A linked 360 tour uses a set of panoramic photographs rather than a continuous video. A visitor can look around each position and select a hotspot to move into the next room. You do not need a proprietary 3D camera, but you do need a sensible shooting route and correctly exported 360 photographs.

How to make a 360 virtual tour in five steps

Whether you are a property photographer or an estate agent, the same route works best: plan the walk-through, capture every useful position, export the panoramas, connect the rooms, then test the finished visitor journey.

1. Plan the viewing route before taking photographs

Walk through the property as though you were conducting a viewing. Start outside or at the front door, continue through connecting spaces, and avoid unexplained jumps between distant rooms. Zoopla's own virtual-tour guidance recommends starting outside the front door, capturing connecting hallways and planning a flow that mirrors a physical viewing.

Write a short capture list before moving the camera. A typical two-storey home might include the front approach, entrance hall, reception rooms, kitchen, landing, bedrooms and bathrooms. Small connecting spaces matter because they make navigation easier to understand.

2. Put the camera where a person would naturally pause

Use a stable tripod and keep the lens at a consistent height. The centre of a room is not always the best position: doorways and furniture can block the route. Choose a point that lets the viewer understand both the room and the next direction of travel.

  • Open internal doors before capture.
  • Turn on the lights and remove moving objects such as fans.
  • Keep the tripod away from mirrors where possible.
  • Leave enough clear floor around likely hotspot positions.
  • Capture an extra connecting panorama when a corridor turns a corner.
Make movement predictable. If a visitor can see a doorway in one panorama, the next panorama should normally be just beyond that doorway. Short, believable steps feel better than dramatic jumps.

3. Export full 360 photographs

Camera-native files need to be stitched and exported before upload. For example, an Insta360 ONE X produces native files that are processed in the Insta360 app or Studio. Choose the full 360 photo export, not a reframed flat photograph. The resulting image normally has a 2:1 equirectangular shape, such as 3840 by 1920 pixels.

Use JPG for a practical balance of detail and file size. Check the exported horizon, stitching around door frames and any obvious tripod artefacts before building the tour. Clear file names help, but room names can also be applied later in the editor.

4. Upload, name and connect the panoramas

Create one project for the property and upload all the exported panoramas. Set the first panorama, then set a useful default orientation for each room. A visitor should arrive looking towards the room rather than directly at a blank wall.

Add a hotspot where someone would walk, then select the destination panorama. Preview every connection in both directions. Stairs may need a more visible directional marker because a flat floor ring can be difficult to see above eye level.

5. Preview the complete route before publishing

Start from the designated first panorama and navigate the tour as a buyer would. Look for unlinked hotspots, isolated rooms, abrupt arrival directions and names that are unclear. Also check the tour on a phone, where small controls and long room names are less forgiving.

When the route is ready, publish it. Redfield360 creates one stable public URL for that property. Republishing updates the tour behind that URL, so a corrected room name or hotspot does not require a new link.

When an agent is ready to add that link to a listing, follow the separate guide to adding a 360 virtual tour to Rightmove and Zoopla.

For the US listing workflow, use the separate MLS virtual-tour link guide. The terminology and permitted fields vary by MLS.

A concise pre-publish checklist

  • The tour begins at the front approach or entrance.
  • Every important room is reachable from the start.
  • Every visible hotspot opens the intended panorama.
  • Default orientations feel natural on arrival.
  • Agency branding and welcome text are correct.
  • The tour works in a private browser window and on a phone.

If a client asks for a dollhouse view, measurements or a 3D scan, read the comparison of a linked 360 tour and a Matterport-style workflow before promising an output.

Useful sources