Spherical Stabilizer Node

The Spherical Stabilizer works directly on the 360° sphere: it analyzes points across the whole sphere and estimates the 3D rotation of the camera (yaw / pitch / roll). That rotation is then inverted and applied to each frame = a stable panorama.

The difference from a classic 2D stabilizer: working on a sphere handles 3D motion correctly, without introducing distortion at the poles or jumps at the edge of the panorama (360° wraparound handled natively).

• Effects Library: Tools > VR > Spherical Stabilizer
• Quick add: right-click in the Node Editor → Add Tool > VR > Spherical Stabilizer

3D spatial analysis

Detection of feature points across the whole sphere (not just a rectangular FOV). Tracking between frames with 3D correspondence.

Rotation estimation

For each frame, computes the rotation (yaw, pitch, roll) that explains how the points moved. It uses a least-squares optimization on the sphere.

Smoothing

Temporal smoothing of the rotation path. Removes short shakes (handheld) while preserving intended moves (deliberate pans).

Inverse application

The inverse of the smoothed rotation is applied to each frame = compensation. The 360° wraparound is handled without breaks.

• Input (orange) - the 2:1 equirectangular video to stabilize.
• Effect Mask (blue) - optional. Lets you exclude areas from the analysis (e.g. ignore the poles if the tripod is visible).

Handheld VR stabilization:
MediaIn (Equirect, handheld) → Spherical Stabilizer
                              ↓ (Strength = 1.0, Smoothness = 0.7)
                            MediaOut (stable)

Cleanup with a mask on the tripod:
MediaIn → Effect Mask (exclude the bottom 90° poles)
       → Spherical Stabilizer
       → MediaOut

Keeping a deliberate pan:
MediaIn → Spherical Stabilizer (high Smoothness,
                              filters high frequencies only)
       → MediaOut

Full VR pipeline:
Raw equirect → Spherical Stabilizer → Lat Long Patcher (tripod cleanup)
            → Color Corrector → Saver

Method (default: Auto)

The algorithm. Auto = automatic based on the footage. Manual = parameters exposed for fine tuning.

Track / Stabilize (actions)

Analysis buttons. Track = computes the path (slow), done once. Stabilize = applies it with the current parameters (fast, can be reapplied after tuning).

Strength (default: 1.0)

Stabilization strength. 0 = none, 1 = full stabilization. In-between values (0.5-0.8) for a stable / natural compromise.

Smoothness (default: 0.5)

Smoothing of the path. Low = compensates even micro-shakes. High = only filters fast movements and keeps deliberate pans.

Stabilize Yaw / Pitch / Roll (defaults: On / On / On)

Enable / disable stabilization per axis. Disabling Yaw, for example, lets you keep a deliberate horizontal rotation.

Search Range (default: 10)

Maximum search distance between frames. Raise it for fast movements.

• Handheld VR cleanup - shooting handheld without a gimbal produces painful shakes in a VR headset. The stabilizer = drastically better comfort.
• 360° drone smoothing - even with a gimbal, 360° drones let micro-movements through. The stabilizer gives a pro finish.
• Vehicle vibration cleanup - 360° cameras mounted on vehicles vibrate heavily. The stabilizer compensates the high frequencies.
• Locking the orientation - force the panorama to always point in the same direction (e.g. a fixed magnetic north), even if the camera moves.
• Preprocessing before VFX compositing - stabilize first = much simpler VFX tracking downstream.
• Smoothing a deliberate pan - to keep an intended rotation while removing high frequencies: high Smoothness = a smoothed path that preserves the overall movement.

• Track only once - the analysis is heavy. Once done and cached, you can tune Strength / Smoothness as much as you like without tracking again.
• Strength 1.0 + Smoothness 0.5 = standard - a good starting point for most cases. Adjust Smoothness if you keep too much or too little movement.
• Mask the poles if there is a tripod - avoid analyzing the ground (which moves with the camera) by excluding it through the Effect Mask = cleaner stabilization.
• Disable Yaw to keep a pan - if you want to keep a deliberate horizontal pan but remove pitch/roll, disable Stabilize Yaw.
• Test in a VR headset - the equirectangular preview does not reflect the real perception. Test in a headset to confirm the comfort is good enough.
• Unexpected cropping - stabilizing moves pixels around. At the edges of the panorama (typically invisible in 360°), no problem; with deep cropping, it can reveal areas the sensor never saw.
• Combine with the Lat Long Patcher - stabilize first, then clean up the tripod with the Patcher = the optimal workflow.
• For extreme cases (violent handheld, action sports), consider reshooting with a gimbal rather than pushing the stabilizer to its maximum (visible artifacts).