How to video a flyover

[thegronz]

Hello;

I’m going to video neighborhood amenities such as flying over tennis courts, pools, and recreation areas. Can someone tell me how to target something like a tennis court, and have the gimbal stay on the court as the drone approaches it and flies over? Will a waypoint accomplish this? I’m trying to avoid having to use the wheel to control the gimbal axis.

Thanks

John

 

[DanaMc]

Great question. Following.

 

[pelagic_one]

A set of well-positioned Waypoints (and their respective Points of Interest) should cover it. Check YouTube for Waypoint 2.0 tutorials, as I just started learning about them, and using them myself. It’s actually quite amazing once you get it going, because you can program from lift-off to landing.

Essentially:
- Establish Waypoint A, Waypoint B, and any subsequent waypoint to create your path, with altitude, speed, and camera action (start video, stop video, take picture).
- Establish Points of Interest (eg tennis court, clubhouse, pool) with height where you want your camera pointed.
- Once saved you can simulate the flight to see how it may look. Your screen will actually show what the camera will see, based on virtual mapping.

 

[53-63-6f-74-74]

I would suggest using Litchi software (both the web-based Mission Hub as well as the smart-device app) in conjunction with Namirda's "Virtual Litchi Mission". You can use these tools to plan and fly your mission virtually in Google Earth, and get it exactly right before you even take your drone outside.

 

[pelagic_one]

I would suggest using Litchi software. You can use these tools to plan and fly your mission virtually in Google Earth, and get it exactly right before you even take your drone outside.

So is that one of the primary benefits of buying Litchi, instead of using Go 4’s Waypoints...the ability to plan and establish flights offline, without having to connect your Mavic to the RC? That alone may justify the added cost.

 

[new2mavic]

A set of well-positioned Waypoints (and their respective Points of Interest) should cover it. Check YouTube for Waypoint 2.0 tutorials, as I just started learning about them, and using them myself. It’s actually quite amazing once you get it going, because you can program from lift-off to landing.

Essentially:
- Establish Waypoint A, Waypoint B, and any subsequent waypoint to create your path, with altitude, speed, and camera action (start video, stop video, take picture).
- Establish Points of Interest (eg tennis court, clubhouse, pool) with height where you want your camera pointed.
- Once saved you can simulate the flight to see how it may look. Your screen will actually show what the camera will see, based on virtual mapping.

I have played with Waypoint 2.0 and Litchi a bit but can you make the camera point downward to keep the POI at the center of the view as the drone flies over it ?

 

[pelagic_one]

...can you make the camera point downward to keep the POI at the center of the view as the drone flies over it ?

Yes, when you touch your POI, you can adjust the height at which the camera will point. If a tennis court, for example, height is zero. If a clock tower, you’d need to know the height of the clock, or fly up to it first to get an altitude.

 

[new2mavic]

Yes, when you touch your POI, you can adjust the height at which the camera will point. If a tennis court, for example, height is zero. If a clock tower, you’d need to know the height of the clock, or fly up to it first to get an altitude.

That I know. My question is whether the camera will point straight down when the craft is directly over the POI. What will it do after passing the POI ? the craft quickly turns around to keep the POI at the center of the view ?

 

[pelagic_one]

I just reviewed one of my earlier Waypoint flights from this past weekend. From 100-foot altitude, the camera pointed straight down at a tree I set as a POI (50-foot setting). As it continued past, the M2P continued on its path to next waypoint, but smoothly turned to continue facing the tree.

 

[BigAl07]

That I know. My question is whether the camera will point straight down when the craft is directly over the POI. What will it do after passing the POI ? the craft quickly turns around to keep the POI at the center of the view ?

Yes until it's time to focus on the new POI. Litchi will turn the aircraft to keep the POI in frame where-as other aircraft can keep straight and simply rotate camera.

 

[Deleted member 114292]

I’ve done several golf course video missions and never occurred to me to use automation.
Just keep your yaws and motions slow and smooth.
You’re supposed to keep a bit of the horizon in the shot so that the viewer has A point of reference.
The problem with automation is it’s very difficult to tell in advance exactly how the shots going to line up. You also might want to make a few videos then review them and perhaps reshoot.
It would also be helpful if you can to view some professional real estate videos to get a feel for the shots they use.
The course I took in real estate drone videos mentionedIt should not be more than 45 seconds long as viewers will not look much more than that.
You really don’t need to show everything leaving something to the imagination works well.

 

[DanaMc]

I’ve done several golf course video missions and never occurred to me to use automation.
Just keep your yaws and motions slow and smooth.
You’re supposed to keep a bit of the horizon in the shot so that the viewer has A point of reference.
The problem with automation is it’s very difficult to tell in advance exactly how the shots going to line up. You also might want to make a few videos then review them and perhaps reshoot.
It would also be helpful if you can to view some professional real estate videos to get a feel for the shots they use.
The course I took in real estate drone videos mentionedIt should not be more than 45 seconds long as viewers will not look much more than that.
You really don’t need to show everything leaving something to the imagination works well.

I recently started a little Flyover project mainly to learn. Also using it to begin learning how to edit footage. Your point of knowing how the shot will turn out is big to me. I have to see it “in frame” to get a sense of it. I am not real adept at changing settings in the software mid flight. Having to stop, make the setting change means another “splice” in the video. And in editing, I have already seen several aspects that need improvement. So a reshoot is definitely coming. And this time I will likely make a few versions while I’m on site. Then see if I can knit a finished product together.

 

[HumbearKS]

Question to the forum: is Litchi supported on the Mavic Mini as well? Just curious, thanks!

 

[53-63-6f-74-74]

I’ve done several golf course video missions and never occurred to me to use automation.
Just keep your yaws and motions slow and smooth.
You’re supposed to keep a bit of the horizon in the shot so that the viewer has A point of reference.
The problem with automation is it’s very difficult to tell in advance exactly how the shots going to line up. You also might want to make a few videos then review them and perhaps reshoot.
It would also be helpful if you can to view some professional real estate videos to get a feel for the shots they use.
The course I took in real estate drone videos mentionedIt should not be more than 45 seconds long as viewers will not look much more than that.
You really don’t need to show everything leaving something to the imagination works well.

You can tell almost exactly what your field of view will be by using Litchi in conjunction with VLM which I linked to above in post 4. If your area of the earth has 3d renderings then that's even better. I do not, and have nonetheless found VLM to be extremely accurate. No re-shoots necessary.

 

[Bobvt]

You can slowly move the camera down and sideways useing your fingers on your phone or monitor,this can give a very smooth approach and exit,practice first,good luck

 

[parkgt]

All of what Litcihi can do, Dronelink will do and more. Home | Dronelink You can preview your mission (with more information) in the web app and also view in GE. It is free for non-commercial use. There are plenty of tutorials video on YT to get you started.

Here is a descending increasing radius spiral I did the other day for practice.

 

[DanaMc]

All of what Litcihi can do, Dronelink will do and more. Home | Dronelink You can preview your mission (with more information) in the web app and also view in GE. It is free for non-commercial use. There are plenty of tutorials video on YT to get you started.

Here is a descending increasing radius spiral I did the other day for practice.

WOW! So cool! A million questions but I will do sincere search into Dronelink. I’m a complete rookie and don’t fully grasp the various 3rd party software utilities and their place in the process of taking these videos. But this is very interesting. Thanks for the post and your time.

 

[pelagic_one]

Question to the forum: is Litchi supported on the Mavic Mini as well?

The Mini is unfortunately not supported with third party apps like Litchi and Dronelink (yet?) because DJI has not released a Software Development Kit, yet. This would be needed to allow third-party developers, like the teams from Litchi, to program commands in their software that would control stick/button commands and sensor readings within the Mini.

 

[HumbearKS]

Got it. Thanks, Pelagic...

 

[pelagic_one]

All of what Litcihi can do, Dronelink will do and more. Home | Dronelink It is free for non-commercial use.

Dronelink appears to be quite the powerful route planning platform. I’ve gone through several of their YouTube series’ episodes already. As a hobbyist, I may not be comparing Litchi to Dronelink anytime soon, because I’ll be too busy learning and playing with my free version of Dronelink.

Great spiral vid...thanks for sharing!