Top-down panorama problem on MP2

[PilotPercy]

Hello MavicPilots,

Back in the day i used to take top down panorama shots in the MP1 - I set the camera tilted down 90 degrees to the ground, select horizontal panorama and take a series of 3x3 photos which I would stitch together in Lightroom to create a single panoramic photo.

When I try to do this in my MP2, after I have pressed the shutter release button, the camera repositions itself and takes a standard horizontal panorama.

Any tips on how I can stop this happening and take topdown panoramas on my MP2?

Thanks in anticipation.

John

 

[Meta4]

Any tips on how I can stop this happening and take topdown panoramas on my MP2?

Forget the automated panorama feature and shoot your images manually.

 

[PilotPercy]

Forget the automated panorama feature and shoot your images manually.

OK. Any tips on shooting manually? I enjoyed the automated feature and got great results on the MP1

Is there a bug with topdown panoramas on the MP2 or is the automated feature not available? Would love to know more.

 

[Talldiver]

I usually shoot manually but will try the 90-degree down and then the automated panorama. Stay tuned.

 

[JimWest]

I don't know that I've ever shot 90 degrees straight down, but I often shot panoramas. If the angle is very steep, the aircraft will swivel around to face the opposite direction for the last shot.

 

[EricJT]

OK. Any tips on shooting manually? I enjoyed the automated feature and got great results on the MP1

Is there a bug with topdown panoramas on the MP2 or is the automated feature not available? Would love to know more.

I asked this in the past, and the answer is DJI Go4 in 3x3 pano mode repositions the camera to the horizon for the first frame in the center of the pano.

The only thing I can alter is position the camera angle slightly downwards to get less sky....or at least that is what I somehow convinced myself to.

 

[Not A Speck Of Cereal]

OK. Any tips on shooting manually?

The shooting part is not too difficult: just overlap each frame by about a 1/3 both horizontally and vertically. Actually, you can look at how DJI overlaps them when doing it auto and use that same ration (if it looks like they overlap 50%, use that).

The stitching together is another story. It depends on the software you have. I prefer using Photoshop, some folk prefer Lightroom. A good free option is Microsoft ICE (if you can find an install). Probably the strongest stitching software is an application specifically made for the task, PTGui.

I stitch manually with DNGs even when if I use the DJI auto program (with the setting to save DNGs turned on) because the in-Mavic created JPG pano is, like, so 8-bit. With RAW files, you can work in 16-bit and have a lot more headroom to work with dynamic range.

Chris

 

[Chuck715]

I have recently used the grid tool found at ancient.land and discussed in the Litchi and control program forum, to create waypoints for Litchi missions. It creates waypoints for your drone that set the gimbal pitch and take a photo at each waypoint. Then you stitch these photos together in whatever stitching software you use. It does a really good job.

 

[EricJT]

I stitch manually with DNGs even when if I use the DJI auto program (with the setting to save DNGs turned on) because the in-Mavic created JPG pano is, like, so 8-bit. With RAW files, you can work in 16-bit and have a lot more headroom to work with dynamic range.

Chris

I stitch the DNG's with PTGUI, export the pano in TIFF format and then edit the TIFF in On1 Photo Raw. From On1, I crop, resize to 7680x2160 (for my dual 4K Monitors wallpaper) and export as a JPEG.

 

[Not A Speck Of Cereal]

I stitch the DNG's with PTGUI, export the pano in TIFF format and then edit the TIFF in On1 Photo Raw. From On1, I crop, resize to 7680x2160 (for my dual 4K Monitors wallpaper) and export as a JPEG.

Yeah, those panos make excellent dual mon wallpapers.

Chris

 

[Not A Speck Of Cereal]

I have recently used the grid tool found at ancient.land and discussed in the Litchi and control program forum, to create waypoints for Litchi missions. It creates waypoints for your drone that set the gimbal pitch and take a photo at each waypoint. Then you stitch these photos together in whatever stitching software you use. It does a really good job.

This is fantastic! Do you have to create a new mission for each location? Because it seems they would be location bound (and therefore not usable in other locations).

Chris

 

[Robert Prior]

A wasteful option would be to take a spherical panorama, saving the shots, and stitch just the ones you want in the stitching program of your choice.

 

[Chuck715]

This is fantastic! Do you have to create a new mission for each location? Because it seems they would be location bound (and therefore not usable in other locations).

Chris

Chris, yes, your use the grid tool to create the waypoints for the location you are interested in. Then you export to a CSV file that Litchi can import. Using Litchi Mission Hub, you import the CSV and make any tweaks you may want. At this point you can export the mission as a 3D KML file and import it directly into Google Earth and basically see your virtual mission path. You save each mission in the mission hub as usual and the mission hub will sync automatically with your tablet or whatever device you use with your RC. If you go to the Litchi and Control Software forum and look for the Grid Missions thread, there is a link to a really helpful YouTube link for the whole process.

 

[Chuck715]

Chris, yes, your use the grid tool to create the waypoints for the location you are interested in. Then you export to a CSV file that Litchi can import. Using Litchi Mission Hub, you import the CSV and make any tweaks you may want. At this point you can export the mission as a 3D KML file and import it directly into Google Earth and basically see your virtual mission path. You save each mission in the mission hub as usual and the mission hub will sync automatically with your tablet or whatever device you use with your RC. If you go to the Litchi and Control Software forum and look for the Grid Missions thread, there is a link to a really helpful YouTube link for the whole process.

Here is the link Grid Waypoint Mission Tool for Litchi

 

[Not A Speck Of Cereal]

Cool, thanks Chuck.

 

[Meta4]

This is fantastic! Do you have to create a new mission for each location? Because it seems they would be location bound (and therefore not usable in other locations).

A simpler and more flexible option would be to use DroneDeploy to plan, fly and acquire the images.

 

[PilotPercy]

The shooting part is not too difficult: just overlap each frame by about a 1/3 both horizontally and vertically. Actually, you can look at how DJI overlaps them when doing it auto and use that same ration (if it looks like they overlap 50%, use that).

The stitching together is another story. It depends on the software you have. I prefer using Photoshop, some folk prefer Lightroom. A good free option is Microsoft ICE (if you can find an install). Probably the strongest stitching software is an application specifically made for the task, PTGui.

I stitch manually with DNGs even when if I use the DJI auto program (with the setting to save DNGs turned on) because the in-Mavic created JPG pano is, like, so 8-bit. With RAW files, you can work in 16-bit and have a lot more headroom to work with dynamic range.

Chris

Thanks Chris,

I will have a go at manual stitching., Thanks for the feedback, very much appreciated.

Regards

J

 

[PilotPercy]

A wasteful option would be to take a spherical panorama, saving the shots, and stitch just the ones you want in the stitching program of your choice.

Seems like a good option

 

[JimWest]

I tried straight down shooting a panorama with my M2P this morning, and it worked just fine. It down straight down, then raised the gimbel to shoot in the direction it was facing, and swiveled around to shoot in the opposite direction.