studio can find the other file, do not rename or move either one.
- Find the first frame in the timeline and click 'Mark as trim start'
- Find the end of the shot and click 'Mark as trim end'
- Scroll through the video timeline and find the point you want to edit
- Change perspective and angle by dragging the screen and scrolling on the mouse to zoom in and out
- Click the '+' icon to add a keyframe. Insta360 Studio will automatically play footage between keyframes
- Remove distortion by clicking 'linear view' on keyframes
Keyframes are great if you have time to manually look through your footage, as you can get a fully customized video. If you have limited time, there are still plenty of options to reframe and edit your videos.
Quick Edit
Renamed from Snap Wizard, Quick Edit streamlines the reframing process by automatically recording your phone movements, swipes, or virtual joystick movements as live movements in your video. It also has a 360º view button which automatically pans round the video, or you can use the slider to get a quick Tiny Planet (more on that later).
It's easy, fast, and means you can record multiple reframed edits from the same clip and export them instantly from the Quick Edit interface.
- Open the clip you want to edit
- Tap 'Quick'
- Tap the red shutter button to start recording
- Swipe the screen with your finger or move your phone to change the angle. The app will record these movements in your video
- To zoom in, swipe up on the slider on the right and swipe down to zoom out
- Tap the "360º" icon to automatically pan around your video
- Choose Quick Export to export the video directly, or Custom Export to change the parameters as needed
ViewFinder
If you want to quickly reframe but still need to perfect your video, ViewFinder is a great option. Like Quick Edit, it also records your phone movements and swipes, but this time you can further edit clips with the normal editing interface, such as color, FOV, and aspect ratio.
- Go to Pro Edit and add a keyframe with the '+' icon
- Tap ViewFinder
- Press the record button and move your phone or swipe the screen to look around your 360º footage and change direction. The app will record these movements in your video
- Move your thumb on the bar to zoom (left to zoom in, right to zoom out)
AI Edit
Insta360's app uses revolutionary AI power to quickly edit all your 360º videos into binge-worthy clips. With AI Edit (renamed from Auto Frame), AI analyzes your footage, chooses the highlights, and automatically edits them. This is a great option when you're short on time.
- Select the video you want to edit
- Tap AI > Analysis and AI will start the initialization process
- Tap to choose the view you want to follow
Compilation view: different perspectives in one clip
Selfie view: tracks the person who filmed the video
Forward view: tracks forward direction
Drafts: any other shots - Export the clips or tap Auto Edit to add filters, transitions, music, effects, and more
Deep Track 2.0
Deep Track 2.0 is a subject-tracking algorithm that automatically keeps the subject of your video in the center of the frame. You can apply this to your videos with a single tap, making the editing process even more convenient. Deep Track 2.0 is also available in Insta360 Studio.
- Go to Pro Edit, add a keyframe, and tap Deep Track
- Draw a box around the subject or object you want to track and click 'Start tracking'
- AI will automatically follow them throughout the video
Me Mode
Me Mode is an easy-to-use shooting mode that skips the reframing process altogether. It records two files and stitches them together to create a 170-degree video up to 4K30fps or 2.7K120fps (X4) and 1080p60fps (X3). Think cool slow-mo shots, with you as the star of the show!
Using your 360º cam and the Invisible Selfie Stick, it keeps you in the center of the frame for epic third-person wide-angle videos, all while keeping the selfie stick invisible.
- Attach your cam to the Invisible Selfie Stick
- Power on your camera > Single-Lens Mode > Me Mode
- Adjust frame and ratio as desired
Quick Tips
- Edits made to individual clips will be saved by default. You can reset to the original file at any time.
- You can take a high-quality screenshot of your videos at any point with the Snapshot tool. iPhone users can try Live Snapshot, which saves a live photo to your phone.
- You can combine individually edited videos together in the mobile app. Go to Edit > Create a Video, select your clips, and choose which order you want them to appear in. You can add transitions, music, filters, and colors, plus there's still the option of reframing.
- You can adjust the FOV of keyframes. 360º defaults to ultra-wide-angle mode. If you want to make the field of view smaller, go to the keyframe you have set, click on Field of View, and choose Wide or Narrow.
Effects With Keyframes:
With 360 degrees and any perspective to play with, you can use reframing to edit your 360º videos and create some awesome effects. All of these effects can be achieved with the mobile app and Insta360 Studio.
Tiny Planet
This is one of the most popular editing techniques with 360º footage, creating the illusion that you're standing on your own miniature planet.
- Scroll through the footage and find the frame you want to add the effect to
- Pinch the screen with your fingers or scroll the mouse (on Studio) to zoom out until it becomes a spherical shape
- Add a keyframe with the '+' icon
Barrel Roll
This effect is a real head-turner. It rotates your footage 360 degrees, and the final result will be a cool rolling effect.
- Set two keyframes around 1-4 seconds apart. For best results, set the horizon to be centered on the first keyframe
- Tap 'Rotate' on the second keyframe and rotate it to 360 degrees
- Your shot will now do a 360-degree flip
TimeShift
This effect is a unique way of speeding up your footage. There are two ways to achieve this with keyframes, depending on how many angles and perspectives you want to show. You can also use the one-tap Auto TimeShift template in Shot Lab or try Flylapse for a drone-like effect.
Singular perspective:
With this method, you reframe first. This is useful when you want to follow one continuous perspective of your choice.
- Trim the video and choose your start and end points
- Turn Direction Lock on
- Choose a perspective and add a keyframe. The footage will now continuously follow this perspective
- Choose speed (16x is recommended)
Multiple perspectives:
With this method, you add speed first. This option is great for adding multiple keyframes as the timeline is shorter, and the playback will be closer to the final footage.
- Choose speed (16x is recommended)
- Choose the starting point and then drag the timeline to choose the footage you want to add the speed to
- Make sure Motion Blur is checked
- Turn off Direction Lock so it doesn't affect keyframes that are about to be added
- Reframe with keyframes as normal
- Tap the screen to view playback. You will get the full motion blur TimeShift after exporting
Get creative and slow down or speed up footage throughout your TimeShift video. Do this by setting different speeds between your keyframes.
Creative Edits
Freeze Frame
Get ultra-slow motion in any scene, or slow down an epic moment in an action sequence.
- Tap Freeze Frame
- Set a start and end view
- It will automatically create a super slow-mo transition between the two
MultiView
This effect is like adding a rearview mirror perspective. It presents two viewpoints simultaneously within the same clip. It's great for driving videos or showing two people at once.
- Tap MultiView
- Drag the timeline to choose the footage you want to apply it to.
- Choose from the three options: picture-in-picture, split screen, and car split screen.
By default, it will lock the forward perspective, and you can adjust the backward view as you like.
Shot Lab
With Shot Lab, creators get full access to Insta360's AI editing features on the mobile app. This is a full editing suite in your pocket, packed with over 30 one-tap effects and templates, such as Sky Swap and AI Warp.
They include AI templates that add effects to your footage, and they all have a built-in tutorial. Learn more about Shot Lab here.
Exporting Footage
Until you're ready to do the final export, keep your files in the highest resolution and bitrate possible for the best quality. For posting to social media, export settings depend on the platform. Check out our recommendations for the best export settings for social media here.
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