Litchi, Panos and AEB

[wsettle]

I heard from a couple of forum users that Litchi can do a pano using the AEB camera setting so I signed up for the beta to try this out on my Mavic 2 Pro but maybe the features are not baked into the beta version yet.

I was able to do a 360 spherical pano but Litchi shot it in "single shot" mode. So I manually changed the camera settings to 5-shot AEB and tried another pano and again, Litchi changed the camera mode to single shot before the pano started.

So my question is, how do I configure Litchi to use AEB for a spherical pano?

I cannot find any documentation on the Litchi site or any videos showing how to do it so hoping that someone with experience with Litchi can shed some light on it for me.

Thanks!

Tagging a couple of folks that may know, just in case. @Aerial-Pixel , @genesimmons

 

[genesimmons]

I heard from a couple of forum users that Litchi can do a pano using the AEB camera setting so I signed up for the beta to try this out on my Mavic 2 Pro but maybe the features are not baked into the beta version yet.

I was able to do a 360 spherical pano but Litchi shot it in "single shot" mode. So I manually changed the camera settings to 5-shot AEB and tried another pano and again, Litchi changed the camera mode to single shot before the pano started.

So my question is, how do I configure Litchi to use AEB for a spherical pano?

I cannot find any documentation on the Litchi site or any videos showing how to do it so hoping that someone with experience with Litchi can shed some light on it for me.

Thanks!

Tagging a couple of folks that may know, just in case. @Aerial-Pixel , @genesimmons

i have never used aeb for 360 panos but i use it regularily for regular panos, i simply choose bracketing from the menu then enter pano mode and when i get home i have 3images for each pano shot, i usually shoot 2 rows of 5 so 10 shotsx3 brackets so i have 30 images to merge. i assume it should work in all pano modes but i have only used reg pano mode myself and it works great

 

[JoostGT3]

i have never used aeb for 360 panos but i use it regularily for regular panos, i simply choose bracketing from the menu then enter pano mode and when i get home i have 3images for each pano shot, i usually shoot 2 rows of 5 so 10 shotsx3 brackets so i have 30 images to merge. i assume it should work in all pano modes but i have only used reg pano mode myself and it works great

I have been wondering about that; when you do exposure bracketing AND stitching together a pano, do you stitch the pano's first, or do the HDR merging first?

So if you have for example a panorama that exists of 10 images and you have -1, 0 and +1 exposures, will you do
A) First stitch the panos, so you have one -1 pano, one 0 pano and one +1 pano, and then do the HDR merging into one, or
B) do the HDR merging first, so you have 10 HDR merged images, then stitch them together into one panorama?

 

[Pappy]

I have been wondering about that; when you do exposure bracketing AND stitching together a pano, do you stitch the pano's first, or do the HDR merging first?

So if you have for example a panorama that exists of 10 images and you have -1, 0 and +1 exposures, will you do
A) First stitch the panos, so you have one -1 pano, one 0 pano and one +1 pano, and then do the HDR merging into one, or
B) do the HDR merging first, so you have 10 HDR merged images, then stitch them together into one panorama?

I haven't tried this method so I'm shooting from the hip here. I would say it would be best to merge each bracketed shot to one HDR image (result is 10 HDR images) and then stitch. The problem I see with stitching first is the stitching software may stitch the images together slightly different for each of the 3 bracketed panos due to differences in exposure. And then when you go to merge these three panos to an HDR panos, all three will be slightly different and you will not get a good result. So my pick would be "B".

 

[wsettle]

@genesimmons , thanks Gene. Since taking a 360 pano vs other sized panos uses the same setting's interface, it appears to be a bug. What I found out was that if I set the camera to AEB prior to opening the pano settings, the camera will be reset back to "single shot" mode when I start the pano when not using "auto-pano". It appears "auto-pano" always resets it back to single shot.

If I set the camera to AEB then open pano settings, I can manually take one shot in AEB, using the shutter button, while the pano settings are displayed, then when I start the pano, AEB is used. So I reported this a as bug to litchi and I'll see what they say.

@JoostGT3 , @Pappy is correct. You need to merge the bracketed shots first, then stitch the HDR images together. Historically, I have been doing 20, 5-shot brackets with my p2p and it works great to get that additional dynamic range for those shots where there is a lot of light variance above and below, like for a sunset or sunrise shot. The mavic may not need it as it's sensor has more dynamic range but I want the option for the times when it's required. Unfortunately, the AEB settings in DJI Go are set to .7 EV apart and are not configurable. So it does give a some added dynamic range but not a lot. The other problem is that it can cause blur if there is any wind so when you merge the bracketed shots, make sure and select auto-align to help with any movement between shots.

My general workflow has been:
1. Manually take 20, 5-shot brackets with p3p for a 180x360 spherical (or whatever size pano you are looking to do
2. Batch merge the bracketed shots using EasyHDR using the preset "raw". Some panos may require a difffernt preset or customization depending on your tastes.
3. Stich pano with PTGui.

I have PTGui pro which will merge and stitch with one operation but I get better results merging the brackets separately.

Since the mavic 2 is a 28mm focal length vs the p3p's 20 mm, the m2p will require more shots so being able to automate the shooting portion seems logical.

 

[genesimmons]

I have been wondering about that; when you do exposure bracketing AND stitching together a pano, do you stitch the pano's first, or do the HDR merging first?

So if you have for example a panorama that exists of 10 images and you have -1, 0 and +1 exposures, will you do
A) First stitch the panos, so you have one -1 pano, one 0 pano and one +1 pano, and then do the HDR merging into one, or
B) do the HDR merging first, so you have 10 HDR merged images, then stitch them together into one panorama?

i merge my brackets first then have 10 hdr imiages then i merge those to the pano, its a bit time consuming but the result is about as detailed as u can get from the ol mav1

 

[wsettle]

I reported two bugs late last night, this one and another where Litchi didn't honor the +30 degree up gimble setting, and Litchi has already fixed both and published an updated beta version. This problem is no longer an issue! Pretty awesome customer service!

 

[JoostGT3]

Thanks for the feedback guys! I figured the same as you guys, just never went as far as to try it.
My big hesitation is that whatever I try, merging AEB images in photoshop never yields satisfactory results, it ALWAYS looks ****, whatever tone mapping preset I use. I have always gotten better results by selecting the best RAW file of the three and manually finetuning that in Adobe Camera Raw. @wsettle mentioned he uses easy HDR for creating the HDR images, any other good suggestions?

 

[genesimmons]

Thanks for the feedback guys! I figured the same as you guys, just never went as far as to try it.
My big hesitation is that whatever I try, merging AEB images in photoshop never yields satisfactory results, it ALWAYS looks ****, whatever tone mapping preset I use. I have always gotten better results by selecting the best RAW file of the three and manually finetuning that in Adobe Camera Raw. @wsettle mentioned he uses easy HDR for creating the HDR images, any other good suggestions?

i use lightroom for merging my 3 shot brackets, it gives me an option to use auto hdr setting or no settings at all, i will view the auto setting some times but mostly i choose no settting at all and then i do it manually after the images are merged. i dont like tonemapped either so i usually choose no setting, allthough the auto doesnt tone map at all it does bring shadows up more than my liking

 

[BD0G]

I reported two bugs late last night, this one and another where Litchi didn't honor the +30 degree up gimble setting, and Litchi has already fixed both and published an updated beta version. This problem is no longer an issue! Pretty awesome customer service!

I use the Android version of Lichti and I want to use the Pano Mode to do exactly what you are trying to achieve. 2 rows of photos AEB mode with 3 or 5 shots. Does Lichti now have the ability to do this?

You speak of a beta version. Would I need to upgrade my version of Lichti? Its updated from the Play Store currently.

Is there now a setting within the Pano Mode that allows AEB shots to be taken?

Also- Just thought to ask. Can this Pano Mode setup be saved so one can just use it by default each time? That would be great. Shoot a pano using the settings. Fly back , power down. Head to next destination and use the same settings again without having to go back and enter all the same settings again.

 

[Felix Wolter]

Another question in the same topic. If I program a litchi mission and set it to take photo at each waypoint it seems to ignore the AEB setting done in the photo settings before. Did anybody experience the same issue and is there a known solution to that?

The mission is POI focused and set to automatic focus (AFC) and AEB before starting.

Thanks a lot in advance!
F

/
Ah. Btw. M2P Litchi Android on Crystalsky 5.5

//
Okay, I checked directly with the Litchi Customer Support, and they answered (very fast).
Q: Is it possible to execute a 3- or 5-bracket AEB shot with the "Take Photo" action on a Waypoint of a programmed mission?
A: Unfortunately no. The Take Photo action can only shoot single capture. This is a restriction of the DJI firmware.

 

[jos A]

Just test it (latest litchi android 4.17.0G), change photomode in AEB, 5 photo's
Then go to panorama mode, press sphere and result are 140 photo's (28x5)
Loading into kolor Autopano giga, AEB are recognised (pairs of 5) , then stich with only automatic EV on, go to EDIT , choose little planet, crop, then color correction (use HDR), render choose hdr output (sphere becomes 32 bits with hdr into it, dark photo) open with lightroom or photoshop, choose automatic and tune you hdr spHere

 

[cstangor]

Another question in the same topic. If I program a litchi mission and set it to take photo at each waypoint it seems to ignore the AEB setting done in the photo settings before. Did anybody experience the same issue and is there a known solution to that?

The mission is POI focused and set to automatic focus (AFC) and AEB before starting.

Thanks a lot in advance!
F

/
Ah. Btw. M2P Litchi Android on Crystalsky 5.5

//
Okay, I checked directly with the Litchi Customer Support, and they answered (very fast).
Q: Is it possible to execute a 3- or 5-bracket AEB shot with the "Take Photo" action on a Waypoint of a programmed mission?
A: Unfortunately no. The Take Photo action can only shoot single capture. This is a restriction of the DJI firmware.

So I guess the sequence has to be:

1. Use Litchi to fly to waypoint
2. Change to FPV (set tripod mode probably)
3. Manually set camera mode to AEB.
4. (set other camera settings)
5. Take photo
6. Return home or potentially resume mission (not real sure yet how to do that).

 

[Felix Wolter]

Jep thx for the input, but i have a mission with 90 waypoints and want the mavic to take pictures at each waypoint in AEB. So your solution will not work for me.

I am already in the field and ended up flying and taking my pictures manually. I do not feel experienced enough with the automation to risk failures in a difficult environment like here. Next time maybe...

 

[vili]

Then go to panorama mode, press sphere and result are 140 photo's (28x5)

If i do that, many of the images shutter speed exif value will be wrong.
For example a picture with 1/500 value is darker than the picture with 1/1000.
Many photos are good, but around 30-40% of them has bad info. So i cannot merge correctly in Easyhdr.

Latest Litchi Android and Mavic Air.
Anybody else experienced this, and whats the solution??

 

[jos A]

I will test this, never looked up in the exif value, I will let you know.
Latest Litchi with Mavic Pro

 

[vili]

if i set 2-2 sec delay before and after the photos, it will be good!
strange