Mavic 2 Pro questions for drone cinematographers

[DJI DelBoy]

Hi guys, I’ve got a couple of questions regarding a cinematic video I plan on making.

What settings are best for recording? 4K 30fps? Or 2.7K 60fps? I tried 4K 24fps but there’s some kind of minor but still noticeable stutter when flying sideways or at speed.

I’ve tried filming in the highest fps - 120 - but it looks pretty low res on my laptop. Is that the way it normally is? Or maybe it’s my laptop’s screen? 4K looks fine but not 120fps footage.

The video will be shared on social media (YouTube, Facebook, etc). Do you guys use 4K or less? I haven’t done any editing yet but I’m guessing 4K video takes longer to edit/process?

Can 2.7K be upscaled to 4K? Most YouTube videos appear to be either HD or 4K videos. Which format would you guys recommend? 4K, 2.7K or 1080p?

What do you all use? H264 or H265?

Also, which intelligent flight modes do you find best for cinematic videos? And which quickshots modes are best for a cinematic video?

Is there a way after viewing your videos to tell which quickshot mode was used?

If you’ve got any cinematic video tips I’d be grateful to hear them.

Oh, and slightly off topic. When I want to change to manual options for photos those options are frozen - it’s stuck on automatic. Does anyone else experience that?

Thanks in advance!

 

[JT Von Richthoven]

There are countless videos on YouTube that will be a great place to get many of your questions answered. Just search for “Mavic 2 Pro video settings cinematic” or “understanding frame rates”, or “4K versus HIgh Def”, “video editing platforms” and the like. There’s a lot to take in and learn. And then a lot to take outside and execute in different real flight situations - and then refine and modify based on your results. I wish you many years of enjoyment going forward and look forward to seeing the cinematic video you wish to create. Then we all can learn from your expertise!

 

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

Hi guys, I’ve got a couple of questions regarding a cinematic video I plan on making.

What settings are best for recording? 4K 30fps? Or 2.7K 60fps? I tried 4K 24fps but there’s some kind of minor but still noticeable stutter when flying sideways or at speed.

I’ve tried filming in the highest fps - 120 - but it looks pretty low res on my laptop. Is that the way it normally is? Or maybe it’s my laptop’s screen? 4K looks fine but not 120fps footage.

The video will be shared on social media (YouTube, Facebook, etc). Do you guys use 4K or less? I haven’t done any editing yet but I’m guessing 4K video takes longer to edit/process?

Can 2.7K be upscaled to 4K? Most YouTube videos appear to be either HD or 4K videos. Which format would you guys recommend? 4K, 2.7K or 1080p?

What do you all use? H264 or H265?

Also, which intelligent flight modes do you find best for cinematic videos? And which quickshots modes are best for a cinematic video?

Is there a way after viewing your videos to tell which quickshot mode was used?

If you’ve got any cinematic video tips I’d be grateful to hear them.

Oh, and slightly off topic. When I want to change to manual options for photos those options are frozen - it’s stuck on automatic. Does anyone else experience that?

Thanks in advance!

- There are no 'best' settings, that's why there are so many. The one you choose depends on many factors including subject matter, lighting, desired look and feel, etc. I would start with 4k/30 and d-cinelike. That gives some options for a bit of post-process cropping, and/or decreasing the resolution or frame rate later. d-cinelike will give better color-grading options when editing. Set and LOCK your settings before the flight or you may get sudden adjustments in exposure/white balance/focus that will be very difficult to work with.
- The highest FPS are rarely used for anything other than extreme slow-motion effects and it is lower-res than 4k.
- 4k video contains a lot of data and it will take longer to process. You can't make 4k video from anything less than 4k video. You can increase a video's dimensions but that doesn't increase it's resolution. Stay away from 1080 for raw video. It never looks good.
- 265 has better compression than 264 and is a newer codec. 264 works fine.
- 'Cinematic' videos should be shot slowly and without jerky movements, quick yaws or pans, or sudden gimbal movements.
- The aircraft must be powered up and connected for any camera or video settings to stick.
- I can't help with quick shots as I've never used them.

 

[paulatkin73]

Set HQ mode, 4k30, h.265 dlog-m color. That will require post- processing later to apply LUT profile. Do not set AFC focusing mode, best is to have AF mode and use right/shutter button to refocus when needed.
Search forum for more info.