Upload to Facebook

[Atul Sharma]

In view of the announcement today that users can upload 360 panoramas to FB  the following  link (- https://facebook360.fb.com/360-photos/?_ga=1.246286084.1020764370.1465546342) mentions, in the section "Hardware and Apps for Facebook 360 Photos" that  "

• Advanced: some image stitching tools like PTGui actually export with Photo sphere metadata"

Anybody has pointers / tips for uploading existing PTGui panoramas to FB

Thanks in advance

[GeoK]

Hi,

I have uploaded an equirectangular 6000x3000 as generated by PTGui without any problems. Where issues seem to arise as far as I can tell is when post editing the equirectangular, some vital metadata can be lost.

For example if I :

1. generate an equirectangular image in ptgui

2. convert to cubes

3. edit the cubes to touch up areas of the panorama/patch nadir etc.with photoshop

4. convert the cubes back to an equirectangular image using the krpano droplet

At this point, whatever key meta is required by Facebook is lost.

What I have been doing is for the equirectangular created in step 1 above - lets call this my "template" image.

1. I load the template equirectangular into Lightroom

2. Load however many edited equirectangular images also into Lightroom

3. Use the sync metadata feature of Lightroom

4. Save the equirectangular images again (which now include the metadata from the template image)

Seems to have worked to far, although others have been using other solutions such using Exiftool to edit the metadata.

[John Roberts]

I've tried uploading 360 equirectangular panos to Facebook, but have yet to have their 360 viewer engage.  Facebook continues to show them as flat images.

I can confirm with exiftool that the relevant metadata is embedded.

I have to wonder whether some other metadata is missing from the PTGui output that Facebook is looking for.

Or perhaps Facebook is stripping the metadata out during upload, perhaps while creating a compressed version of the image.

John.

[Norm]

I have uploaded equirectangular images to FB with success.  I can do it directly out of PTGUI.  You need to DRAG AND DROP, don't try the uploader.  You need to get text to appear that you are dragging to your status window.  I also have not had problems with exif data this way.  I also have taken PTGUI images and edited them in Photoshop and still are able to view them properly once dropped into the window.  One problem on the other side is viewing them on mobile devices.  It looks like it is most successful when viewed on the newest FB app and not a mobile browser window.

Norm

[Jack Ching]

I have try to use drag & drop method but can't success.

Atul Sharma於 2016年6月10日星期五 UTC+8下午4時48分57秒寫道：

[John Roberts]

I've tried the drag&drop method as well without success.

I'm going to try a couple different browsers to see if the problem is browser dependent.

It's also possible that Facebook has not rolled out the update for my account.  I've seen the roll out of new features vary before between accounts.

[Atul Sharma]

Thank you all for your responses.

Obviously there is some confusion.

Could Joost shed some light on this aspect as I'm sure more and more people would be wanting to upload to FB as time goes by.

Thanks

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[PTGui Support]

Hi Atul,

Please try with a 360 x 180 degree equirectangular jpg image. Be sure to
use the image straight from PTGui, don't post process the image in
another application. And use the latest PTGui version (10.0.15).

This ensures that the gpano metadata is present in the image, and
apparently this is what Facebook are using to detect spherical
panoramas. You can verify if the gpano metadata is available by
uploading your panorama to http://metapicz.com/

You should see an 'XMP' section containing this:

ProjectionType equirectangular
UsePanoramaViewer 1
CroppedAreaImageWidthPixels xxxx
CroppedAreaImageHeightPixels yyyy
FullPanoWidthPixels xxxx
FullPanoHeightPixels yyyy
CroppedAreaLeftPixels 0
CroppedAreaTopPixels 0
StitchingSoftware PTGui Pro 10.0.15 (www.ptgui.com)

If this data is present but it still doesn't work then the problem must
be on Facebook's side.

Kind regards,

New House Internet Services BV
Joost Nieuwenhuijse

-----------------------------------------------
PTGui - Photo Stitching Software

www.ptgui.com
For support see: http://www.ptgui.com/faq/
-----------------------------------------------

On 11/06/16 10:02, Atul Sharma wrote:
> Thank you all for your responses.
> Obviously there is some confusion.
> Could Joost shed some light on this aspect as I'm sure more and more
> people would be wanting to upload to FB as time goes by.
> Thanks
>
>
> On Sat, Jun 11, 2016 at 12:01 PM, John Roberts
> <jargg...@explore4life.com <mailto:jargg...@explore4life.com>> wrote:
>
> I've tried the drag&drop method as well without success.
>
> I'm going to try a couple different browsers to see if the problem
> is browser dependent.
>
> It's also possible that Facebook has not rolled out the update for
> my account. I've seen the roll out of new features vary before
> between accounts.
>
>
> On Friday, June 10, 2016 at 11:42:39 PM UTC-6, Jack Ching wrote:
>
> I have try to use drag & drop method but can't success.
>
>
>
> Atul Sharma於 2016年6月10日星期五 UTC+8下午4時48分57秒寫道：
>
> In view of the announcement today that users can upload 360
> panoramas to FB the following link
> (- https://facebook360.fb.com/360-photos/?_ga=1.246286084.1020764370.1465546342) mentions,

> in the section "_Hardware and Apps for Facebook 360
> Photos_" that "
>
> * _Advanced: some image stitching tools like PTGui
> actually export with Photo sphere metadata_"

>
>
> Anybody has pointers / tips for uploading existing PTGui
> panoramas to FB
> Thanks in advance
>
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> Atul Sharma
> H-2/1,D.L.F. City,
> Phase 1,
> Gurgaon 122 002
> India
> Mob:+91-98117 54549

> www.atulsharma.com <http://www.atulsharma.com>

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[Atul Sharma]

Thanks Joost for promptly clarifying the situation.

Will try as advised.

Regards

Atul

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[John Roberts]

Hi Joost,

I've had a chance to try some different approaches.

I can successfully upload a 360 straight from PTGui into Facebook and engage their viewer automatically.

Any post-processing of the image prior to upload disrupts the meta data in some way that Facebook cannot handle.  This includes:

• Photoshop post processing followed by careful use of Exiftool to insert GPano meta data.  
• This used to be my work flow on the old Google Views website.  
• It still produces workable 360 navigation on the new Google Photos site.
• There's a lot of extra meta-data compared to the PTGui original including an embedded thumbnail that Photoshop adds to the mix
• Stripping all meta-data from post-processed files (exiftool -all= file.jpg) and then cloning the meta-data of a working PTGui image (exiftool -tagsfromfile ptgui.jpg file.jpg).
• Resulting cloned image has nearly identical meta data according to exiftool
• Differences appear to be 
• JFIF version in PTGUI, missing in exiftool cloned header
• YCbCr Positioning element in exiftool clone but not PTGUI
• gps version id in exiftool clone but not PTGUI
• XMP Toolkit version in exiftool clone but not PTGUI
• Exif Version in exiftool clone but not PTGUI
• The meta-data you outlined above are all present
• Required meta-data is in a different order (ex. width before height), likely a side effect of exiftool

I'm assuming the issue is on Facebook's side.  Their 360 detection algorithm must be very strict, rejecting uploads with the required meta data if some unexpected meta data is detected or the tags are in an unexpected order.

I'm also assuming that exif information is the key here and exiftool can capture all the differences between a working PTGUI output and a post-processed file.  Maybe there's something else that exiftool is not reporting or that Facebook considers.

John.

[John Roberts]

Using the metapicz link above, I compared the XMP meta data for a working PTGui output file and a post-processed file with meta-data copied from the working PTGui file with exiftool.

• The website showed that the non-working image had additional XMP not found in the original PTGui output: ImageHeight, ImageWidth,  BitsPerSample and YCbCrSubSampling
  
• Using exiftool, I removed all the above xmp tags from the offending file. 
  
• I uploaded the "corrected" file to Facebook and it finally was recognized.

So, it would seem that Facebook expects ONLY the meta-data PTGui originally embeds in the XMP section.  Additional tags embedded by other software into the XMP section result in Facebook not recognizing the uploaded jpg as a 360.

As a side note, I don't quite understand their little icon which appears to indicate north.  I mean, I have the correct pose heading for the middle pixel of the equirectangular photo, which in my example is somewhat northwest.  Yet in Facebook, the little compass icon points as though that's "north".  I'm wondering whether I'm supposed to interpret the icon as meaning "middle" rather than north.

[Mark Wingfield]

I can edit a 360 image in photoshop and then import it back to PTGui and create the 360 again from the one edited image.  It will work on Facebook every time.  I drag and drop to facebook

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[Jsfilmz]

made a video on how i got mine to work

https://youtu.be/tJ8piooW2cQ

[Rising View]

how do you import an edited image back as i cant seem to get this to work

[Rising View]

they work fine straight out of ptgui but if you need to edit them for example i shoot from a drone so need to paint the sky in as you cant get this because of the blades it doesnt work

[PTGui Support]

You can re-import as follows:

- start a new project
- load your 360x180 degree equirectangular panorama as a source image
- go to the Panorama Editor and choose Projection - Spherical (..)
- go to the Create Panorama tab and do Set Optimum Size

Kind regards,

New House Internet Services BV
Joost Nieuwenhuijse

-----------------------------------------------
PTGui - Photo Stitching Software

www.ptgui.com
For support see: http://www.ptgui.com/faq/
-----------------------------------------------

On 17/06/16 00:07, Rising View wrote:
> how do you import an edited image back as i cant seem to get this to work
>
> On Thursday, 16 June 2016 15:36:57 UTC+1, Mark35151 wrote:
>
> I can edit a 360 image in photoshop and then import it back to PTGui
> and create the 360 again from the one edited image. It will work on
> Facebook every time. I drag and drop to facebook
>
> On Sat, Jun 11, 2016 at 1:16 PM, John Roberts
> <jargg...@explore4life.com <javascript:>> wrote:
>
> Using the metapicz link above, I compared the XMP meta data for
> a working PTGui output file and a post-processed file with
> meta-data copied from the working PTGui file with exiftool.
>

> * The website showed that the non-working image had additional

> XMP not found in the original PTGui output: ImageHeight,
> ImageWidth, BitsPerSample and YCbCrSubSampling

> * Using exiftool, I removed all the above xmp tags from the
> offending file.
> * I uploaded the "corrected" file to Facebook and it finally

> was recognized.
>
> So, it would seem that Facebook expects ONLY the meta-data PTGui
> originally embeds in the XMP section. Additional tags embedded
> by other software into the XMP section result in Facebook not
> recognizing the uploaded jpg as a 360.
>
> As a side note, I don't quite understand their little icon which
> appears to indicate north. I mean, I have the correct pose
> heading for the middle pixel of the equirectangular photo, which
> in my example is somewhat northwest. Yet in Facebook, the
> little compass icon points as though that's "north". I'm
> wondering whether I'm supposed to interpret the icon as meaning
> "middle" rather than north.
>
> On Saturday, June 11, 2016 at 10:45:11 AM UTC-6, John Roberts wrote:
>
> Hi Joost,
>
> I've had a chance to try some different approaches.
>
> I can successfully upload a 360 straight from PTGui into
> Facebook and engage their viewer automatically.
>
> Any post-processing of the image prior to upload disrupts
> the meta data in some way that Facebook cannot handle. This
> includes:
>

> * Photoshop post processing followed by careful use of

> Exiftool to insert GPano meta data.

> o This used to be my work flow on the old Google Views
> website.
> o It still produces workable 360 navigation on the new
> Google Photos site.
> o There's a lot of extra meta-data compared to the

> PTGui original including an embedded thumbnail that
> Photoshop adds to the mix

> * Stripping all meta-data from post-processed files

> (exiftool -all= file.jpg) and then cloning the meta-data
> of a working PTGui image (exiftool -tagsfromfile
> ptgui.jpg file.jpg).

> o Resulting cloned image has nearly identical meta
> data according to exiftool
> o Differences appear to be
> + JFIF version in PTGUI, missing in exiftool
> cloned header
> + YCbCr Positioning element in exiftool clone but
> not PTGUI
> + gps version id in exiftool clone but not PTGUI
> + XMP Toolkit version in exiftool clone but not PTGUI
> + Exif Version in exiftool clone but not PTGUI
> o The meta-data you outlined above are all present
> o Required meta-data is in a different order (ex.

> (www.ptgui.com <http://www.ptgui.com>)

>
> If this data is present but it still doesn't work then
> the problem must
> be on Facebook's side.
>
> Kind regards,
>
> New House Internet Services BV
> Joost Nieuwenhuijse
>
> -----------------------------------------------
> PTGui - Photo Stitching Software
>

> www.ptgui.com <http://www.ptgui.com>

> <https://facebook360.fb.com/360-photos/?_ga=1.246286084.1020764370.1465546342>)

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[Keith Martin]

So, it would seem that Facebook expects ONLY the meta-data PTGui originally embeds in the XMP section.  Additional tags embedded by other software into the XMP section result in Facebook not recognizing the uploaded jpg as a 360.

I've heard of an image with all editable metadata deleted working fine as a 360 in Facebook. It seems that there's still some tinkering going on behind the scenes with how these things are recognised, so what is definitely the case one day may not be the next. :-/

I think the long-term behaviour is likely to be:

1. that it works just fine with any 'extra' tags (it really OUGHT to!),
2. that it may work automatically with a 2:1 landscape ratio image, but
3. that the core GPano metadata that says 'usePanoramaViewer = true' will be what absolutely identifies it as a 360 image.

But of course this is just an educated guess. :)

k

---

Keith Martin
Senior Lecturer, LCC (University of the Arts London)
Technical Editor, MacUser magazine (1997-2015)
http://PanoramaPhotographer.com
http://thatkeith.com
+44 (0)7909541365

---

[John Roberts]

Why didn't I think of that?  I already do something like this when I have to fix the zenith/nadir of an already assembled 360.  

I worry a little about losing detail with multiple jpg conversions, but I could always export from Photoshop in TIF and then let PTGui generate the jpg version.