How to Post Seamless Panorama Images on Instagram

If you follow my work on Instagram, you’ll know I absolutely love to post seamless panorama images on Instagram.

https://www.instagram.com/p/CCTkA1gJxcV/

I choose this style for three reasons:

wide landscapes rarely fit in Instagram’s 5:4 or 1:1 format
this style captures your attention better and results in stronger engagement
they’re relatively easy to create in the field and in post processing

Whenever I post these, people tend to ask how I create them. I’ve even taught the technique at my adventure photography workshops. I wanted to share this how to post seamless panorama images on instagram tutorial.

If this guide helps you post your first seamless panorama on instagram, make sure to tag me so I can see the results.

How to capture a seamless panorama in the field

This is far easier than you might expect, as most of my seamless panorama images on instagram are just a single frame, which I know will be cropped in post-processing. There are a few tricks to landing a good image in the field, especially if you’re in the habit of shooting vertical compositions for instagram – let’s face it, too many of us are.

To get started, it’s important to understand aspect ratios. Most APS-C and Fx cameras capture 3:2 images, while micro 4/3rds capture 4:3 images. For seamless panorama images, we require either a 16:10 (2 slides) or a 12:5 (3 slides) format.

This means three things are critical:

Images must be shot horizontally, in the traditional landscape orientation
Seek out compositions that have interesting elements on both halves of the image
Frame images intentionally, with room to crop across the top and/or bottom of the frame.

How to capture a seamless panorama in the field: start with a wide image that can be cropped to either 16:10 or 12:5. — My original 3:2 image from my camera

My potential 16:10 crop, which deletes portions across the top and bottom of the frame

How to edit a seamless panorama image for instagram

I won’t begin to discuss general post-processing in this tutorial, so simply begin with your post processing workflow and make your image as impactful as possible. Just make sure not to crop the image until the very last step!

Whether you choose to edit in Lightroom or another software, once you are happy with the edit, open the image in Photoshop. From Lightroom, it’s as simple as this: Photo -> Edit In -> Edit In Adobe Photoshop 2020.

Once the image loads in photoshop, convert the image to sRGB. It’s the colour profile used online, so it’ll help ensure your edit looks the same between your editing application and online.

Convert to sRGB: Edit Menu -> Convert to Profile -> Destination Space: sRGB

Convert your image to sRGB for best results online.

After converting the colour, it’s time to create the seamless panorama you’ll post on instagram using the crop tool. There are a few steps to follow, but it isn’t complicated. Here’s how to do it:

Select the crop tool and set the ratio to either 16:10 or 12:5. The former creates 2-slide seamless panorama images, while the latter creates a 3-slide image.
Click “on” the Delete Cropped Pixels button
Crop the best possible 16:10 or 12:5 composition
After completing the first crop, change the ratio to 8:10
Click “off” the Delete Cropped Pixels button

For a 16:10 image, continue like this:

Using the crop tool (set to an 8:10 ratio), begin a crop selection at the top left corner and extend it until it reaches the bottom. The right side of the selection should be the centre of your original 16:10 image. Click crop.
Save the image as a jpeg, using Save As. In the file name, include a reference to Slide 1.
Undo your last crop, using either Edit Menu -> Undo Crop or the Ctrl-Z command.
Using the crop tool (still set to an 8:10 ratio) begin a crop selection at the top right corner and extend it until it reaches the bottom. The left side of the selection should be the centre of your original 16:10 image image. Click crop.
Save the image as a jpeg, using Save As. In the file name, include a reference to Slide 2.
Transfer both slide 1 and slide 2 files to your smartphone, so they’re available to post to instagram.

Slide 1 crop: selects the left half of a 16:10 image.

Slide 2 crop: selects the right half of a 16:10 image.

For a 12:5 image, it’s the same as above except they’ll be a third cropping step:

Using the crop tool (set to an 8:10 ratio), begin a crop selection at the top left corner and extend it until it reaches the bottom. The right side of the selection will be exactly one third into the original 12:5 frame.
Save the image as a jpeg, using Save As. In the file name, include a reference to Slide 1.
Undo your last crop, using either Edit Menu -> Undo Crop or the Ctrl-Z command.
Using the crop tool (still set to an 8:10 ratio) begin a crop selection at the top left corner and extend it until it reaches the bottom. Slide the selection until it’s exactly centred on the original 12:5 image. Click Crop
Save the image as a jpeg, using Save As. In the file name, include a reference to Slide 2.
Undo your last crop, using either Edit Menu -> Undo Crop or the Ctrl-Z command.
Using the crop tool (still set to an 8:10 ratio) begin a crop selection at the top right corner and extend it until it reaches the bottom. The left side of the selection should be exactly 2/3rds into the original 12:5 image. Click crop.
Save the image as a jpeg, using Save As. In the file name, include a reference to Slide 3.

Once you’ve completed this step, simply transfer the images to your smartphone. Personally, I use google drive, but you’ll know what works best for your own device.