Start with the individual photos
A camera's panorama preview and its source photographs are different files. For a new stitch, you need the overlapping originals from one capture sequence. A single finished JPEG gives the stitcher nothing to align.
Copy the complete sequence from the memory card or camera storage to a folder on your desktop. Give each capture its own folder. Where your drone offers a choice, keep RAW/DNG originals as well as JPEGs; recording options depend on the model and firmware.
This guide starts after capture. You may still need DJI Fly to operate your drone. You do not need to use its album or panorama stitching workflow for these desktop steps.
Import and align
- Open Vakago Panorama Stitcher in desktop Chrome or Edge.
- Add the photos from one panorama sequence. Wait for each file to finish importing.
- Check source details, especially dimensions and bit depth for DNG files.
- Choose Align images. Review any photographs that could not be placed.
Files and working pixels stay on your device. A large RAW set can take time and substantial browser storage. Keep the tab open while the import runs. If a file cannot be placed, try the paired-point controls or explicitly exclude it before export.
Choose the spherical output
In Frame, choose equirectangular for a 360° panorama. In Export, choose Full sphere to produce a 2:1 image covering the full sphere. This changes the export geometry; it does not invent a sky that the camera never photographed.
Drone captures often have limited upward coverage. Inspect the upper edge and the ground beneath the drone. Uncovered areas remain gaps. PNG and TIFF can preserve transparency; JPEG and DNG use black for uncovered areas.
For a conventional wide photograph instead, choose cylindrical or rectilinear and crop to the filled area. You can try projections without repeating the alignment.
Inspect, then export
Look closely at horizons, water, moving branches, and objects near the camera. Movement and parallax can leave seams even when alignment succeeds. Use source preferences where one photograph gives a cleaner overlap.
Export sizing initially matches source detail for the current framing. Check the dimensions before saving. JPEG is useful for sharing; TIFF is the 16-bit editing option. Keep a project recipe if you want to return to the composition later, and retain the originals.
An equirectangular export is an image, not a hosted interactive tour. Check your viewer's requirements separately; this app does not promise automatic recognition by every social platform.
Work with DJI RAW / DNG originals
Work with DJI DNG originals to retain the detail available in your RAW photographs. Import one panorama sequence, review the source details, and choose a high-depth format when you want to edit the finished image further.
If original DNG decoding fails and a usable embedded preview exists, the app may use that preview. The orange Previews used warning stays visible, including during export. A 16-bit output cannot recover the lost source precision.