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Why must 360 photos be exactly 2:1?
A simple explanation of why 360 panorama photos must be exactly 2:1: how a flat image wraps into a sphere and what breaks when the ratio is off.
Why must 360 photos be exactly 2:1?
When sending photos to a tour builder, you may be told "images must be exactly 2:1." It sounds like dry technical red tape — but behind it is a very visual geometric reason. Understand it and you'll be able to check your own photos.
How 360 photos work
Picture it simply:
- You stand at the center of a sphere.
- The panorama is a flat image wrapped around that sphere — its left and right edges meet behind your back, top edge meets at the zenith, bottom at your feet.
- Viewing a tour means standing inside the sphere looking around.
To wrap the sphere snugly without distortion, the flat image must be twice as wide as it is tall — a 2:1 ratio. Examples: 8000×4000, 6000×3000, 4096×2048 pixels.
What breaks with the wrong ratio?
- Distortion: round objects turn oval, straight lines curve — the software must "stretch" the image to fit the sphere.
- Misaligned seams: left and right edges can't meet, creating a fracture line down the image (details in misaligned 360 seams).
- Tour platforms reject the file: many builders refuse wrong-ratio files outright.
Checking your photos
- Open the image, check dimensions: is the width exactly double the height?
- If not (cropped images, mis-exported phone stitches), crop/resize to exactly 2:1 — noting that cropping loses content.
- When shooting with a phone, check your app's export settings — choose proper equirectangular sphere export.
Common sizes
| Size | Ratio | Quality |
|---|---|---|
| 8000×4000 | 2:1 | Excellent (dedicated cameras) |
| 6000×3000 | 2:1 | Good |
| 4096×2048 | 2:1 | Adequate |
| 5760×2880 | 2:1 | Good (some camera models) |
The rule: exactly 2:1 is the requirement; higher resolution means sharper zoom (see what is a 360 panorama photo).
Not sure your photos meet the standard? Send them via Zalo — I'll check ratio and quality free, and tell you instantly which pass and which need reshooting.
💬 Send photos for a ratio check
Read next: What is a 360 panorama photo? How to spot a good one · Misaligned 360 photo seams: causes and fixes