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Mavic 2 Pro Hyperlapse Lighting "jumps"

wxdan

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Hi,

Hoping you all can steer me in the right direction with a problem I've been having with my Mavic 2 Pro. When shooting a hyper lapse in an environment with changing light, I've noticed that when I have the camera settings set to manual (fixed aperture, fixed shutter speed, fixed ISO, etc), there are "jumps" in the change in light conditions within the video, as if the Mavic 2 Pro is trying to compensate for the changing conditions despite the camera mode being set in manual. Take a look at the video link below for an example:


I imagine there is a setting in the Mavic 2 Pro where it tries to compensate for the lightning even when you have the camera set in manual mode, but I can't find it or figure out how to turn it off. I'd prefer for all of the camera settings (shutter speed, aperture, ISO, etc) to remain constant throughout the duration of the time-lapse. Any tips on where I can look in the settings of the Mavic to make this change?

Thanks!
 
Hi,

Hoping you all can steer me in the right direction with a problem I've been having with my Mavic 2 Pro. When shooting a hyper lapse in an environment with changing light, I've noticed that when I have the camera settings set to manual (fixed aperture, fixed shutter speed, fixed ISO, etc), there are "jumps" in the change in light conditions within the video, as if the Mavic 2 Pro is trying to compensate for the changing conditions despite the camera mode being set in manual. Take a look at the video link below for an example:


I imagine there is a setting in the Mavic 2 Pro where it tries to compensate for the lightning even when you have the camera set in manual mode, but I can't find it or figure out how to turn it off. I'd prefer for all of the camera settings (shutter speed, aperture, ISO, etc) to remain constant throughout the duration of the time-lapse. Any tips on where I can look in the settings of the Mavic to make this change?

Thanks!
I’ve seen a couple of posts about this recently with the M2Pro. It shouldn’t be doing that. If it was the camera trying to compensate it should have made increased exposure at that point not decrease it. Weird
 
Bummer, that was a nice sequence. I had something opposite but similar happen yesterday when I did a RTH and M2P turned toward the sun, screen kept stepping down until almost black until I pointed the camera straight down. I was in full manual, but in video mode.
 
Is this seen in the seperately stored photos or just the footage synthesized by the drone ?
 
This is a long-standing issue with the M2 series hyperlapse im afraid.

The only remedy is to create a manual hyper lapse, by downloading the original DNG/JPGS into video editing software.

Poor form from DJI ,considering the price of this drone, andthe fact the word ‘pro’ is used.
 
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Has this issue been raised with DJI? If so, what was their response?

I think some processing has been done in synthesizing the video from photos. I only know that the software stabilizes the footage, perhaps there are other enhancement done as well. E.g. exposure adjustment to reducing flickering is common in making timelapse video. It's just that the software may have done it badly.
 
Last edited:
It's been an issue on their forums for over a year. As previously posted, it's due to the algorithm in the drone to process out the Hyperlapse. If you move though a large amount of light variation. Best solution is use the jpgs or dng files created and do the use Premier Pro or Final Cut or other video software to create the event.

If you used Manual, all the images should be the same aperture and shutter speed, but still might want to check that also.

Paul C
 
Hey all, thanks for all of your responses!

So I did save off RAW images from the hyperlapse and decided to take a look at them in Lightroom. All of the RAW images maintained the settings I had when I first started the hyperlapse, and there were no "jumps" in the lighting conditions as the time-lapse progressed (as one would expect if the aperture/shutter speed/ISO were consistent). So, as others have pointed out, it appears that there is some sort of configuration inside the Mavic 2 Pro that adjusts the lighting through a hyperlapse and results in the "jumpy" lighting conditions.

I've been looking into investing into a good video editing software to edit the RAW footage, but just never had the time to put into learning it... looks like I might have to now if I want to avoid this problem!

Thanks again for all of your help.
 
Doing stuff like this mostly works better in post. Trying to do it in real time with the drone’s less competent cpu than a good desktop computer will be an exercise in frustration.
 
Only other note worthy mention is the hyper lapse video the drone spits out if only 1080P whereas if you create the video yourself it can be 4K.

only issue is having to invest in premiere pro which is expensive. (The tech savvy types can of course get a pirate version on torrents for free)
 
Yeah, I realize the quick video/hyperlapse output from the M2P is a lower quality/resolution and cropped output compared to the original stills. I always liked the convenience, though, of having the hyperlapse ready to go for viewing and publishing when I'm out in the field and want to post something quickly. It's a shame there's not a fix for this ?
 
Yeah, I realize the quick video/hyperlapse output from the M2P is a lower quality/resolution and cropped output compared to the original stills. I always liked the convenience, though, of having the hyperlapse ready to go for viewing and publishing when I'm out in the field and want to post something quickly. It's a shame there's not a fix for this ?
Very true. Does the issue persist if you leave your Photo settings on Auto?
 
I've been looking into investing into a good video editing software to edit the RAW footage, but just never had the time to put into learning it... looks like I might have to now if I want to avoid this problem!

For hyperlapses (timelapses), I far prefer LRTimelapse. It's designed for this kind of work. It works in conjunction with Lightroom and it allows you to smooth out jiitter and light changes, plus actually do the kind of "exposure ramping" that DJI attempts to do (but fails). LRTime lapse allows you to select a few keyframes, so you can control the ramping with only edits to those few frames and it does the ramping for you.

You still may want a video editor for actual video editing. You might consider Davinci Resolve, since it has a free entry version and even the full blown price is reasonable priced (and non-subscription).

I use LRTimelapse to produce timelapse videos from stills, then I use Resolve Studio (paid version) to edit them together (several timelapses, perhaps mixed in with normal video).


Chris
 
Very true. Does the issue persist if you leave your Photo settings on Auto?

From my observation, when I have put the settings on Auto, the jumps in the change in lighting aren't as dramatic as what I posted in the video above. However, the change in lighting isn't always consistent... sometimes it tries to brighten the image when it shouldn't be or vice versa (maybe the sun comes out from behind a cloud and the M2P tries to compensate for the additional lighting... when it would've been fine just leaving the settings as-is). The number of small changes over the duration of a time-lapse can be noticeable and not smooth, so I prefer manual when possible.

For hyperlapses (timelapses), I far prefer LRTimelapse. It's designed for this kind of work. It works in conjunction with Lightroom and it allows you to smooth out jiitter and light changes, plus actually do the kind of "exposure ramping" that DJI attempts to do (but fails). LRTime lapse allows you to select a few keyframes, so you can control the ramping with only edits to those few frames and it does the ramping for you.

You still may want a video editor for actual video editing. You might consider Davinci Resolve, since it has a free entry version and even the full blown price is reasonable priced (and non-subscription).

I use LRTimelapse to produce timelapse videos from stills, then I use Resolve Studio (paid version) to edit them together (several timelapses, perhaps mixed in with normal video).


Chris

I looked into LRTimelapse when I used my DLSR for photos and time lapses, but never quite made the plunge to get it. I know a few people who do a lot of time-lapse work have very high praises for that software, so that might be something to certainly consider.
 
For hyperlapses (timelapses), I far prefer LRTimelapse. It's designed for this kind of work. It works in conjunction with Lightroom and it allows you to smooth out jiitter and light changes, plus actually do the kind of "exposure ramping" that DJI attempts to do (but fails). LRTime lapse allows you to select a few keyframes, so you can control the ramping with only edits to those few frames and it does the ramping for you.

You still may want a video editor for actual video editing. You might consider Davinci Resolve, since it has a free entry version and even the full blown price is reasonable priced (and non-subscription).

I use LRTimelapse to produce timelapse videos from stills, then I use Resolve Studio (paid version) to edit them together (several timelapses, perhaps mixed in with normal video).


Chris
Do you have to have lightroom in order to use LRTimelapse ?
 
I just came across this while searching for another topic. I have a Mavic 2 Pro and have shot a few hyperlapse videos in changing light conditions. I see this kind of exposure adjustments happening even when the camera is in manual settings. I've found results will be much better by shooting in RAW and editing the RAW photos in something like Lightroom, then compiling the image sequence into a video (I use Quicktime and iMovie for this).

Here's a comparison I did - you'll notice a slight exposure flicker in the fist clip - that was a Mavic artifact. There was no similar flicker in the raw footage.

 
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