Attention Litchi and Google Earth Pro users:
I have created a new Droneception Mission Maker for Litchi. The idea of creating this software was inspired by a comment by @Nagem to my Spiral Maker for Litchi Waypoint Missions web application.
I am not an expert on making droneception images. However, I do know a thing or two about software development. So, I did some research on making droneception images and created a web-based tool that will greatly simplify one of the three important steps in creating a droneception image. Those three important steps are:
Through the course of researching this topic, I found a number of similar (but different) strategies for positioning the drone to take a series of photographs. I have come to the conclusion that there is not one correct way to do this. I have found that multiple strategies work. In writing this software, I chose to implement a method that employs photos taken at equal ground distances between the starting and ending points. As the mission progresses from one waypoint to the next, each photo is taken at a height that gets progressively closer to the final height. If this doesn’t make sense, just go ahead and follow the instructions to create a mission and then view the resulting path in Google Earth Pro. That view should help you understand the nature of the path and how the algorithm works.
This web application not only creates a repeatable set of photo positions but also sets up waypoint (camera) actions to pause for one second, take a photo, and pause for another second before continuing to the next waypoint. The web application also includes detailed instructions and technical details.
As I mentioned from the beginning, I am not a droneception expert. So, I will be open for suggestions as you use this application and identify features that may make it better. I would be very interested in seeing any droneception images you make through the use of this software.
I have created a new Droneception Mission Maker for Litchi. The idea of creating this software was inspired by a comment by @Nagem to my Spiral Maker for Litchi Waypoint Missions web application.
I am not an expert on making droneception images. However, I do know a thing or two about software development. So, I did some research on making droneception images and created a web-based tool that will greatly simplify one of the three important steps in creating a droneception image. Those three important steps are:
- Identify an appropriate subject for the image. If you search on the web for droneception images you will see most feature an empty road running through the center of the image. Often, there is a person standing in the foreground and some sort of point of interest in the distance. This first step may be the most difficult of the three.
- You then need to plan a series of photos ranging from low and far to high and directly above the point of interest. Often, the first photo is taken at roughly twice the distance from the point of interest as the final height. For example. If the last photo is taken at an altitude of 200 feet, the first photo is taken at roughly 400 feet from the point of interest. I don’t know if this is the optimum setup. However, it is what I have observed. This web application will make the design of the photo waypoint mission easy.
- You will then need to merge the images together using blending, masking, and warping functions. If you are adept at using Photoshop or something similar, this step won’t be too difficult although it may take some time to get satisfactory results. There are many tutorials on YouTube that will explain this step.
Through the course of researching this topic, I found a number of similar (but different) strategies for positioning the drone to take a series of photographs. I have come to the conclusion that there is not one correct way to do this. I have found that multiple strategies work. In writing this software, I chose to implement a method that employs photos taken at equal ground distances between the starting and ending points. As the mission progresses from one waypoint to the next, each photo is taken at a height that gets progressively closer to the final height. If this doesn’t make sense, just go ahead and follow the instructions to create a mission and then view the resulting path in Google Earth Pro. That view should help you understand the nature of the path and how the algorithm works.
This web application not only creates a repeatable set of photo positions but also sets up waypoint (camera) actions to pause for one second, take a photo, and pause for another second before continuing to the next waypoint. The web application also includes detailed instructions and technical details.
As I mentioned from the beginning, I am not a droneception expert. So, I will be open for suggestions as you use this application and identify features that may make it better. I would be very interested in seeing any droneception images you make through the use of this software.
