Spotlight (FocusTrack mode) is very useful even on stationary objects! Try it out!

Yaros · Mar 2, 2022

I have been flying my Air 2 for a little more than 7 months now, most of the flights have done videos completely manually flying the drone.
Recently I tried to use the FocusTrack modes and I find them extremely useful, even on things that are stationary like buildings, for example.
It's so easy to make great shots of buildings with this mode because you don't need to worry about the gimbal and yaw, it is automatic!
To orbit in spotlight mode you just push the right stick left or right, and it will automatically start orbiting, focusing on the subject, super cool!
If you thought that Spotlight can be only used on trackable subjects (people and vehicles only) then it's not the case.
POI (Point of Interest) mode can be also used on buildings, works well, but you need to know how to use it. I tried to select a building and went to the fastest setting, it started orbiting and then lost the subject and an error message popped up. As far as I know this issue is fixed on the Air 2S, but for Air 2 users the simple fix for it is to start with the default (slow) speed, give the drone some time to calculate the height and dimensions of the subject. Then, if it recognizes the selected object as a non-trackable subject (that means it's not a car, boat or person) it will go into GPS orbiting, the selection box will change to an icon that looks like Google Maps logo in the center of the selected object and after that happens you can freely set the speed to whatever you want, move around, further away, higher, experiment around with the sticks, however you need to be careful because the Air 2/2S doesn't have side sensors, so do it on a reasonable altitude.

One thing I don't like about FocusTrack is that it doesn't work in high frame rates (higher than 30fps on most drones including Air and Air 2S), but that's fine for me. I prefer a smoother shot than higher frame rate anyway.

Hertzdonut · Mar 2, 2022

I’m going to have to give that a try, thanks for the info!

- Jeff

db4476 · Mar 2, 2022

I find spotlight useful for fixed objects also. It's one of the tools in my utility belt.

Cheers!

maggior · Mar 3, 2022

That feature is indeed quite cool! I've used it a few times. The only thing I don't like about it is it can be a bit disorienting because the shot is so locked on the POI. I was surprised to discover that it's actually not too hard to do manually and you can create smoother arcs or arcs that are more elliptical than circular. It gives it a more natural feel and you can incorporate the moves into your flights without having to stop and set up a POI. Overhead shots are also not that hard either.

Part of the fun of flying is working on these skills...to me anyway. I don't mean any of this as a criticism, I'm just pointing out that you don't have to rely on the flight modes for this.

This video incorporates what I'm talking about. All of these shots were done only with input from the sticks. I do an orbit around the dome of a building and later on I do an overhead shot of the pool.

Arnold LeVine · Mar 3, 2022

That is some great manual flying to hold that building centered while orbiting.

Tufargon · Mar 3, 2022

Yaros said:
I have been flying my Air 2 for a little more than 7 months now, most of the flights have done videos completely manually flying the drone.
Recently I tried to use the FocusTrack modes and I find them extremely useful, even on things that are stationary like buildings, for example.
It's so easy to make great shots of buildings with this mode because you don't need to worry about the gimbal and yaw, it is automatic!
To orbit in spotlight mode you just push the right stick left or right, and it will automatically start orbiting, focusing on the subject, super cool!
If you thought that Spotlight can be only used on trackable subjects (people and vehicles only) then it's not the case.
POI (Point of Interest) mode can be also used on buildings, works well, but you need to know how to use it. I tried to select a building and went to the fastest setting, it started orbiting and then lost the subject and an error message popped up. As far as I know this issue is fixed on the Air 2S, but for Air 2 users the simple fix for it is to start with the default (slow) speed, give the drone some time to calculate the height and dimensions of the subject. Then, if it recognizes the selected object as a non-trackable subject (that means it's not a car, boat or person) it will go into GPS orbiting, the selection box will change to an icon that looks like Google Maps logo in the center of the selected object and after that happens you can freely set the speed to whatever you want, move around, further away, higher, experiment around with the sticks, however you need to be careful because the Air 2/2S doesn't have side sensors, so do it on a reasonable altitude.

One thing I don't like about FocusTrack is that it doesn't work in high frame rates (higher than 30fps on most drones including Air and Air 2S), but that's fine for me. I prefer a smoother shot than higher frame rate anyway.

Here's a video that demonstrates it well.

Parkerjh · Mar 6, 2022

I was super happy when I figured this out to. Simple and easy to get quick real estate shots. I love flying towards subject property from about 50' and 100 feet away or so, marking front door in spotlight and slowing flying towards property and decreasing altitude. It's a great shot and with spotlight mode, it's one less thing to be concerned about (gimbal pitch) and shots come out looking like done by Hollywood.