360 Photo Editing: A Seam-Safe Workflow for Equirectangular Images

A 360 photo is not a wide photo. It is a projection of a sphere onto a rectangle. The left and right edges have to join, the horizon has to stay level, and the area directly below the camera is heavily distorted. Editing one with a general image model is possible, but it requires a different review process.

This guide is for people who already have an equirectangular image and want to make a careful edit. It is not a promise that the result will be VR-ready.

The short answer

Confirm the image is 2:1 and level. Edit the middle of the frame first, away from the seam. Protect the horizon and the projection in the prompt. Inspect the result in a 360 viewer, not only as a flat rectangle. Keep the original. If the seam breaks, repair it in a panorama editor or reshoot.

What equirectangular means

An equirectangular image maps longitude and latitude onto a 2:1 grid. The center of the image is the direction the camera faced; the left and right edges meet behind the camera. The top and bottom are the zenith and nadir.

That mapping has consequences:

• A straight horizon should remain a straight horizontal line.
• Objects near the top and bottom are stretched.
• The left and right edges must match seamlessly.
• The nadir (directly below the camera) often contains the tripod.
• A small edit near the seam can break the wrap.

A general image model sees a flat rectangle. It does not know that the left edge is supposed to connect to the right edge. Your prompt and your review have to supply that knowledge.

Step 1: check the source

Before editing, confirm:

• The aspect ratio is 2:1, for example 4096×2048 or 5760×2880.
• The horizon is level.
• The left and right edges join without an obvious seam.
• The image is sharp enough for the intended output.
• The nadir is either clean or easy to retouch.

If the source is cropped, tilted, or already has a visible seam, fix that first. A generative edit will not repair a broken projection.

Step 2: choose an edit away from the seam

Start with an edit in the middle of the frame. Removing a small object from the floor, replacing a dull sky, or cleaning a wall is safer than editing near the left or right edge.

High-risk edits:

• Anything spanning the left or right edge.
• Changing the horizon line.
• Adding or removing large objects near the nadir.
• Changing the overall light direction.
• Adding people or text that must wrap correctly.

If you must edit near the seam, do it in a panorama editor with a wrap-aware brush, or edit the flat image and then repair the seam manually.

Step 3: write a projection-aware prompt

Include the projection in the prompt even though the model may not fully understand it. The instruction still helps.

Edit this equirectangular 360 photo. Preserve the 2:1 projection, the level horizon, and the continuity of the left and right edges. Remove the small objects on the floor in the center of the frame. Keep the walls, windows, and furniture geometry unchanged. Do not add people or text.

For a sky replacement:

Replace the sky with a soft overcast gradient. Keep the horizon level and the ground lighting consistent. Preserve the equirectangular layout and the seam area. Do not change the buildings or the floor.

For a floor cleanup:

Remove the tripod and the small bag from the floor near the center. Continue the floor texture and the shadows naturally. Keep the nadir distortion consistent with the rest of the image.

Name the area, the preservation constraints, and the things not to add.

Step 4: inspect in a viewer

A flat preview hides seam problems. Open the result in a 360 viewer and rotate through the full sphere.

Check:

• The horizon stays level as you rotate.
• The left and right edges meet without a visible line.
• The nadir does not contain a floating object or a distorted shadow.
• The zenith does not have a warped sky.
• The lighting direction is consistent across the wrap.
• The resolution is sufficient for the viewer.

If you do not have a viewer, you can approximate the check by wrapping the image horizontally in an image editor and looking at the seam. A proper viewer is better.

Step 5: repair or reject

If the seam is broken, you have three options:

1. Repair the seam in a panorama editor.
2. Rerun the edit with a narrower scope away from the seam.
3. Reject the result and use the original.

Do not publish an image with a visible seam and call it VR-ready. The viewer will show it immediately.

A note on AI and 360

A general image model does not preserve projection metadata. It edits pixels. That means:

• The output may still be 2:1 but no longer geometrically correct.
• The horizon may shift by a few pixels.
• The seam may soften or duplicate.
• The nadir may contain invented detail.

This workspace does not guarantee an equirectangular or VR-ready result. Treat every edit as a candidate that needs inspection.

Common 360 editing jobs

Start with the low-difficulty jobs. Build confidence before attempting a full relight.

Common mistakes

Editing the flat rectangle and never opening a viewer. The seam is invisible in a flat preview.

Changing the horizon. A tilted horizon breaks the 360 illusion.

Editing across the seam. The model does not know the edges connect.

Assuming 2:1 means 360-ready. Aspect ratio is necessary but not sufficient. Projection and seam matter.

Forgetting the nadir. The tripod and the floor directly below the camera are part of the image.

Try the workflow

The 360 image editor page opens the workspace in image-to-image mode with three equirectangular prompts. You can copy a prompt without an account. A generation uses credits; the pricing page lists the current packs and plans.

If you need a new wide scene rather than an edit, read the panorama guide. If you need to add canvas around a normal photo, use the image extender guide.