photo editing, tutorials
Advanced DRONE Hyperlapse
Welcome to our blog dedicated to exploring the fascinating world of Advanced DRONE Hyperlapse! Whether you’re a photography enthusiast, a drone enthusiast, or simply love capturing stunning visuals, this blog is the perfect destination for you. In this rapidly evolving era of technology, drone hyperlapse has taken aerial cinematography to breathtaking new heights. It combines the mesmerizing effect of time-lapse with the dynamic movement of drones, creating jaw-dropping visuals that ignite our imagination. Join us as we delve into the technical aspects, techniques, and creative possibilities of Advanced DRONE Hyperlapse, unraveling the secrets behind this cutting-edge art form that pushes the boundaries of visual storytelling.
Advanced DRONE Hyperlapse
In this video, we’ll show you how you can take your drone hyperlapses to the next level. The hyperlapse mode came out in the new DJI Mavic 2, and today we’ll be shooting with the Mavic 2 pro. Here’s a look at what we’ll be doing.
Shooting RAW Images
The first thing you want to do is make sure that you are shooting RAW images with your Mavic. This will allow for more flexibility in post-production. Once you have your drone in the air, identify your point of interest that will serve as the main focal point for your hyperlapse. For example, in this case, I’m going to use a structure on the roof of our building as the focal point. Take the time to frame the shot how you’d like it. Here, at an altitude of 218 feet, we can have the camera tilted down to our focal point but still get some other horizon and skyline in our shot for added visual interest.
Selecting Hyperlapse Mode
Now, tap the controller icon to switch flight modes. Select hyperlapse and then make sure you choose to save when it asks if you’d like to save the individual photos of the hyperlapse. Also, make sure you have enough card space to do so. We’re using a 16 gigabyte microSD card which should be plenty.
Circle Hyperlapse
There are a few different hyperlapse options, but we want to do a circle hyperlapse, so we’ll select that. We’re also happy with the default settings of 2-second intervals between shots, creating a 5-second long hyperlapse. Now, just draw a box with your finger around your target focal point. Once the app is able to lock on to it, just tap the Go button on the right and let the app do the rest of the work. It’ll run a quick calculation and then get to work shooting the photos. In this case, it will shoot 125 photos that’ll make up our hyperlapse.
Editing in Lightroom
Once it’s done, DJI will then process all the images to create a hyperlapse automatically, which is fine for some instances, but we can do better. Let’s head back and start editing. Since we saved 125 images as DNG files, we’re going to import them into Lightroom to edit. Start by applying one of our presets, and in this case, the MS portrait one looks best. We’ll also just adjust the white balance a little and add a little dehaze to it. We can even use graduated filters to bring in some warmth of the sunset. Once we’re happy with the edit, highlight all the other photos and click sync. Check all the boxes and hit synchronize. This will apply all the adjustments we made to the first photo to the other 124 images. We can then export all the photos as high-res JPEGs. Just make sure that each photo is named sequentially, so since we have 125 photos, we’ll choose the “a1” option to ensure each photo ends up in the right order.
Post-production in After Effects
If you want to follow along with our post-production process but you don’t have the ability to take a hyperlapse drone shot, we’ve included all of the individual JPEGs we just exported in the description below for you. Today, we’re not going to process the hyperlapse with After Effects. You can use Premiere to get some of the basics accomplished, but for the more advanced techniques, After Effects is definitely the way to go.
First, we’ll go to File > Import > File and navigate to our photos we just exported. We’ll click on any one of the photos and click the Options button down at the bottom. We’ll ensure that “Create Composition” and “Import as JPEG Sequence” are both checked, and then let’s click Open.
Now, After Effects has automatically created the composition for us with the entire hyperlapse. We’ll just right-click on the composition and choose Composition Settings. Since we edit all of our videos on a 23.976 frames per second timeline, we want to change the composition to match.
If we play back the footage, you can see it’s not entirely smooth. The drone wavers a little bit. So, we’re going to stabilize it to fix that. Start by trying the Warp Stabilizer because when it works, it makes your job a lot easier. In this case, you can see it’s causing some weird stuff to happen with the building. So, we’re gonna try another method.
We’ll just click on the clip and in our Tracker window, we’ll click “Stabilize Motion”. We’ll choose position and then find a spot on our main building to use as a basis for the stabilization. In this case, we’re going to use the entire windowpane as our tracking point and go ahead and track through our footage. After it’s complete, we just want to scrub through the footage to make sure the tracker did a good job of locking onto our target point. If you find that the tracker jumps around and has issues locking in, try picking another spot on your footage that has a lot of contrast.
Now that we’ve stabilized the scene, it may still look a bit jittery. To fix that, we’ll right-click on our footage and go to Frame Blending > Pixel Motion. If you want to see the effect that pixel motion has on your footage, enable the “Master Frame Blending” switch. But right now, we’ll leave it off because it slows down After Effects a lot.
Next, we need to pre-compose our footage. This is basically After Effects’ version of nesting something. Right-click and select Pre-compose. Make sure “Move all attributes” is selected, and then click OK.
Since these are individual photos, there’s no motion blur. So, let’s add a little. We’ll go to Layer > New > Adjustment Layer and call it “Motion Blur”. In the Effects panel, we’ll add CC Force Motion Blur and leave the default settings intact for now. Just make sure to activate the motion blur layer before your final export.
Lastly, let’s replace the sun in the footage with a lens flare. We’ll motion track the sun using the tracker window, create a null object to store the tracking information, and then create the lens flare effect.
That’s it! With these advanced techniques in After Effects, you can take your drone hyperlapses to the next level.
Frequently Asked Questions – Advanced DRONE Hyperlapse
What is Advanced DRONE Hyperlapse?
Advanced DRONE Hyperlapse is a cutting-edge technique that allows you to create mesmerizing time-lapse videos from aerial drone footage. It combines the unique capabilities of drones with advanced stabilization algorithms to capture smooth and dynamic footage.
How does Advanced DRONE Hyperlapse work?
Advanced DRONE Hyperlapse merges multiple frames captured by the drone over a set duration into a single time-lapse video. The drone moves along a predetermined flight path while capturing images at regular intervals. These images are then combined, aligned, and enhanced to produce a fluid and captivating hyperlapse video.
What equipment do I need for Advanced DRONE Hyperlapse?
To create Advanced DRONE Hyperlapse videos, you’ll need the following:
- A high-quality drone with a stabilizing gimbal
- A compatible camera capable of capturing images at regular intervals
- An advanced drone flight planning application for designing the flight paths
- Video editing software with hyperlapse capabilities for post-processing
What are the benefits of using Advanced DRONE Hyperlapse?
Advanced DRONE Hyperlapse offers several advantages:
- Stunning visuals: It allows you to showcase landscapes, cityscapes, and other environments in a visually stunning and captivating manner.
- Smooth and dynamic footage: The advanced stabilization algorithms ensure that your hyperlapse videos are incredibly smooth and free of unwanted camera shakes.
- Unique perspectives: By utilizing drones, you can capture footage from unique angles and heights, offering viewers a fresh perspective of the scene.
- Time-saving: Advanced DRONE Hyperlapse automatically combines and processes the captured frames, saving you time in post-production.
Are there any limitations to Advanced DRONE Hyperlapse?
While Advanced DRONE Hyperlapse is an incredible technique, it does have some limitations to consider:
- Weather conditions: Harsh weather conditions, such as strong winds or heavy rain, can hinder the drone’s stability and affect the quality of the footage.
- Battery life: Drones have limited battery life, so it’s essential to plan your flight paths accordingly to ensure enough footage is captured.
- Legal restrictions: Depending on your location, there may be legal restrictions and regulations for flying drones, so it’s important to check and comply with local laws.
Can I learn Advanced DRONE Hyperlapse techniques?
Absolutely! There are various online resources, tutorials, and courses available that can help you learn and master the art of Advanced DRONE Hyperlapse. Many drone photography and videography communities also provide valuable insights and tips.
I hope you find useful my article Advanced DRONE Hyperlapse, I also recommend you to read my other posts in my blog at this link.
If you need help with anything join the community or do not hesitate to contact me.
Best of luck! and follow your passion.
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