Quadcopterslike the DJI Mini seriesare designed with new pilots in mind. But whileDJI dronesare packed with beginner-friendly features, you still need to know how to make the most of them.
I know just what features to call on to make shots from the tiny drone look fantastic.
When I launched my first drone, I remember being filled with equal parts anxiety and anticipation. But, now that I’ve learned the ins and outs of my DJI Mini, I know just what features to call on to make shots from thetiny dronelook fantastic. For new pilots, unearthing key features like flight tutorials, safety options, camera settings, and preset flight patterns play a key role in both keeping that new drone safe and capturing epic shots.
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Yes, DJI drones come with a learning curve – but with these tips, you’ll crest the top of that hill faster.
Learn yourlocal laws before you fly. For US flights, the Air Control app will highlight any location restrictions, as well as essential data like weather.
Walk through a DJI drone flight tutorial at any time
DJI will teach you to fly right in the app
The DJI app will walk you through the ropes before you fly your drone for the first time. You can revisit this tutorial at any time.
How to install the DJI Fly app on Android and iOS
There are a couple of extra steps that you might not expect, but don’t worry, we’ll guide you through the process.
Set your safety parameters before you fly
Find all your drone’s safety options with ease
DJI’s menus are packed to the brim with options, but one that you should visit regularly is the safety menu. Why? This menu houses the different options that determine how your drone will behave if it ever loses connection to your controller. In most scenarios,Return to Homeis your best bet; it sends your drone back to where it took off if it loses contact. However, if you’re using a drone without omnidirectional obstacle detection, and you’re flying in an area with a lot of obstacles, you may want to tell your drone to hover in place instead.
In most scenarios, Return to Home is your best bet.
In the same menu, you may also set the return to home height. By default, this is often left high to avoid trees and buildings. However, if you are flying indoors or in an area where there are fewer obstacles at lower altitudes, you’ll want to tweak this setting too.
How to adjust the safety settings on a DJI drone:
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Adjust your camera settings for the best results
Switching to RAW mode and adjusting resolution is key to great stills
Adjusting the camera settings is one way to get great results from DJI’s cameras. The two biggest things to adjust are resolution and format. Learning manual camera settings is important too.
Many of DJI’s newest drones offer multiple resolution options. For example, the DJI Mini 4 Pro can shoot stills at 48 megapixels or 12 megapixels. However, bigger isn’t always better. Use the high-resolution mode when light is plentiful, such as when flying outdoors during the day. Use the lower resolution option when light is limited, such as when flying indoors or at sunset; the high-resolution mode will produce a grainy image in limited light.
You’ll be able to adjust exposure and white balance more easily.
One of the best ways to get the most out of a drone camera, even the small ones on DJI’s Mini series, is to shoot JPEG + RAW. RAW files require editing, but you have much more latitude. You’ll be able to adjust exposure and white balance more easily. If you don’t need to edit, JPEG + RAW mode means you still have the JPEG for quick sharing without opening an editing app.
In most cases, you’ll want to shoot video at the highest resolution possible and at least 30 fps frame rate. Increase the frame rate if you want to add slow-motion effects later. If you are only shooting for Instagram (which only uses 1080p) or are short on memory, you can lower the resolution for smaller file sizes but reduced quality.
How to adjust the camera settings on a DJI drone
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Use QuickShots for cinematic camera movement
Create pro-looking videos with just a few taps
QuickShotsare DJI’s preprogrammed flight modes that allow novices to create videos with cinematic flight movement. This is one of the easiest ways for new pilots to create a short, easily shareable video for social media.
Quick Shot modes include:
MasterShots is a similar DJI drone feature, only this mode shoots and then edits a series of camera movements together into one video.
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Use Waypoints to plan out flights
As you learn how to make your moves less jerky, try creating a custom flight pattern
Newer DJI drones include a feature calledWaypoints, which is a way to create a custom flight path and have the drone automatically fly between preset points. Besides customizing a complex flight path, Waypoints can also be saved, which allows you to return your drone to that exact same position later – a key took for shooting before and after photos months apart or shooting the same video but in different seasons.
You’ll need a compatible drone for Waypoints, a list that currently includes the DJI Mini 4 Pro, DJI Air 3, and the DJI Mavic 3 (regular, Cine and Classic models).
