INSV file
Also known as: .insv, Insta360 video file
Insta360's native 360 video format: unstitched footage from both fisheye lenses that must be stitched and reframed in Insta360 software before normal use.
Updated
What it means
INSV is the file format Insta360 360 cameras such as the X3, X4 and ONE RS use for video. It holds the raw output of the two back-to-back fisheye lenses, unstitched, together with the gyroscope data the camera recorded. Under the hood the video stream is ordinary H.264 or H.265, but the picture is two circular images, not a watchable frame.
That is why an INSV opened in a regular player shows two distorted circles side by side, or only one lens. The format is designed to be processed by Insta360's own software, which stitches the lenses into a sphere, applies FlowState stabilization from the gyro data, and lets you choose where to point the virtual camera.
How it works in practice
Depending on the model and resolution, the camera writes either one INSV per take or two, one for each lens. A typical name looks like VID_20250614_101532_00_027.insv, with a matching file that differs only in the lens digits, plus an LRV preview. The halves belong together and must stay in the same folder with their original names.
The real work happens in Insta360 Studio on a computer or in the Insta360 app on a phone. There you do reframing: set keyframes that point the view at the rider, the landscape or yourself, pick a 16:9 output, and export a flat MP4. Studio can also export a stitched 360 file in equirectangular format, but for a normal edit the reframed export is what you want.
What to watch out for
Copying only one of the paired files is the most common loss: the other lens is gone and the take cannot be stitched properly. Renaming files to tidy them up has a similar effect, because the software matches the halves by name. Copy the whole folder and rename only after export.
Exported files can also disappoint. A full 360 sphere spreads its pixels in every direction, so a 5.7K recording leaves only a fraction of them in any one view; keep the reframed field of view reasonably wide to stay sharp. And mind the Bitrate in the export settings: a low default produces blocky water and foliage that no later step can fix.
How RawClip handles it
RawClip does not read INSV files directly. Reframe your 360 footage in the Insta360 app or Insta360 Studio first and export it as a flat MP4 or MOV, then upload those exports. They can go into the same order as clips from a GoPro, DJI camera or phone, and the AI cuts them into one highlight like any other footage.