To assist with the creation of 180-degree virtual reality photos and video, Google LLC announced on Friday the launch of its VR180 Creator tool that will be available for MacOS and Linux.

The tool is designed to work with the VR180 app video and photo format, which uses special 180-degree cameras to seamlessly upload VR video and photos to platforms such as Google Photos and YouTube.

Although the VR180 app allows easy creation of 180-degree content, most people don’t have easy access to VR software for editing the content created.

According to Erik Ackerman, software engineer at Google AR/VR, VR180 Creator will bridge that gap by offering two features for VR videos: convert for publishing, which takes fish-eye footages from VR180 cameras and converts it into a standardized format, and “Prepare for Publishing” which fixes metadata in the 3D file after editing so video can be viewed on YouTube or Google Photos in 2D or VR.

Essentially, this tool allows users to take various 180-degree 3-D video formats and standardize them so that they can be viewed without distortion with a VR headset or on a flat screen such as a mobile phone or a computer monitor.

“VR180 cameras allow creators to shoot three-dimensional, immersive photos and videos using affordable cameras that are small enough to fit in your pocket,” said Ackerman. “This desktop tool lets anyone edit VR180 footage with existing VR video tools.”

The VR180 Creator app can be downloaded from Google and is available for macOS (version 10.9 and above) and Linux (64-bit).

The VR180 video format was launched as a collaboration between YouTube and Google’s Daydream VR team one year ago to allow everyday publishers to generate 3D video that could be viewed by anyone, anywhere.

The market for VR180 capable cameras is currently limited, but growing, and it includes Lenovo’s Mirage Camera, with a price just under $300, and the Yi Horizon. Google partnered with Lenovo Group Ltd., LG Electronics Inc. and Yi Technology Inc. to bring these cameras to market this year.

Although 180-degree video lacks the ability to capture and record video fully surrounding the camera, it produces a video format that captures a fully forward view, including a lot of periphery. As a result, it allows the capture of scenes in a highly immersive format that works well with VR headset viewing because it helps better create the sensation of “being there” to a stationary viewer.

“With affordable VR180 cameras and the simplified editing process provided by VR180 Creator, you can capture your memories in VR,” Ackermann said. “whether it is giving your viewers a tour of your home or bringing your viewers on an adventure with you.”

With the VR180 Creator tool, people with 180-degree capable cameras will have greater access to store, refine and edit footage and images. It’s one of the first editors designed to allow easy access to this content and it can work with commonly available video editing software such as Adobe Premiere and Final Cut Pro.

Image: Google