360° Virtual Tours: 7 reasons why we chose an alternative photography system to Matterport
2D images taken from 360° photographs of the same floors and ceilings to compare 360 reveal to Matterport.
When we, Dave and I, began exploring 360° photography & Virtual Tours, we naturally looked at Matterport. It is the industry leader, with well-known features like the “dollhouse” view and integrated floor plans. While these have their appeal and uses, we quickly realised that from a viewer’s perspective the drawbacks often outweighed the benefits.
Several things stood out to us:
Distracting visual effects – Large blurred areas above and below the camera obscure important details of the space, as per the photo collage above. Many properties have stunning features such as old floorboards or flagstones, and magnificent ceiling details - beams, ornate chandeliers or a roof lantern, which would be a shame to loose to a blur out. Now there is an alternative.
Overuse of navigation circles – White transition circles scattered across the floor and walls, drawing attention downwards instead of allowing a natural eye-level view of the room. If you have experienced this you will know what we mean. These circles can be edited out, if they haven’t been then why not? Our system keeps your eyes at eye level, with minimal directional icons.
2D images taken from 360° photographs of floors and hallways to compare 360 reveal to Matterport.
3. Unwanted camera reflections – The camera equipment often appears in mirrors and windows, or casts shadows, breaking the visual enjoyment of exploring the space. This can also be edited out, if they haven’t been then why not? 360 reveal edits their equipment out of the final photos.
Any camera reflection or shadow is edited out of the final 360 reveal photos, unlike Matterport.
4. Limited outdoor use – Few Matterport photographers shoot external spaces, reducing flexibility for venues that want to offer a full indoor and outdoor experience. If the outdoor space of your property is one of its main selling points, say for Wedding photography, then you need 360° equipment that can capture it.
360 reveal example of a 2D image taken from a 360° photograph. A Virtual Tour combining the inside and outside of the property is essential for the viewer. Outdoor 360° photography is also a pleasure to shoot and edit.
5. Interaction-heavy navigation – Tours only move forward when the viewer clicks the circles on the floor. This can feel static and slow compared to the smooth, guided flow of the automated rotation of the 360 reveal tours. Click here to view examples.
6. Tour starting points – Matterport tours start at the inside entrance of the property, and tour through it via the circles, you can jump to circles further away, but the choices can be numerous and distracting. At 360 reveal we photograph once from the centre of a room, and make the links to hallways and other rooms simple and clear, which can make the tour experience easier, with fewer clicks and therefore less time taken.
Both tour products have a thumbnail ribbon (see below) that allow the viewer to select rooms from there, or you can minimise it so see the whole of the image on the screen.
The thumbnail ribbon is located at the bottom of the page, you can click the images to navigate or use the arrow icons in each photo when its onscreen.
7. And finally - More bang for your buck - When you work with 360 reveal your photographs can be repurposed in many different ways for added marketing benefits. Your property’s 360° photographs don’t just sit in the tour, somewhere on your website, they can be front and centre of your marketing campaign, incorporated into your advertising and promotion tools to draw customers to you.
We hope you like our 360° photographs, our customer first focus and the flexibility of application, if you want to work with us, please get in touch.
Let's get your space seen properly, contact hello@360reveal.com
Disclaimer:
This article is based on publicly available information and personal experience. Matterport is a respected product in the industry, and all comparisons are made in good faith to help potential clients understand the differences between available 360° photography options. No affiliation or endorsement is implied
