# Prepare photos for AI Auto Connect

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A few minutes in the **Scenes** tab of [Virtual Tour Studio](https://pano.cool/docs/virtual_tour_studio.txt) before a run give [AI Auto Connect](./virtual_tour_studio.md#ai-auto-connect) a cleaner set of photos: a result that needs less fixing, and fewer AI edits, since each scene in a run uses 1 AI edit. Go through the steps below, then start AI Auto Connect from the **Elements** tab. Still shooting? See [Capture 360° photos for a virtual tour](https://pano.cool/docs/capture_360_photos.txt).

## 1. Remove duplicate photos

A duplicate is the same spot photographed twice: a retake, a photo uploaded twice, or the same shot exported twice, such as an HDR and a normal version.

- Look through the **Scenes** tab for photos that look the same, and keep the best one of each.
- Delete the others from the scene's **Scene Menu** (three-dot icon, or right-click the scene) with **Delete**.
- To keep a photo in the tour but out of the run, untick it instead when AI Auto Connect lists the scenes to connect (**Change** on the **Check scenes** step of the guided flow).

A duplicate adds nothing new, costs an AI edit, and puts two dots on one spot, with arrows between them that lead nowhere.

## 2. Remove photos taken too close together

Two photos taken less than about 1 metre (3 feet) apart look almost the same. Keep the better one.

- Keep photos taken in doorways, in hallways and on stairs, even close to another photo: they join one room to the next.
- An arrow between two photos that close barely moves the visitor, and a photo squeezed between two others can stop those two from being connected.

## 3. Keep only indoor 360° photos in the run

- Flat photos, 360° videos and 3D (3DGS) scenes stay in the tour but are left out of the run. So are scenes hidden from the **Street View Arrows** add-on: unhide any that should be connected.
- 360° drone photos can't be placed by AI Auto Connect: they are taken high above the ground and far apart. Untick them in the run, and connect them by hand or on a map, with the **Street View Arrows** add-on's **On a Map** mode.
- Outdoor photos, such as a garden, connect less reliably, and rarely to photos taken inside. Put them on a floor of their own (step 6).

## 4. Name your scenes

Give each scene a name that says where it is, such as "Living room", "Kitchen" or "Bedroom 2": open its **Scene Menu** and use **Change Name**.

- Names show on the result and on the floor plan, so a scene in the wrong place is easy to spot, and visitors see them in the tour.
- Number the names in the order you walked: "1 Entrance", "2 Hallway", "3 Living room" and so on. Sorting by name then puts the scenes in walking order.

## 5. Sort the scenes by name

In the **Scenes** tab, click **Sort scenes** (the sort icon above the list) and choose **Name A–Z**. Numbers sort as numbers, so "10 Bedroom" comes after "9 Bathroom".

- On a floor with more than 30 scenes, AI Auto Connect connects the scenes in walking order: the order the photos were taken, when every photo records when it was taken, and otherwise the order of the **Scenes** list. A list in walking order then gives the best result.
- On any floor, a list in walking order makes the result quicker to check, and the tour's scenes follow the same order.
- To fine-tune the order, drag scenes in the list, on a computer.

## 6. Decide the floors

Scenes are only connected to scenes on the same floor.

- Photos taken on one level: choose **One floor** when AI Auto Connect asks.
- Photos taken on several levels: choose **Several floors**, name the floors, and pick the floor each scene was taken on.
- Give a garden, a terrace or a separate building a floor of its own.
- Each floor needs at least two scenes.

## Before you start: a checklist

- No duplicate photos.
- No two photos less than about 1 metre (3 feet) apart, except in doorways, hallways and on stairs.
- Only indoor 360° photos ticked for the run.
- Every scene named, numbered in walking order.
- Scenes sorted by name (**Name A–Z**).
- Floors decided.

**Tutorials:**

- Article: [How to Create a 3D House Tour from Insta360 X6 Photos with AI Auto Connect](https://docs.pano.cool/how-to-create-a-3d-house-tour-from-insta360-x6-photos-with-ai-auto-connect/)
- Video: [Create a 360 Virtual Tour in Minutes with AI Auto Connect](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IXBus3XHVQc)

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**Last updated:** October 16, 2026