10 Panotour Tips to Build Interactive 360° Experiences

Panotour Features Explained: From Hotspots to Multiresolution

Overview

Panotour is a virtual‑tour authoring tool (notably Panotour Pro / Kolor Panotour) for creating interactive 360° tours by linking panoramic images (nodes) and adding multimedia, navigation, and UI elements.

Key features

• Hotspots

  • Point and polygon hotspots to link scenes, open images/videos, show text or HTML.
  • Customizable hotspot styles and actions (click, hover, tooltips).
  • Animated/interactive hotspot plugins and preview thumbnails.

• Multiresolution (Gigapixel support)

  • Multi‑resolution tiles for deep zoom into very large panoramas and gigapixel images.
  • Efficient loading: lower resolution tiles load first, high‑res tiles load as viewer zooms.
  • Supports partial/flat/spherical projections with multiresolution handling.

• Skins & UI/Style System

  • Built‑in skins plus a Skin Editor for custom controls, menus, and responsive layouts.
  • Style tab to set colors, control bars, visibility, and per‑group UI settings.
  • Option to hide interface for immersive view.

• Tour management & navigation

  • Panorama grouping (floors/outdoor vs indoor), automatic linking and directed transitions.
  • Maps, floorplans, compass overlay, thumbnails and preview menus.
  • Animation paths (guided walk‑throughs) and previous/next navigation buttons.

• Media & interactivity

  • Embed video, audio (directional/3D sound), images, PDFs, web links, Lottie or HTML content.
  • Motion sensing, VR mode / WebXR support for headset viewing, and mobile gyroscope navigation.

• Image tools

  • Patching (nadir/tripod removal), leveling, multiple projections (rectilinear, fisheye, little‑planet).
  • Support for HDR, TIFF/PSD/EXR, 8/16‑bit, and various panorama formats.

• Performance & export

  • HTML5 export, WordPress integration, unbranded output, and package formats for CMS.
  • Options for video export of animated tours and WebXR/VR output.
  • Plugins/updates (krpano integration) to keep templates and viewer engine current.

• Advanced customisation & plugins

  • Hotspot/plugins system to create reusable assets (toolbars, weather effects, custom widgets).
  • Skin Editor and scripting via krpano actions for bespoke behaviors.
  • Map API integration (e.g., Google Maps) and geotagging.

Practical tips

• Use multiresolution only for very large panoramas to save bandwidth and speed up initial load.
• Design hotspot icons and previews to be clear at small sizes; use polygon hotspots for irregular areas.
• Group panoramas by floor or area to control map overlays and per‑group styling.
• Test tours on mobile and VR to confirm performance and UI usability.

Useful exports

• HTML5 web tours (responsive)
• VR/WebXR for headsets
• Video walkthroughs
• Google Street View upload (single images or tours, where supported)

If you want, I can produce a short step‑by‑step guide to add hotspots, configure multiresolution, and export an HTML5 tour.