How to split panorama for instagram
How to Post Instagram Panoramas
There’s a new and better way to share panoramas on Instagram. Here’s how to do it and some ways to prep the tiled images.
When it started, Instagram was all about square images. They’ve since relaxed that and have embraced rectangular images as well. But there’s also a neat way to post multi-image panoramas for something quite different.
Of course, you’ve been able to post panoramas all along. When the requirements were for a square image, you could pad the borders to make it up. But that left a very small panorama in the middle which was kind of hard to see. When Instagram allowed rectangular images, they limited the narrowest aspect ratio to 1.91:1, which is still taller than most panoramas. And posting them that way makes them awfully small and loses all the impact that panoramas can have.
Now there’s a neat new way to do it. It hacks Instagram’s new feature that lets you include multiple photos as part of a single post.
Basically, you can split up a panorama into multiple square tiles, post those tiles to Instagram as part of a single post, and users can simply swipe left to move across the panorama. It’s a neat effect, and it’s much more impressive than the itty bitty rectangles of a single image.
Here’s an example of how it comes out:
https://www.instagram.com/p/BShDC7vgGfp/?taken-by=havecamerawilltraveldc
It works best when viewing the images through the mobile app, where the transition between the images is smooth. It still works when viewing through a web browser, but you lose that smooth transition, and it isn’t as slick.
You can also get creative with this and do a wide layout of several images rather than just one single image. Photographer Phil Penman uses some good examples of this approach to make photo essays.
How to Split a Panorama into Square Tiles
There are multiple ways you can split up a panorama into square tiles.
Here are two good options, one using Photoshop, if you have it, and the other using a few web services. There are also apps that can do it and smartphone workflows.
Splitting a Panorama into Square Tiles with Photoshop
There are always a bunch of ways to accomplish the same end in Photoshop. This is no different. If you want to split a panorama image into three (or any other number) pieces, you can do it with a combination of the marquee tool and cutting and pasting, or the cropping tool and the undo function.
But here’s the way I prefer to do it. It’s quick and neat.
This particular method relies on your master image divided evenly into squares. You want it to divide neatly into two squares or three squares or four squares, or whatever number you’re aiming for. What you don’t want is for it to divide into three and a bit squares.
So first crop the image to a whole number ratio like 1:3 or 1:4. In this case, I’m going to break it into three square tiles. Click on the crop tool, and then set the parameters at the top to Ratio. Then the first number is the number of horizontal tiles—in this case, 3. And the second is number 1. Like this:
Then apply the crop by either double-clicking inside it or clicking on the checkmark in the top toolbar.
Next, choose the Slice tool from the main toolbar at the left. The slice tool is under the same button as the crop tool, so click and hold on the crop tool to get the drop-down menu.
With the Slice tool active, click outside the image and drop around the outside of the entire image so that it creates one large slice that includes the whole image.
Then right-click on the small icons at the very top left of the slice. You’ll get a pop-up menu.
Choose Divide Slice.
From the Divide Slice options, uncheck the default “Divide Horizontally Into” box and check the “Divide Vertically Into” box. Then enter the number of slices you want.
You’ll notice that there’s no way to specify square slices. That’s why we made sure we started with a master image that divided neatly into whole squares.
You’ll notice that the slices are marked on the image now.
Click OK to close the Divide Slice options panel.
Now it’s time to export those slices as individual image files. Adobe touts the benefits of the newer Quick Export feature, but for this (and most of the time, for that matter), I prefer the old-fashioned Save for Web function. So choose that (File > Export > Save for Web).
Chances are, your master file is still a very large image. The Save for Web function isn’t really designed for very large images, and if only part of it is showing up in the preview panel, you might need to adjust the magnification in the bottom left. “Fit to View” is a good option for panoramas like this because it ensures that you can see the whole image.
In the right panel, change the image format to JPG and choose your compression amount. Something around 85 percent is a good working level, but you can choose higher or lower if you want. Do be aware, though, if you choose lower, that Instagram will be applying another round of compression when you upload the photo. So unless there’s some unusual reason not to, it’s better to err on the side of higher quality rather than lower quality.
The next thing to do is adjust the output size. The ideal size for photos for Instagram right now is 1080 pixels. So I change the height to 1080.
Then click Save.
You’ll then get the filename and location browser. Adjust the filename and folder if you want.
Before you hit Save, there’s a bit of a trick. You’ll notice at the bottom left that there are a few options. It’s important that the Slices one is set to All Slices.
Then hit Save. The images will output to an “images” subfolder, and sequence numbering will be applied automatically.
Splitting a Panorama into Square Tiles with ImageSplitter
ImageSplitter is a free online service that can quickly and easily split your panorama into tiles.
Again, it will work much better if you start with an image that will divide evenly into square tiles. If you have Photoshop, you can use the crop by the Ratio method outlined above. If you don’t have Photoshop, you can use any other cropping tool and manually calculate it (e.g., 3000 pixels by 1000 pixels). You can also do that in ImageSplitter after you upload the image and before you use the Split Image feature.
I’m not going to do the step-by-step guide for using ImageSplitter because it’s pretty self-explanatory. Just upload your image, choose the Split Image tab, and then specify the rows and columns (rows will be 1; columns will be however many tiles you want).
Once the splitting is down, it automatically downloads the resulting JPGs to your computers in a zip file.
Posting to Instagram
You now finally have the square tiles that you can upload to Instagram. Most of the options for posting to Instagram from a computer don’t yet support the new multi-image posts, so you’ll likely need to send the images to your phone and post from the mobile app.
The only thing to watch is that you choose them in the correct order, from left to right. That is, the first image should be the far left tile and be numbered 1 in your sequence.
Things Worth Knowing
- You can use up to 10 tiles across. That’s the limit of the multiple-image posts.
- This only works for horizontal (landscape) panoramas and ones that have a single row. So you can’t use vertical panoramas or multi-row panoramas.
David Coleman
I'm a professional freelance travel photographer based in Washington DC. Seven continents, up mountains, underwater, and a bunch of places in between. My images have appeared in numerous publications, and you can check out some of my travel photography here. More »
How to Post Panorama Photos on Instagram in 2 Ways
- To post a panorama photo on Instagram, you can simply zoom the picture out while uploading it.
- You can also use an app like "Unsquared for Instagram," which splits your panorama photos into multiple Instagram-friendly squares.
- This story is part of Business Insider's Guide to Instagram.
When Instagram first hit smartphones, every image uploaded had to be shaped like a perfect square.
This is all well and good for selfies and pictures of your kids, but for those majestic panorama shots of the Grand Canyon, Instagram's always struggled.
Nowadays, you can upload any sort of photo to Instagram. However, they don't always look so good.
Here's the best way to post panorama shots to Instagram on your iPhone or Android device, along with an app for iPhones that will help them look better.
Check out the products mentioned in this article:iPhone 11 (From $699.99 at Apple)
Samsung Galaxy S10 (From $699.99 at Walmart)
How to post panorama shots on InstagramThe simplest way to post panoramas is:
1. Open Instagram on your iPhone or Android and tap the plus icon at the bottom of the screen to upload a photo.
2. Once in your photo gallery, select the panorama shot you want to use.
3. Touch the image preview at the top with two fingers, then squeeze them together to zoom out. Zoom out until as much of the panorama as possible is visible.
Much of your longer pano shots may be lost when you use Instagram to crop them. Steven John/Business Insider4. Add filters and post it as usual.
The result here is a rectangular picture with large blank spaces on the top and bottom. This will do your photo some justice, but for full-sized panoramas, you likely still won't be able to fit the whole photo.
For the full effect, you'll need to use a program like Photoshop to cut the panorama into smaller, square images. If you have an iPhone, there's an app that will do this for you automatically: "Unsquared for Instagram."
Download the Unsquared app on the Apple App Store and give it the permissions it needs to access your photos. Then, follow these steps to cut up your photos.
1. Open the Unsquared app and tap the image of a stack of photos at bottom right.
2. Tap the pano image from your library that you want to use, then tap the blue check mark.
3. Your image will appear with the Unsquared watermark on it. Tap the blue icon that looks like a series of squares at the bottom of the screen, and you can pick how many photos you'd like the panorama shot to be split into — once you choose an option, the watermark will shrink.
Tap this icon to choose how many pictures you'd like to split your pano shot into. Steven John/Business InsiderNote that the more pieces you cut it into, the more of the top and bottom of the shot that will be cut off. In general, if you want to include every part of the photo, try to pick "3 Pieces. "
4. Once you're satisfied, tap "Done." The split-up photos will be saved to your phone, and you can post them to Instagram.
You'll be able to post the split photos as a series to Instagram. Steven John/Business InsiderHow to post a GIF on Instagram using a free GIF-making app for iPhone and Android
How to post a live photo on Instagram in 2 different ways
How to post on Instagram from your phone or a computer, using the official app or an internet browser
How to add multiple photos to your Instagram story at once, or use a collage app
How to share a post to your Instagram story from your feed or a profile
Steven John
Freelance Writer
Steven John is a freelance writer living near New York City by way of 12 years in Los Angeles, four in Boston, and the first 18 near DC. When not writing or spending time with his wife and kids, he can occasionally be found climbing mountains. His writing is spread across the web, and his books can be found at www.stevenjohnbooks.com.
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How to post panoramas on Instagram*
November 12, 2017 Web Services
A little trick will allow you to bypass the Instagram* limitation on photo width.
Uploading a panoramic photo to Instagram* is easy. You can create an Instagram post* with multiple photos blending into one another. It will look something like this.
Panoramic photos on Instagram* are no different from regular posts with multiple shots. They can be made manually or using mobile applications. Here's how it's done.
Preparing a panorama manually
- Take a panoramic photo. Most modern smartphones and cameras can do this. Keep in mind that you may need a tripod to get really good panoramic photos.
- Open the photo in any photo editor. You can use professional solutions such as Photoshop, Lightroom and their alternatives, or Lightroom Mobile, or any other image editor of your choice. The editor only needs the ability to cut out image fragments.
- Use the photo cropping tool to crop your photo to the desired aspect ratio. If you want your panorama to be in three parts, the aspect ratio of the photo should be 3:1. For a six-part panorama, the aspect ratio should be 6:1, and so on. Please note that you cannot insert more than ten squares into one Instagram* panorama.
- Cut the resulting image into several squares of the same size. You can do this both in your graphics editor, and using one of these services:
- Griddrawingtool.com;
- Imgonline.com.
- You will get several images of the same aspect ratio. Now send them to your phone to upload them in the right order on Instagram*. Or you can upload photos directly from your computer through the mobile version of the site. To make a panorama, you need to place the photos from left to right so that the leftmost part of the photo is the first, and the rightmost is the last.
Load panorama automatically
Take a panoramic photo for Instagram* with apps like Swipeable for iOS and InSwipe for Android. They are free, and with them you do not have to bother fussing in graphic editors.
Swipeable
The iOS app lets you create panoramic and even 360° loop photos for Instagram*. Just select a panoramic photo, and the application will divide it into square segments and apply the necessary filters.
appbox fallback https://apps.apple.com/ru/app/id12096
InSwipe
Powered by Android and has similar functionality - creates seamless panoramas for Instagram*. Photos can be scaled or resized. A grid that adapts to the size of the panorama will allow you to cut images in exactly the right places.
Download
Price: Free
Panoramic shots on Instagram* look pretty impressive. In addition, in mobile applications, sliding from shot to shot in one post is quite smooth, so that several photos seem to be a single whole.
*Activities of Meta Platforms Inc. and its social networks Facebook and Instagram are prohibited in the territory of the Russian Federation.
how to make and upload to the feed step by step
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Contents
- 1 How to make a panorama on Instagram
- 2 How to add a panorama on Instagram
Do you like panoramic shots or cityscapes? Don't know how to share them on Instagram? Let's talk about useful applications that will help you create an attractive visual for your feed.
How to take a panorama on Instagram
First you need to take a photo in panorama mode. Use digital cameras or phone. Many modern smartphones have this feature in their cameras.
Use a tripod to get the perfect picture. Next, you will need the help of programs to create spectacular material for Instagram.
- Use a photo editor that can cut the image. Choose from the following options: Photoshop, Lightroom, Snapseed.
- Load your image into the program of your choice. Cut the photo into as many parts as you want. If you prefer a panorama of 4 parts, then set the proportions to 4:1. This formula will work for any number of image slices. In the first place will be the number of fragments. Please note that one Instagram carousel post can only include 10 photos or videos.
- Cut the resulting frame into squares of the same size. To help you, any of your applications (see point 1), or visit these sites: griddrawingtool. com. imgonline.com. The result will have multiple images with the same size.
- Upload panorama to your Instagram account. Note that it is important to position the frames correctly to create the final image. The very first image should be the far left and the last one the far right. If you make a mistake, just delete and re-download.
You will be interested: how to take cool photos for Instagram.
How to add a panorama to Instagram
Developers love to make life easier for users, so they are constantly working on creating new content features. We will introduce you to useful applications for automatically uploading large-format photos to Instagram.
Try some of the programs presented and choose the one that suits you.
- For iPhone owners, the Swipeable program is suitable. Works with any ring shots. Upload the desired frame to the application. Apply the desired filters.
Swipeable will divide the picture into equal segments by itself. For free. Automatically makes video from photo cuts. You can post it on your feed.
- Owners of Android-smartphones were also not left aside. Go to the Play Market and search for InSwipe. Free development helps to create seamless pieces from the whole image. It is possible to scale and resize the whole image.
- PanoramaCrop for Instagram. The application crops the picture, resizes it, rotates the photo. There is a slight loss in the quality of the final result.
- Unsquared. Compatible with iOS system. Allows you to control the number of fragments you want. To remove the watermark, you will need to watch the commercial.
- Panora for Instagram. Perfectly divides large-scale images into equal components. If you don't want to see the watermark on your images, pay for a subscription. Compatible with iPhone.
Panoramic photography is only gaining momentum. You can benefit from their application. By posting pieces of the picture in the carousel, you will surprise your subscribers.