How long should a video of one room be?

About 40 seconds with the guided capture of a normal room, and never more than 60 seconds, the upload limit for regular accounts. Very short clips do not give enough sharp frames to build a scene.

Can I film with my phone's own camera app and upload the file?

Yes. Choose Video instead of Record and upload the file. The same limits apply, and the same moves work: side-step arcs, a walk across the room and a floor-to-ceiling tilt.

Should I hold the phone in portrait or landscape?

Landscape. Holding the phone sideways captures a wider view, which gives more overlap between frames and a sharper 3D scene.

How long does processing take?

It depends on the length of the capture and on how many jobs are ahead of it in the queue. Your dashboard shows the status and progress of each upload, and the scene appears there when it is ready.

Guide

How to Film a Room for a 3D Tour With Your Phone

Updated October 27, 2026

Film one room per clip with the phone held sideways, in bright, even light. Instead of turning on the spot, side-step slowly along an arc to the right, walk across the room, arc back to the left, then tilt from the floor up to the ceiling. Keep the clip under 60 seconds and 500 MB, and keep people, pets and mirrors out of the shot. The WalkTortoise camera screen guides each move and checks it as you go.

Step by step

Prepare the room. Switch on every light and open the blinds, unless a window shines straight into the camera. Ask people and pets to leave, and note any large mirrors to avoid.
Open the camera and hold the phone sideways. In WalkTortoise, tap Generate new scene, keep Record and Single room selected and tap Open Camera, or tap Record next to a room in your property tour. Hold the phone in landscape; the app recommends 4K (UHD).
Scout the room and check the route. Turn slowly in a full circle for about 5 seconds so the app builds a picture map of the room; this scout is not recorded. Pick Normal room or Small room, watch the route preview, then start recording.
Move 1: arc right. Side-step slowly to your right for about three steps, keeping the centre of the room in frame. A ring on screen fills as the move is detected.
Move 2: cross the room. Walk about four steps across to the far side, camera pointing ahead. Any direction is fine.
Move 3: arc left. Repeat the arc the other way, side-stepping slowly to your left. This balances the coverage.
Move 4: floor to ceiling. Tilt down to the floor, then slowly up to the ceiling.
Finish and read the capture report. When the screen says the room is covered, tap Finish (it unlocks after 20 seconds). If the capture report warns of very little movement, re-record straight away: that clip will reconstruct poorly.

Clip limits and small rooms

Each room is one clip. On a regular account a video can be up to 60 seconds and 500 MB; longer or larger files are stopped before processing. The guided capture of a normal room takes about 40 seconds.

Uploaded videos: MP4, MOV, WebM or AVI.
Photo sets: at least 5 photos; the app suggests 20 to 100 overlapping ones, under 500 MB in total.
Small rooms such as bathrooms, WCs and walk-in closets: a shorter routine from the doorway, with two small side-steps right, an arc back to the left and the floor-to-ceiling tilt.

Why sideways movement matters

3D depth comes from parallax: nearby objects shift against the background when the camera changes position. Turning on the spot gives almost none, so processing stops on clips where the phone barely moved and asks you to re-record with real side-steps. Walking straight in from the door is not enough either: the side-steps are what give the scene its detail.

Move slowly and stay one to two metres from the walls. If the screen says 'Slow down' or 'Hold steadier', ease off, because blurred frames are discarded before the 3D scene is built.

Light

Bright, even light gives sharp frames with plenty of detail to match between them. Avoid pointing the camera into backlit windows, and if the screen shows a 'Too dark' warning, add light before you carry on.

Cover the whole room

The 3D scene only contains what the camera saw. The arcs and the crossing film walls and furniture from several positions, and the tilt adds the floor and ceiling. Keep walls and furniture in frame rather than lingering on bare windows.

Keep people, pets and mirrors out

The reconstruction assumes the room stays still while you film. Someone walking through the shot, or a pet moving around, shows up as smears or floating fragments. Mirrors and glass show a different picture from every angle, so the camera screen asks you to avoid them: film past a mirror, not straight into it.

Common questions

How long should a video of one room be?: About 40 seconds with the guided capture of a normal room, and never more than 60 seconds, the upload limit for regular accounts. Very short clips do not give enough sharp frames to build a scene.
Can I film with my phone's own camera app and upload the file?: Yes. Choose Video instead of Record and upload the file. The same limits apply, and the same moves work: side-step arcs, a walk across the room and a floor-to-ceiling tilt.
Should I hold the phone in portrait or landscape?: Landscape. Holding the phone sideways captures a wider view, which gives more overlap between frames and a sharper 3D scene.
How long does processing take?: It depends on the length of the capture and on how many jobs are ahead of it in the queue. Your dashboard shows the status and progress of each upload, and the scene appears there when it is ready.

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