Hi! I decided to take some time this week to continue my search for what program is best for my needs to share my 360° media. Today I’m focusing on the Theasys.io web application!
I used the Ricoh Theta SC Hatsune Miku to capture my photos/videos as usual. I am interested in trying out different 360° programs in order to find what fits my needs best; something quick, efficient, and optimized for social media.
Initial Thoughts
The Theasys website has a fun panoramic image and a simplistic layout upon first glance. The color scheme for the application is right up my alley, which is a personal plus. The program itself is fairly middle of the pack price-wise, with a discount given at the yearly subscription level (versus monthly). The application itself boasts unlimited tours (for your bundled price) as well as customization options that are more photography oriented than some competitors. I of course opted for the free trial.
Because Theasys is a web browser based application, there was no pesky download. Instead, you are able to simply upload panoramas to your workspace in the browser window and go to town.
I thought that the upload times for the panoramas was fairly quick. Once uploaded, there are some really nifty customization options offered to edit your images.I am particularly fond of programs that allow you to insert a lens flare into your panorama (Kuula offers this at the free level, as well). There are also options for adding in images, icons, and emojis as hotspots, but I couldn’t quite get the linking between images to work the way I wanted them to. Regardless, there is an emoji on every image of mine!
One thing that I like is the “help” tab in Theasys. Often with virtual tour software, you are unable to access FAQ/help tabs from your workspace. I really like that there is a seamless integration so that I can look up questions I have without fear of losing where I was in my editing. There are also some really nice options for editing your image, including filtering in different ways. My only note is that it would be cool to have a facial blurring tool within the Theasys app.
I really like that you can either host your tour with Theasys or you can embed your tour elsewhere. The tool feels easy to use for the most part (outside of linking your hotspots) and I would say that the “free” edition is comfortable to use for any beginner for a virtual tour.
If you’d like to view the tour I created, you can do so here. In general, my pros and cons for Theasys are as follows:
| Pros | Cons |
|---|---|
| Quick uploads | No lead generation |
| Highly customizable/offers filters/offers stickers | Does not take videos (though a video can be embedded as a hotspot) |
| Affordable and has informative free tier. | No options to add blurring/draw on panoramas |
| User friendly with a Help section built in |
Concluding Thoughts
I really liked Theasys and struggled to find negatives to it, despite how basic the tour I created was. I really loved how easy it was to pull things together and especially how simple it was to add elements I wanted in (like the lens flares or saturation changes!). I would recommend Theasys to anyone who needs to create a virtual tour but doesn’t need to do any lead generation (such as a museum tour, or a street walk).
Until next time!