View all questions
- Asteroom app tutorial
- How to shoot the perfect panoramic photo
- Adding detailed descriptions, texts, images, and links to the virtual tour
- Adding detailed descriptions, texts, images, and links to the virtual tour
- Adding the floor plan
- Experiencing the virtual tour in VR
- (iOS) Exporting panorama photos
- (iOS) Importing panorama photos
- (Android) Exporting panorama photos
- (Android) Importing panorama photos
- Setting up the Pano Kit with your phone
- Asteroom app tutorial
- How to shoot the perfect panoramic photo
- Adding detailed descriptions, texts, images, and links to the virtual tour
- Adding detailed descriptions, texts, images, and links to the virtual tour
- Adding the floor plan
- Experiencing the virtual tour in VR
- (iOS) Exporting panorama photos
- (iOS) Importing panorama photos
- (Android) Exporting panorama photos
- (Android) Importing panorama photos
- Setting up the Pano Kit with your phone
Asteroom app tutorial
-
Step 1. Take a panorama photo
- a.Open the asteroom app.
- b.Click the capture button to enter the shooting mode.
- c.Now click on the capture button again to begin shooting. When the phone and rotation meter stop, this means that you have completed your 360° panoramic shooting. You can now move on to another room and continue shooting until all of your spaces have been shot.
-
Step 2. Create a personal virtual tour
After your shooting is complete, you can add a virtual tour by clicking on the “Adding new project” button. Follow the steps below:- a.Fill in the object name, description, location, and so on.
- b.Add a panorama.
- c.Select the panorama you just shot.
- d.Upload. After uploading is complete, then connect to the virtual tour.
-
Step 3. Connect to the virtual tour
- a.Click on your virtual tour object and open the first panorama.
- b.Then click again to add a hotspot.
- c.Select the location to link to go to the next panorama.
- d.Move the hotspot to the entry point of the next panorama.
- e.Repeat this step until all the panoramas are connected.
-
Step 4. More tips and tricks!
Congratulations! Your virtual tour is now ready to be shared to share with anyone! There are even more available features, and you can click on any of the following links listed below to learn how to edit and make your tour even better.
How to shoot the perfect panoramic photo
-
1.Set up your device
-
a.Use a high-pixel mobile phone
The higher the number of pixels in your mobile phone will result in better quality photos which you take. The Asteroom app supports most iOS and Android phones. You can use the iPhone XS or Google Pixel phone for high-resolution panoramas, and you can also get amazing photo quality with just a regular phone.
In order to shoot a perfect panoramic photo, it is very important that the fisheye lens is properly clamped on your mobile phone. Here are a few tips:
-
How to clip the fisheye lens
-
Make sure that the fisheye lens is fully completely clipped to the rear lens of your mobile phone. Please refer to the picture displayed below:
- The center of the fisheye lens should be placed exactly at the center of the rear lens of your phone.
-
Make sure that the fisheye lens is fully completely clipped to the rear lens of your mobile phone. Please refer to the picture displayed below:
-
How to make the your photo taken is perfect
- During the rotation, confirm that the detected area within the circle is completely within shooting range.
-
The two of examples below show that these fisheye lenses are not properly clipped. One shows the top fisheye lens is out of range, and the other shows the right fisheye lens is out of range.
- After your shooting is complete, you can check if the panorama is perfect (this includes checking both ceiling and floor). If don't feel the photos are perfect, for example, if you see black edges on the ceilings and floors, simply select “retake” and adjust the clip location of the fisheye lens on your phone.
- If the panorama photo has overlapping shadows or blurs, fix your stand and retake the photo.
-
Shooting position
- We recommend placing the tripod in the middle of the room as much as possible. If you get closer to the carpet or furniture during the shooting process, it may cause problems when connecting the panorama photos. Please also avoid getting too close to the wall, as this can reduce Suggest: (increase) the possibility of focus failure.
-
-
b.Please try to keep your phone camera aligned with the spin button on the rotator.
-
c.Set the rotator to a height of 3’9” to 4’2” cm on a stable stand.
- Make sure that the stand is stable and perpendicular to the rotator. If it is not straight, it will cause the entire 360° panorama to skew.
*Tips for choosing a tripod : We recommend selecting a stable and reliable stand to avoid shaking and skewing caused by the rotator with the phone attached. This affects the quality of the panorama.
-
-
2.What to do before shooting
-
a.Clean the rooms
In order to ensure your virtual tour is perfect, make sure each room is clean, for example, just like how it appears in the showroom. -
b.Shoot in a well-lit environment
Insufficient lighting can easily lead to poor quality panoramas. Make sure that any curtains are open and the lights are turned on during the shooting process to make your space look bright.
-
-
3.Shoot a panorama and create a virtual tour
-
a.Tips on shooting the panorama
-
In order to easily connect the panoramas through hotspots in the future, we recommend to include at least one other hotspot during shooting.
-
Tips on shooting small, medium, and large size rooms
*Small-Size Room (bathroom, laundry room...)
- Place your phone and the rotator in the corner or at the doorway to capture the entire space.
- Place your phone in a lower position to capture more details.
*Medium-Size Room (bedroom, kitchenette...)
- As much as possible, place both your phone and the rotator in the center of the room. If there is furniture present, aim to shoot at a distance, preferably, one-step away from the furniture.
- The medium-size room is suitable for representing the entire space with one single panorama.
*Large-size room (living rooms, kitchens, open layouts...)
- A large-size room is suitable for taking a few more additional panoramas to combine into the entire space.
-
In order to easily connect the panoramas through hotspots in the future, we recommend to include at least one other hotspot during shooting.
-
b.Preview your results after shooting
We recommend to preview your shot results after each individual shot. If you are not satisfied with the photo, you can adjust and retake it. After confirming that there isn’t any problem, you can then move to the your next shooting spot. -
c.Save or delete the panorama
After you shoot a panorama, you can save it if the quality is good. You also have the option to delete it if the quality is bad. Taking too many panorama shots will cost you lots of time during the selecting and uploading process. We recommend to only keep the ones that you will be using. -
d.Name the panorama
It is recommended that you should name the panorama after it has been taken. This will help you quickly recall the scene which you just shot when editing numerous shots. It is also very helpful for connecting different scenes.
-
Adding detailed descriptions, texts, images, and links to the virtual tour
- 1.Sign in to your Asteroom app.
- 2.Select your virtual tour, and select the panorama that you want to add to your description.
-
3.Click on the “More” button below, and add a description or object to the panorama.
- Tag: descriptions use text, images, and videos to describe the detail features in the panorama.
- Hotspots: Used to connect panoramas.
- Image: Add an image to the panorama.
- Video: Add a video to the panorama. *The source of the video is a link (example: add a YouTube link).
- 3D text: Add 3D text to the panorama.
- Tripod overly: Add your personalized logo to the bottom of the virtual tour.
- Update thumbnail: Sets the current image as the start screen when people begin browsing.
- Preview: Preview the virtual tour.
Adding detailed descriptions, texts, images, and links to the virtual tour
- 1.Sign in to your Asteroom app.
- 2.Select your virtual tour, and select the panorama that you want to add to your description.
-
3.Click on the “More” button below, and add a description or object to the panorama.
- Tag: descriptions use text, images, and videos to describe the detail features in the panorama.
- Hotspots: Used to connect panoramas.
- Image: Add an image to the panorama.
- Video: Add a video to the panorama. *The source of the video is a link (example: add a YouTube link).
- 3D text: Add 3D text to the panorama.
- Tripod overly: Add your personalized logo to the bottom of the virtual tour.
- Update thumbnail: Sets the current image as the start screen when people begin browsing.
- Preview: Preview the virtual tour.
Adding the floor plan
- 1.Sign in to your Asteroom app.
-
2.Select a virtual tour and then click on the “Floor Plan” tab. Select the floor plan using the “+” button located at the lower right corner and upload your floor plan.
-
3.When uploading is complete, click the floor plan you just uploaded to add in the hotspots on your floor plan. You can quickly switch between your floor plan and panoramas through these newly added hotspots.
- 4.When you press back button, your progress will be automatically saved.
Experiencing the virtual tour in VR
-
1.Scan the QR Code shown below to open a virtual tour right on your phone or open the virtual tour example and view on the browser directly.
- 2.Click on the list icon in the upper right corner, and select VR.
- 3.Position your phone horizontally, then insert it in a VR device (Google Cardboard, etc).
-
4.Put on the VR device and start enjoying the amazing virtual tour experience!
(iOS) Exporting panorama photos
-
1.Open your Asteroom app, then go to the Material section.
-
2.Click
, and select the photos you’d like to export.
-
3.Click share, then select your export destination (we recommend to use cloud storage such as Google Drive or Dropbox). This is so you can be able to download and edit directly on your computer.
-
Tips：
- a. If you haven’t already installed Google Drive or Dropbox, please install these apps first and then sign into Asteroom.
-
b. If you have installed the cloud storage apps and signed in, but still could not see these selections, please use the following steps:
-
c. You may have to create document folders before exporting. This will allow you to easily manage all of your panorama photos.
- d. Your exporting is complete. You can now download your panorama photos from cloud storage.
(iOS) Importing panorama photos
-
1.Open your Asteroom app, then go to the Material section.
-
2.Click
, and then select Browse..
-
3.Select your preferred cloud storage app and choose the documents you want to import.
-
4.Importing is now complete.
(Android) Exporting panorama photos
-
1.Open your Asteroom app, then go to the Material section.
-
2.Click
, and select the photos you’d like to export.
-
3.Click share, then select your export destination (we recommend to use cloud storage such as Google Drive or Dropbox). This is so you can be able to download and edit directly on your computer.
-
Tips：
- a. If you haven’t already installed Google Drive or Dropbox, please install these apps first and then sign into Asteroom.
-
b. You may want to create document folders before exporting. This will allow you to easily manage all of your panorama photos.
- c. Your exporting is complete. You can now download your panorama photos from cloud storage.
(Android) Importing panorama photos
-
1.Open your Asteroom app, then go to the Material section.
-
2.Click
-
3.Importing is now complete.
-
4.Importing is complete.
Setting up the Pano Kit with your phone
-
Step 1. Install the device
1.Please download [ Asteroom ] in Google Play or the App Store. Enter your email address and password to login. If you haven't registered your account yet, you can also sign up with Facebook, Google+ or create a new account.
2.Turn on the rotator switch, then place your phone with your fisheye lens attached on the rotator. Please make sure the fisheye lens on your phone is vertically aligned with the rotator knob.
3.Turn on your phone’s Bluetooth, and the rotator will automatically connect to the app. (You don’t need to pair Bluetooth in the setting. Your phone will be automatically paired to the rotator).
- The rotator uses the Bluetooth technology called BLE 4.0. It does not need to be paired in the setting. Instead, the Bluetooth will automatically pair when your phone’s Bluetooth and rotator switches are both turned on.
- In order to successfully complete the Bluetooth connection after you have completed all of the above steps, (even if the app's camera mode is still connected or after disconnecting for a period of time), just restart your phone's Bluetooth and the rotator. They will both automatically re-pair.
4.Use of the tripod: When shooting an indoor space, your tripod will be used. We recommend choosing a stable and reliable tripod to avoid any jitters and skews caused by the rotator when your phone’s attached. This can affect the quality of your panorama as well.
-
Step 2. How to shoot a perfect 360° panorama
1.For the fisheye lens position, reference to the picture shown below. Please make sure it is aligned with the back camera of your phone.
2.When shooting, we recommend to find an environment where the lighting is even or slightly bright.
3.Again, try to let your phone, fisheye lens, and rotator knob aligned in a straight vertical line.
