LED sphere content: a deep dive and a preview.
Drop your file in and see how it looks.
Drop in a video or a still image your browser can play (an MP4 or WebM, a PNG or JPG) and see it wrapped on one of our spheres. Guides mark the safe zone, where text reads best, and the seam, where the file's edges meet. Turn it to any side, or start with a built-in example. When it looks right, save a 15-second video of the sphere turning twice to share with your team.
Open the preview with a TLL password.
Call us at 1 (844) 283-1510 and we email you a password. It opens the preview and the full guide for two weeks.
Passwords switch on soon. Until then the preview is open: open the preview →
A preview, not a proof.
The preview shows how your layout wraps around the sphere, so use it to settle placement. Brightness and color are best judged on the real sphere: pre-staging before show day is available on request.
How sphere content works.
Six habits of great sphere content.
- 01
Build one file at the exact pixel count.
Read more
A sphere plays one flat video file. Build it at the pixel size of the sphere you are using, listed further down this page. A 16:9 layout is a different shape, so the best results come from rebuilding the design for the sphere rather than stretching or letterboxing it.
- 02
Put what matters in the middle 60% of the height.
Read more
Use the full width, with no side margins. That band covers roughly 80% of the sphere, and everything in it keeps at least about 60% of the width you drew.
- 03
Design a loop.
Read more
The left and right edges of the file meet on the sphere. Build it so whatever leaves one edge comes back in at the other, at the same height, in the same color, at the same moment. Blurs and glows need to wrap too.
- 04
Give type and logos the centerline.
Read more
The horizontal centerline is where shapes stay closest to how you drew them. If something has to sit higher, keep it short and bold, and check it in the preview.
- 05
Repeat the message, or let it travel.
Read more
From where they stand in a booth, each person sees about a third of the sphere. Put three or four copies of the message around the centerline, or move it all the way round.
- 06
Let the top and bottom settle into one color.
Read more
The last few rows at the top and the bottom each gather into a single point. A calm color that matches the design gives the cleanest finish there.
A flat file wraps the sphere like a map wraps a globe.
Your file is a flat map of the sphere: its width goes all the way around, and its height runs from the top to the bottom.
Read more
Every row of the file wraps one circle of the sphere. The horizontal centerline of the file wraps the equator, the widest circle, and the circles get smaller toward the top and the bottom. So a shape on the centerline keeps exactly the width you drew, and a shape higher up becomes narrower while keeping its full height.
At the edge of the safe zone, 20% down from the top, a shape keeps about 60% of its width. At 10% down it keeps about a third. In the last few rows everything gathers into a single point.
This kind of file is called equirectangular, which means a flat map of a globe. It is the shape every sphere uses, and it is why the file is so wide.
Our processing wraps your file onto the sphere with your layout in place. It does not move artwork or widen shapes near the top and bottom, so where you place things is the design choice that matters most. The sections below show where everything looks its best.
The safe zone is the middle 60% of the file height.
Keep anything that has to be read inside the middle 60% of the file height, across the full width.
How wide a shape stays at each height.
A shape keeps all of its width on the centerline, about 60% at the edge of the safe zone, and about a third at 10% from the top or the bottom.
Each viewer sees about a third of the sphere. Here is how to reach everyone.
From any spot in a booth, a person sees about a third of the sphere, so repeat the message three or four times around it, or let it travel all the way round.
The seam: match the background, and plan what crosses it.
Matching the left and right edges hides the seam in the background. Text, logos and moving graphics that cross the seam need extra care.
Background: make the left and right edges match, so it wraps cleanly.
Text and logos: keep them away from the seam, or make them wrap, so what leaves one edge enters the other edge in the same frame.
What to put at the top and bottom of the file.
Shapes narrow toward the top and bottom of the file until the last few rows meet in a single point, so the top and bottom tenths are best used for color, not detail.
Text reads left to right, just as on your monitor.
A file that reads correctly on your monitor reads correctly on the sphere.
Read more
If the text reads left to right on your monitor, it reads left to right on the sphere. There is no need to mirror or flip anything.
One thing to know: a 360 viewer or a VR headset puts you inside the sphere looking out, while an LED sphere is seen from outside looking in. Content made for VR is a great starting point, and a quick check in the preview shows where everything lands.
Where to find content that already fits.
Most ready-made sphere content is sold as 360 or VR footage, and most of it is close to the right shape.
Read more
Equirectangular is the format 360 cameras and VR videos use: a whole scene flattened out like a world map. Search for terms like “VR 360 content” to find stock. There is less of it than flat video, so allow time to look, or plan to create your own. Most of it was framed for a viewer inside the sphere, so treat it as a starting point and place the message for a viewer outside.
You can also shoot with a 360 camera, render from a 3D scene, or use plug-ins for your editing software that output this format. Whatever the source, drop it in the preview to see how it sits.
Resolution: one MP4 at the exact pixel count.
Build one high-quality MP4 at the exact pixel count of the sphere: 2688 x 1298 px for our 6.5 ft sphere, or 2496 x 1194 px for our 5 ft.
- 6.5 ft sphere (2 m)
- 2688 x 1298 px
- 5 ft sphere (1.5 m)
- 2496 x 1194 px
Our spheres, pixel for pixel
When the sphere hangs overhead, place the message a little lower.
On a sphere hung above the crowd, the part that faces people squarely sits below the equator, by roughly the angle they look up at it.
Send us four details and we take care of the rest.
With these four details we plan the orientation and the rigging around your file.
- 01
Which of our spheres you are designing for, the 5 ft or the 6.5 ft. We confirm the exact pixel size.
- 02
Whether it will hang overhead or stand on a base, and roughly how high.
- 03
Where the front of your file should face in the booth. We rig the seam to match.
- 04
Your show date, so the file, the sphere and the crew line up.
Plan for your content to reach us four to eight weeks before the show. If your timeline is shorter, tell us in the first email. Pre-staging on the real sphere before show day is available on request.
Designing for a flat LED wall too? Our LED wall content preview shows how your file fits a wall of any shape.
If you are also ordering power for the booth: an all-white design draws the most power. The figures for both sizes are on our LED sphere page, and the gear between your file and the LEDs is on our video processing and switching page.
Questions designers ask us.
How do I create content for an LED sphere?
Build one flat video file at the exact pixel count of the sphere: 2688 x 1298 pixels for our 6.5 ft sphere or 2496 x 1194 pixels for our 5 ft. Keep text and logos in the middle 60% of the file height, across the full width.
What file format does an LED sphere need?
A flat, standard video file built to the exact pixel count of the sphere. For our 6.5 ft sphere that is 2688 x 1298 pixels.
Where is the safe zone on LED sphere content?
In the middle 60% of the file height, across the full width, with no side margins. At the edge of that band, 20% down from the top or up from the bottom, a shape keeps about 60% of the width you drew.
Where should a logo go on an LED sphere?
On the horizontal centerline of the file. That is where a shape keeps exactly the width you drew.
What does equirectangular mean?
It is a flat rectangle used as the skin of a sphere, the same way a flat world map is the skin of a globe. The width of the file goes all the way around the sphere and the height runs from the top to the bottom.
Can I use our 16:9 brand video on an LED sphere?
Yes, by rebuilding it as a sphere file. The palette, the type treatment and the individual elements carry over well.
How do I hide the seam in LED sphere content?
Every sphere file has a seam: the vertical line on the sphere where the left and right edges of the file meet. Make the left and right edges of the background match, and the seam hides in the background.
How much of an LED sphere can a viewer see at once?
About a third, from anywhere a person stands in a booth. So the best content repeats the message around the sphere, or lets it travel all the way round.
What resolution should I deliver for an LED sphere?
The exact pixel count of the sphere. For our spheres that is 2688 x 1298 pixels on the 6.5 ft and 2496 x 1194 pixels on the 5 ft.
How big does text need to be on an LED sphere?
Bigger than it looks on your monitor, and on the centerline. The full guide explains how to size it for the room.
What should go at the top and bottom of an LED sphere file?
A calm color that belongs with the rest of the design. The full guide shows how to finish the top and bottom cleanly.
How do I preview my content on an LED sphere before the show?
Drop it into the preview at the top of this page. Your browser wraps your own video or image onto a sphere with the safe zone and the seam marked, so you see the layout in minutes.
What files work in the LED sphere preview?
A video or a still image your browser can play: an MP4 or WebM video, or a PNG or JPG. On a computer, most files open.
Can I use 360 or VR content on an LED sphere?
Yes, and it is a good starting point because the file shape is close. A 360 viewer puts you inside the sphere looking out, while an LED sphere is seen from outside looking in, so the framing was made for a viewer in the middle.
Send us the dates. We'll send back the pixel size and the plan.
Tell us the sphere, the show and when your file is due. You get the exact pixel size and the delivery notes.
Get a quote