Over the past two years, I've traded up from a toy drone to a Mini, an
Air 2, and an
Air 2S. Based on my experience, I predict that you'll be absolutely stunned, fascinated, and dazzled by either the
Mini 2 or the
Air 2S. My advice is to go with the
Mini 2.
The
Mini 2 is a fantastic machine and it might be all you want/need. You'll save quite a bit of money compared to the
Air 2S and you'll be learning on a less-intimidating and more forgiving system (smaller, lighter, cheaper to repair or replace).
If you get seriously hooked on drones, you'll probably get the itch for an upgrade within six months of a year. By then, the
Mavic 3 will have been released and you'll have a choice between an
Air 2S (used or at a reduced retail price) and the even slicker
Mavic 3.
(Another reason to start with the
Mini 2 is that it's much easier to travel with because of the small size. I wish I'd kept my Mini instead of selling it after getting the
Air 2.)
If you're starting from scratch with photo editing, consider the free program from Irfanview.com. It's a simple, quick, and surprisingly powerful way to crop, rotate, and sharpen, adjust brightness, colors, and contrast, and add text. I use it for a lot of tasks rather than firing up Adobe Photoshop or Illustrator.
