Time lapse with movement

[Citizen Flier]

I have not tried a time lapse with M2P yet. The better TL sequences shot from the ground have slight directional movement on a track to subtly change perspective over time this can be as little as 18” over 10-20 mins or much longer.
Can the Mavic be set to make a slow steady movement over time while recording time lapse? I know Icould never do this smoothly enough with the sticks. A 100’ rise with modest rotation could yield an excellent TL sequence. It would have to be very slow & smooth.

 

[Not A Speck Of Cereal]

The M2P has something called hyerlapse. It takes a sequence of photos over time while the craft moves at a relatively slow speed. But the speed isn't slow enough and the course isn't straight enough.

As an avid ground-based time-lapse photographer, I can tell you that results right out of camera are underwhelming. You can save stills and put them together in post, allowing you to process the raws and create your own video, so you can do keyframe-based adjustments to the sequence, but you're still using the same shots that weren't kept very steady.

I have seen decent results from some people. Most of them are with the craft not moving. Some people have some luck doing post-sequence creation stablization (warp stablize of the resulting video).

An idea I haven't tried yet that I find interesting: take a long sequence of shots (maybe using the hyperlapse feature, if it will let you do it) in ATTI mode and just let the aircraft drift. Of course, you have to keep an eye on the craft (ready at the sticks in case it drifts close to an obstacle), but it could be the smoothest method.

Chris

 

[Citizen Flier]

The M2P has something called hyerlapse. It takes a sequence of photos over time while the craft moves at a relatively slow speed. But the speed isn't slow enough and the course isn't straight enough.

As an avid ground-based time-lapse photographer, I can tell you that results right out of camera are underwhelming. You can save stills and put them together in post, allowing you to process the raws and create your own video, so you can do keyframe-based adjustments to the sequence, but you're still using the same shots that weren't kept very steady.

I have seen decent results from some people. Most of them are with the craft not moving. Some people have some luck doing post-sequence creation stablization (warp stablize of the resulting video).

An idea I haven't tried yet that I find interesting: take a long sequence of shots (maybe using the hyperlapse feature, if it will let you do it) in ATTI mode and just let the aircraft drift. Of course, you have to keep an eye on the craft (ready at the sticks in case it drifts close to an obstacle), but it could be the smoothest method.

Chris

Yeah, I meant to say Hyperlapse but Time Lapse is the term I'm used to. I thought about the drift. Any movement helps keep the sequence from being too static. I was wondering if I could plot a course & have the unit make the moves slowly over 10-15mins. It would be really nice to have a nice slow rise that might reveal a vista over water or something. TL has to show a transition, like a sunset, fog or cloudscape, otherwise might as well just shoot video. thnx.

 

[Not A Speck Of Cereal]

It's just course lock -- point it one direction and hit Go. I think you can also do POI, so it will move the camera to keep it pointed there, but the aircraft course is still straight. (Someone correct me if I'm forgetting something.)

For things like rising / lowering altitudes and banking on waypoints would require something like LITCHI Waypoint missions, but I don't think they do time-lapses yet. It might be a tough thing to do.

Chris

 

[gnirtS]

As far as im aware there are waypoints in hyperlapse mode to do exactly that (although i use POI and the course lock exclusively).

 

[Made2Phly]

I have not tried a time lapse with M2P yet. The better TL sequences shot from the ground have slight directional movement on a track to subtly change perspective over time this can be as little as 18” over 10-20 mins or much longer.
Can the Mavic be set to make a slow steady movement over time while recording time lapse? I know Icould never do this smoothly enough with the sticks. A 100’ rise with modest rotation could yield an excellent TL sequence. It would have to be very slow & smooth.

On my M2P, the Waypoints function allows change in velocity (I think), altitude, yaw, and gimbal tilt from waypoint to waypoint. This I learned this from YouTube, which is the source of all knowing. Seriously though, Waypoints has some very useful options which seem to be undocumented in DJI manuals and are not very intuitive.

As it happens, I learned some of this from a YouTube on hyperlapse. Happy lapsing!

 

[Citizen Flier]

Looks like a local forum member has it down. Thanks SteveCA

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[Dakarenduro]

Yes Hyperlapse Waypoints does exactly what you are referring to- movement in any direction, altitude changes along the way, camera gimbal changes along the way.

 

[Citizen Flier]

I often shoot stills of Mtn Biking, and can't always find a rider to be in the shots. I've reluctantly used myself, but so far just for static shots. (I hide the SC against my right side, and just snap stills with the shutter button, hidden from view) I'm thinking that Active Track & timed interval shooting (hyperlapse) would track me on the bike and fire off frames every few seconds as programmed. I don't like not having the SC in my hands, but perhaps a pouch at chest level, with my neck strap would do, if terrain is relatively smooth. Am hoping it would be this simple, but reality rarely is. I've heard of attaching SC to handlebars, but that sounds too risky. Anyone tried this technique or similar? Thnx

 

[Dakarenduro]

A quick hyperlapse I just flew tonight. Course lock with a POI selected to show some movement. This is without any post stabilization processing.

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[Citizen Flier]

So you used course lock, but how did you achieve the camera rotation -Point of Interest?

 

[Dakarenduro]

Yes, I set a courselock following the purple direction. Then I highlighted the end of island (red box) and pressed GO!

7kmh speed, 2second interval, a 13 second length. altitude 70meters

 

[boblui]

A quick hyperlapse I just flew tonight. Course lock with a POI selected to show some movement. This is without any post stabilization processing.

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Is the footage synthesized by the drone ? if it is, it has already been stabilized.

 

[Dakarenduro]

Yes, done via the drone. But still has some jitter/shake to it which could be cleaned up in post. This flight was I think about 800m long during the hyperlapse. That is a lot of room for the drone to drift!

 

[boblui]

Yes, done via the drone. But still has some jitter/shake to it which could be cleaned up in post. This flight was I think about 800m long during the hyperlapse. That is a lot of room for the drone to drift!

My experience is that that stabilization done by the drone is very good already. The remaining shaking cannot be removed in post by software such as Premiere Pro or Davinci Resolve

 

[Dakarenduro]

good to know, because i do all my post production on an android tablet and dont have anything to put together/clean up a hyperlapse! thanks.

 

[Not A Speck Of Cereal]

The only trouble with in-drone stablization is that you have to be happy with 1080. If you want 4K, you have to save off the DNGs and compile the sequence in post, which has no built-in stablization (you need to stablize it in an editor or After Effects).

 

[boblui]

The only trouble with in-drone stablization is that you have to be happy with 1080. If you want 4K, you have to save off the DNGs and compile the sequence in post, which has no built-in stablization (you need to stablize it in an editor or After Effects).

Not just that, the footage synthesized by the drone is also heavily cropped. out-of-the drone footage vs that composed from RAW image files :

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[Not A Speck Of Cereal]

Not just that, the footage synthesized by the drone is also heavily cropped. out-of-the drone footage vs that composed from RAW image files :

Yeah, but stablization will likely result in cropping either way. Perhaps the drone footage is cropped more than would be in an editor though.