Total Noob

[akdrone]

All of these tips are spot on including Vic's channel so the only thing I would add is to consider some full courses on videography, whether online or through some excellent texts out there. I know text books are hard to fathom these days but a text on the subject is going to be full of information and detail that would take hours and hours to locate online. There are many such texts with a wealth of information that would augment. I donated a library of same and can't come up with a single name. Online there are several courses mentioned here. 6 Best Videography Courses & Classes Online in 2021 [UPDATED]. In addition to that fundamental check on videography, a search on the term "photographic composition" is a very important starting point for anyone doing either photography or videography. Understanding basic "rules" of composition is terribly important to mastering subject placement and so much more. Enjoy the journey!

 

[CaptainRisky]

So here's an issue I'm running into.

If I adjust the exposure for the kind of color I want, the blacks and in particular the shadows become way too dark. If I adjust for reasonable darks the rest of the image seems overexposed.

Yesterday I flew over the farm using the goggles. I had an ND16 filter on, EV 0.3-1.0 depending on angle to the sun and WB at 5500. Looked pretty good, you could see the clouds in the sky but also the shadows, and the histogram was slightly to the right.

But it was still overexposed (I'll edit it and put some up later), and the greens were whitish. I'd have said that was fair enough due to the conditions, but while using the goggles I accidentally hit a couple of still shots on what I guess were the auto settings, and check this out:



Sky is blue, fields are green and the shadows are good. Same filter. So it can be done with some sky in the pic (which I really like).

If my video was this good I'd be delighted. Can it be as simple as reading the settings in camera mode and using them in video?

I am looking at those training courses that were linked as well, thank you.

 

[TerryToast]

Jack, put your drone in Auto mode and forget about the ND Filters. That’s what I do and my vids are pretty good, take a look for youself.

My best advice (in this order of importance) is
1. Fly smoothly
2. Film in good lighting (magic hour)
3. Use a variety of cinematic shots. Such as fly forwards, fly backwards, fly side wards, film straight down, etc.
4. Edit your footage and make a final video that is short and interesting with good music

And have fun!

 

[Lister]

I agree with TerryToast. At first, use auto everything and concentrate on learning positioning and moving the aircraft. ND filters and precision exposure adjustments can come once you're safe and competent with the flying bit.