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What Is FreeCapture? Or How to Turn Your Phone into a Time Machine

FreeCapture is an all-new way to film.

With traditional cameras, capturing an experience goes like this: You look around, find the most interesting or beautiful part of whatever situation you’re filming, and then do your best to stuff it inside a rectangular viewfinder.

The problem is, you can’t predict the future, so you don’t always know where the most interesting part of a scene will be—the risk is that you’ll miss the key moment.

You could capture the eclipse but miss the stunned reactions of the crowd. Or you’ll get the sunset view of the temple, but miss the monkey that saw an opportunity to snatch something from your bag.

Of course, professionals solve this problem with a crew and multiple cameras – ensuring they cover every angle.

The Insta360 ONE’s new FreeCapture feature lets you solve it yourself, with only one camera.

First, you use the ONE to capture every angle of a scene. Because the ONE captures an all-encompassing 360 view, you can focus on enjoying the moment, instead of on what you’re filming.

Then, when you have time to review what you captured, you can explore your 360 video on your smartphone, and re-capture the best parts of your experience as a traditional 1080p fixed-frame video that’s ready to share anywhere.

Shoot First, Point Later

The ability to convert specific parts of a 360 video into traditional fixed-frame content has actually been around for a while. Among other options, Insta360’s free desktop editing software, Insta360 Studio, has long offered this feature.

What is new, though, is being able to do this entirely on your smartphone, using the exact same hand and arm motions you always use when you film something with your phone.

Insta360 ONE with woman traveling

Leveraging your phone’s gyroscope, FreeCapture lets you simply peer into your original 360 video using your phone display as a kind of virtual viewfinder. As you maneuver your phone to explore the scene, you'll determine which fixed-frame footage is extracted from the original 360 video. What you see is what you record. If you want to film something on the opposite side from where you're looking, just do what you always do: turn around. (Finger operation is also an option for those who prefer a more passive approach.)

FreeCapture also allows you to seamlessly toggle between standard points of view, and the special perspectives – such as tiny planets, ultra fisheyes and rabbit holes – that are only possible when you're working with a full 360-degree recording.

FreeCapture is like a time machine. It gives you infinite chances to go back and relive an experience so that you can get the perfect shot. And it lets you stand in the present, while you film an all-new take on the past.

You could record an experience at 25 years old, then re-shoot it at 50, and find something you missed the first time around.

The possibilities of FreeCapture are literally infinite, and it’s one of the reasons we’re so excited to see what people create with the Insta360 ONE.

Keep up with the latest in 360 photos and video by joining Insta360’s user group on Facebook and signing up for the Insta360 community mailing list.


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WRITTEN BY @Insta360
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