I am close to getting a Y6 with GoPro and T-2D gimbal in the air, and I'm hoping to eventually get some great footage of friends on mountain bikes. To that end, I have some questions for videographers.
- What flight mode do you use? From watching videos online, I infer that it's common to use some equivalent of Loiter with Simple Mode. This would allow panning of the shot without affecting the drone's trajectory.
- What time of day is best? I would think sunrise and sunset would have less wind, but is the light a problem? Daytime would have better light, but how much wind does it take to make shooting pointless?
- Is there any use to scripting a shot using a mission, or is manual the only way to get decent footage of a moving target?
- Is Follow Me mode useful for getting good action shots?
- What software, if any, do you use to remove vibration artefacts from the video?
Thanks in advance. Looking forward to getting this camera up in the air and having some great footage to share.
Nick
Replies
This thread now contains a number of very helpful responses on this subject. Thanks to everyone who commented. I'll try to remember to update this once I have some experience in the area.
Yeah, a Y6 might be overkill for carrying a GoPro, but it's n
Comment got cut off. Trying again...
Yeah, a Y6 might be overkill for carrying a GoPro, but it's nice to have spare capacity so I can try other things. From other posts here I'm hopeful that with a 3DR Y6, T-2D, and GoPro I can keep landing gear and props out of the FOV.
Interesting to hear about yaw being a problem. I'll try what FlyingBuddha suggested here and use expo to smooth things out.
I definitely don't have the flying skills to get good footage in Stabilize yet, so I'll be relying on things like Pos Hold, or Loiter if the Pos Hold transitions are jerky.
I've heard lots of ways to fight vibration now, both at the camera and at the motor. I'll see if I can find an Android equivalent of your iPhone app.
Justin,
I've thought about mapping, but not terrain generation. I would like to try that someday, but I imagine it takes some serious (i.e. expensive) software, and possibly something better than a GoPro...?
I can picture a shot of ROI moving almost directly away from the subject, but slightly to the side... I will try that one. I'd also like to try setting the ROI slightly on the opposite side of the subject from the closest point in the flight line, so that as the copter drifts by the subject slides slowly from one side of the frame to the other. Could give an interesting parallax effect. Pan with yaw from a stable position sounds good too.
Thanks for the tips about flying low to keep the horizon from taking up too much of the frame. I hadn't thought about that.
Now if 3DR would just ship my T-2D gimbal adapter, I'd be able to get at it! :)
I want to preface that I'm mostly interested in the aerial mapping side of things, but I have learned a couple of things in the last year with video.
-I mostly use Loiter or AltHold, but have used Auto before to record myself and daughter running along a path. The videos came out good on straight aways, but looked bad when ever the Y6 had to execute a turn (This could be fixed with different PIDs).
- I agree, its best to remove all vibrations from the platform first. BALANCE Props/motors and the use of a gimbal will take out almost, if not all unwanted vibrations.
-I have my expos set ~35%. This gives me a nice "fluid" motion when yawing and rolling (side stepping). You may have to play around with this to get a nice feel.
- FPV helps to frame your subject.
Hm, I can see how Auto might not result in good footage when it has to make a turn - the code's goal isn't to make transitions that look good on video, is it? Were you using Follow Me, or did you set up a mission to fly the path at a particular speed?
Okay, so I will have to learn to balance props after all. So be it. ;)
Just looked up "expo". I like the idea of tweaking that to make turns smoother. I guess it's a tradeoff in responsiveness, but for shooting you'd definitely want it less sensitive to small movements.
I can't imagine trying to shoot footage without FPV. I have the GoPro hooked up to my video Tx, so I should be able to see exactly what I'm recording.
Good to hear!
I have some yaw twitching back and forth, as you say not really visible from the ground, but on video it is jarring. Not sure how to correct this without post-processing. Maybe I need to run autotune - have you done that with your current loadout?
I set up a mission to follow a running path and just tried to stay ahead of the multi-rotor till the end...for the final we let it fly over us. I just tried "Follow Me" two weeks ago and it works really nice, but again did not have a fluid motion in turns.
"expo" isnt a trade off...it works on an exponential curve. Move the stick a little and you get little response, move it all way and get full response. You can also program in "dual rates"...for instance I have a small wing when using if for combat, I have my throws and expo to "extreme response" mode (I can move and stick very little and wing rolls like crazy). When I want to just cruse around, I flip a switch and everything goes to "little response" mode (It takes forever to roll the plane).
there is a great dual rate visual around 11:15 into the video.
http://flitetest.com/articles/beginner-series-transmitters
The "follow me" function is neat when/if it is working. But I'm not sure i like the idea of a 5lb brick with 6 high speed spinning knives chasing after me while I'm not looking.....
Hi Nick,
Sorry about no responses, the fact is the discussion thread is perhaps sub-optimal for this sort of thing.
The way it is set up a lot of people who might respond, never even see the question because it goes by so fast (4 new responses to any discussion or Blog) on the main site.
Especially if it isn't directly APM or Pixhawk related.
I'll take a bit of a shot though I am not expert in this field.
Loiter is an especially useful flight mode (or the new improved Position Hold) as it is good for parking your copter in one spot and using it like a video tripod, easily yawing when desired or moving it up and down.
The new "Position Hold" mode is even better because it makes smooth slow flight from one "loiter" position to another easier.
Both of these require a good GPS lock with several satellites to perform well.
GoPro seems to handle most non overcast daylight situations well although generally videographers may favor either early or late for the shadows and atmospheric effects. (If you go to the built in no loss digital zoom it can get a bit grainy or jumpy in lower light).
One of the great possibilities that is not heavily exploited by the amateurs is using Autonomous modes to set up scripted shots.
It is most certainly possible with unlimited retakes: The Spline Mode might be one of the most interesting for this.
Clearly wind, lighting and serendipity will affect the outcomes (just like in normal shooting too).
Follow me mode is still very much a work in progress, but probably good enough currently for a very qualified yes.
Personally, my feeling is get rid of the vibration effects entirely at the camera.
A vibration mounted brushless gimbal can generally deliver pretty much vibration, jello and jerk free video.
Things like prop and even motor balancing can help, but the anti-vibration mounted brushless gimbal is really a necessary and adequate solution. The DJI ZenMuse is nice if a bit pricey and cheaper ones can still work remarkably well.
My friend Oliver has a very nice Hoverthings Flip FPV Pro that takes rock steady video on a $80.00 Chinese Brushless Gimbal - control board included.
Please feel free to check out the Quadcopter photography page on my Quadcopters Are Fun web site:
http://quadcoptersarefun.com/QuadcopterPhoto.html
Best Regards,
Gary
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