Export Resolution#
The maximum supported export resolution by the Insta360app overall is 4K. The reason for this is, by the time this article is written, a limitation on mobile devices.
For exporting your content to your mobile devices local album you have two ways:
Both have its pros and cons. One is very simply and fast mentioned, you can only export content as 360° video or 360° image by using the album library way. By using the story mode you are bound to reframed content.
360° content#
If you want to export your content in the 360° like it was recorded you are limited to use the album library based export and that will limit the maximum resolution to 4K with a 2:1 display aspect ratio.
1" module content#
The content generated by the 1" module (OneR only) is somehow "in between". It has 5.3K as its maximum recording resolution but on the apps export side it is also limited to 4K via the album library. If you use the story mode with that content, the limitations of the story mode apply.
Reframed content#
By dealing with reframed content you will face to differences or a limitation - depends of the point of view - at the export screen / settings.
On an export via the album library you will only see a max of 1080p as option. Whereas the story mode export dialog offers you to set a higher resolution at 1440p.
Limiting reasons#
#The album library is meant to show you your footage in its or near its original quality and view. "Near" original because the highest resolution you can deal with on mobile - at this time - is 4K. Regardless if recorded in 360°, with 4K or the 1" mod. The highest possible resolution content can be saved / exported is 4k.
By allowing you access to the "original" the export via album offers you to export in the highest possible resolution "without changing the original quality any further". Because of that a 360° export gives you access to the 4K resolution, which is the highest possible resolution without any further degrading of it.
If you reframe you save a pyramidic cutout of a 360° sphere in which the pixel ration is 1:1 to the original 360° sphere content. A 5.7k recorded 360° sphere only holds enough data to do a 1080p cut out without using software based interpolation of the pixels and leaving the 1:1 pixel ratio. Therefor reframed exports are limited to 1080p for 16:9, 1440x1440 for 1:1 and 2256x960 for 2.35:1 aspect ratio.
Side note: you can find all that in the config files after extracting the Android app apk. ;)
The recording of the 4K mod is meant to be in 4K. So its native resolution on export is 4K, like it is 4K for exporting 360° video on mobile devices. Remember: That's a limitation by mobile devices.
The 1" mod can record in 5.3k (5312x2988) but due to the mobile device limitations that is also reduced to a 4k (3840x2160 / 4000x3000 for example depending on aspect ratio) resolution on album based export.
#Now the story mode. Story mode is meant to combine content of different sources. Different sources mainly focuses on different lens modules but also images and - exclusively on iOS - on content already in your devices album, so you can use content recorded with your devices camera under iOS.
Because even while focusing on different lens modules the recordings have different native resolutions the story mode renders them in a unified resolution you choose. And that focuses on a potential best middle resolution between all sources and reframed content.
Keep in mind if you export a 360° reframed video from a story with more than 1080p that will use software based interpolated up-scaling for that part of the video. As long as you used zoom outs or tiny planets you are on the save side, because that crunches more "native pixel" into the reframed resolution... but it can have negative impact.
And yes, exporting with Studio2021 or using the importer plugin for Premiere Pro will have a benefit because you export a 360° video in 5.7k, while the app does 4K, and if you reframe that video in another tool you have a better quality because 5.7k sphere allows 1080p with 1:1 pixel ratio where 4k only allows around 640p/720p without using interpolating / up-scaling.