Upload virtual reality videos
Virtual reality (VR) videos are a new kind of video that make you feel like you’re actually there. Using the same tricks that humans use to see the world, VR video gives you a sense of depth as you look around in every direction. Near things look near, far things look far.
Before you upload, we recommend that you export your content in over-under equirectangular format with a 1:1 aspect ratio at a resolution of 5120x5120 or higher, up to 8192x8192. Maintain square pixels (i.e.,1:1 pixel/scale aspect ratio). There should be no letter/pillarboxing and all pixels should be used. The resulting image should appear horizontally stretched.
Tip: If your video exhibits significant compression artifacts, try re-encoding at a higher bitrate (e.g. 150Mbps) before you upload to YouTube.
Your video file needs to include specific metadata. This allows YouTube to recognize it as a VR video and enable the right playback modes. Follow these instructions to add the necessary metadata into a new file for you.
Create a 360-enabled file with an app
- Download the 360 Video Metadata app for Mac (download) or Windows (download).
- Unzip the file, then open the 360 Video Metadata app. If you're on an Apple computer, you may need to right-click the app and click Open.
- Select the video file.
- Select both checkboxes and click Save.
- Enter a name for the file that will be created.
- Save the file. A new file will be created automatically in the same location as the original file.
- Upload the new file to YouTube.
- Wait for the video to process. This may take up to an hour during which the video may render incorrectly.