The DJI Air 3, certainly one of DJI’s newer drones, has typically been known as among the best all-around drones launched in 2023 for freshmen and fanatics alike.
Let’s take a look at this drone’s images and videography greatest settings to deliver out the Air 3’s highest-quality imagery.
On this article, we can be going over photograph and video-related definitions, suggestions, and the very best settings for ISO, Body Price, Shutter Velocity, White Stability, and Coloration Profile settings for the DJI Air 3.
Finest Video Settings at a Look
With regards to “Finest” for any topic, it might probably all be very subjective.
In gentle of this, our “Finest” video settings are merely settings that we advocate or recommend for getting probably the most out of the Air 3 digicam.
Be happy to check and mess around with varied video settings to get the very best setup to your model of video capturing.
- ISO 100
- 24/30 FPS
- 1/50 or 1/60 Shutter Velocity
- Handbook White Stability
- D-Log M (10-bit coloration), H.265
- MP4 video format
- 4k Decision
» MORE: DJI Air 3 Assessment – Is This the Drone for You?
Professional Mode (Pictures and Movies)
Similar to a DSLR or Mirrorless digicam, the Air 3 has varied settings that may be manually modified to your liking to realize the very best and {most professional} images and cinematic video footage.
To attain the very best photograph and video settings on the Air 3, it is going to be important to get out of Auto/Computerized settings and into DJI’s Handbook digicam settings, known as Professional mode.
To get to Professional mode when capturing video:
Step 1: Whereas in video mode, faucet the digicam icon on the underside proper of the DJI Fly app dwell view display screen.
Step 2: If the video settings are presently set to Auto, tapping the digicam icon will then change the mode to Professional.
» MORE: DJI Air 3 Newbies Information (Step-by-Step Information)
To get to Professional mode when taking images:
Step 1: Whereas in photograph mode, faucet the digicam icon on the underside proper of the DJI Fly app dwell view display screen.
Step 2: If the photograph settings are presently set to Auto, tapping the digicam icon will then change the mode to Professional.
» MORE: The best way to Join the DJI Air 3 to a Laptop (Video)
Aperture
Right here’s a fast phrase in regards to the aperture on the Air 3.
The Air 3’s twin digicam system makes use of two separate apertures for the cameras. The 24mm wide-angle digicam has a set aperture of f/1.7 whereas the 70mm tele digicam has an aperture of f/2.8.
Can the aperture on the Air 3’s cameras be adjusted?
No. In contrast to the cameras on the professional-level Mavic 3 Sequence, the aperture on each of the Air 3 cameras is fastened, so that they can’t be adjusted in any respect to help in correctly exposing pictures or altering the depth of subject.
» MORE: Digicam Expertise in Drones (Defined)
ISO
ISO is the title for the operate that measures a digicam sensor’s sensitivity to gentle. This can be utilized and adjusted for each images and movies.
On the Air 3, ISO 100 is the bottom, or darkest worth, and when capturing video it may be as excessive as 12800 in evening mode (brightest).
Normally, whether or not capturing video with the Air 3, or any drone, the decrease the ISO the higher.
Low ISO values make sure that the video footage will not be noisy or grainy. It’s instructed that, every time the state of affairs permits, shoot with an ISO worth of 100.
After all, like with something in images and videography, you would possibly have to make exceptions to this rule.
There could also be instances when the “keep at ISO 100 rule” will have to be damaged, to realize higher scene publicity.
With the Air 3’s foremost 24mm broad digicam having such an open and quick aperture of f/1.7, capturing at ISO 100 is good.
» MORE: Drone Images Planning (Defined for Newbies)
To alter the ISO when capturing video:
Faucet ISO on the Professional Settings. As soon as within the ISO choices, use the slider to decide on ISO.
To alter the ISO when taking images:
Faucet ISO on the Professional Settings. As soon as within the ISO choices, use the slider to decide on ISO.
» MORE: What Is Drone Images? (Defined for Newbies)
Frames per Second (Video Solely)
The body price of a video or its FPS means what number of frames are shot throughout a given second. The upper the worth, the extra frames are in that given second.
When it comes to drone footage, frames per second aren’t as crucial as it’s for floor digicam footage the place one may be filming live-action sequences that have to be slowed down or precisely rendering dialogue between characters.
That isn’t to say FPS will not be necessary in any respect with regards to drone video. Usually, drones are filming scenes from a good distance, showcasing total areas, so oftentimes a low frame-per-second price of 24 or 30 is ideal.
We’ll take a look at just a few capturing situations and the right frames per second to seize the footage.
» MORE: DJI Mini 3 Professional for Actual Property Images (All You Have to Know)
Sweeping Scenic Views
When capturing areas with broad and delightful vistas, mountains, and lazy water views, 24 or 30 frames per second works nice.
24 frames per second is the common cinematic video customary and one thing that we’re accustomed to seeing in films.
When capturing at 24 FPS, it’s good to needless to say there’s little or no room for slowing the footage down, as that’ll lead to uneven and jittery video footage.
When capturing in 24 frames per second, you will have to be very easy on the management sticks to keep away from jerky flight motion exhibiting up within the footage.
30 frames per second can be utilized whenever you’d prefer to barely decelerate the footage in video modifying software program, to offer it a smoother general look. Movies shot in 30 FPS could be slowed down by 80% in submit.
The advantage of capturing in 30 frames per second and barely slowing the footage down is that the footage is then smoothed out some.
That is particularly helpful if the drone operator is a bit jerky on the flight sticks.
» MORE: 3 Tricks to Market Your Enterprise With Drone Images and Videography
Gradual Movement Footage
The Air 3 has upped the ante by having full 4k 100 fps video, as a normal. The precise slow-motion footage is 2.7k 200 fps.
If planning to shoot slower-motion footage, and utilizing it in a 24 fps timeline, this may be achieved by capturing at both 60 or 100 fps.
You would possibly need to shoot at these body charges to seize close-up views of operating water, fast-moving boats which might be kicking up massive wakes and spray, and even faster-moving individuals and animals.
If you’re in search of much more drastic slow-motion pictures, the Air 3, as talked about, is able to capturing video at 200 fps.
If trying to decelerate 60 fps footage on a 24 fps timeline in your video editor, you are able to do so at 40%, whereas the 100 fps footage could be slowed all the way down to 24%.
Word: To get the very best video high quality, you’ll need to set your Air 3 to document in 4k decision if you’re planning on capturing footage between the 24 fps and 100 fps vary. If capturing at 200 fps, the Air 3 will drop all the way down to 2.7k decision.
» MORE: Finest Drones for Evening Time Use (Images & Video)
To alter the FPS (Frames per Second) when capturing video:
Step 1: Faucet the video decision and fps on the Professional Settings. On this instance, mine is 4k 30.
Step 2: Within the RES&FPS part, use the slider to decide on FPS.
Shutter Velocity
Shutter pace serves two very distinct functions with regards to images and movies: publicity and movement blur.
» MORE: Images with Mini 3 Professional (For Newbies)
Publicity
In case your images or video must be brightened or darkened, exterior of the ISO values, you possibly can up the shutter pace, which can darken the footage, or sluggish the shutter pace, which can brighten the footage.
The Air 3 will robotically regulate the shutter pace when in Auto Mode, to brighten or darken the scene.
Movement Blur (For Pictures)
For drone images, you would possibly need to seize one thing in movement as a blur.
You’ll significantly see this in panorama images the place there’s operating water within the type of waves or waterfalls, and the water has a dreamlike comfortable impact.
This comes from utilizing a excessive shutter pace.
» MORE: Autel vs. DJI – Which Drones Are Higher?
Correct Movement Blur (For Video)
Movement blur is an important facet of capturing movie. If the shutter pace is simply too low, then video footage will look extraordinarily blurred, whereas too excessive a shutter pace will outcome within the footage being uneven.
With regards to capturing video, the shutter pace shouldn’t be used to correctly expose the video, however as a substitute, it needs to be used to obtain correct movement blur.
To do that, the 180-degree rule comes into play.
The 180-degree Rule
With regards to shutter pace and reaching the right movement blur for the FPS you might be capturing in you’ll have to have your shutter set to double (180 levels) your body price.
This implies if you’re capturing at 24 frames per second, you’d need your shutter pace to be double that, on this case, 1/50 of a second, because the Air 3 doesn’t have a 1/48 choice.
For 30fps, 1/60, and for 120fps, 1/240.
With the 180-degree rule utilized, your entire footage can have the right movement blur the attention is accustomed to seeing in video footage.
» MORE: Drone Cinematography- Getting Began in Drone Filmmaking
To alter the Shutter Velocity when capturing video:
Step 1: Faucet the shutter pace. In my instance, it’s 1/30.
Step 2: Underneath the Shutter part, change the slider to the worth you’d like to make use of.
To alter the Shutter Velocity when taking images:
Step 1: Faucet the shutter pace. In my instance, it’s 1/4000.
Step 2: Underneath the Shutter part, change the slider to the worth you’d like to make use of.
» MORE: Finest Drone Video Editor (With Screenshots)
White Stability
The white steadiness choice within the Air 3, as with each digicam, evens out the colour temperature in a picture or video to make the picture look extra pure (eradicating extreme yellow or blue casts).
That is completed by bringing in reverse coloration temperatures that assist deliver the whites again to impartial, which impacts the whole coloration of the footage.
The Air 3 permits the white steadiness to be set to Auto, even when capturing in Professional mode, so that you’ll need to concentrate on this.
Manually Choose White Stability
When selecting the very best settings for video, you’ll need to take the white steadiness out of auto mode and set it manually.
This may increasingly appear tough at first because the Air 3 doesn’t have a specific set of white steadiness profiles like Sunny and Cloudy, which was within the DJI Go 4 app
Why ought to the white steadiness be set manually, as a substitute of letting the Air 3 select it?
It is because because the lighting situations change periodically the Air 3 will attempt to change the white steadiness of the footage whereas flying by way of a scene.
This may typically be jarring if too drastic or seem unprofessional for these delivering paid content material to purchasers.
As an alternative, it’s higher to set the white steadiness, shoot the scene, and if the sky will get cloudy or sunnier, cease capturing, regulate the white steadiness, after which proceed capturing.
» MORE: Advantages of Drone Videography (Defined for Newbies)
To set the white steadiness manually when capturing video:
Step 1: Faucet WB.
Step 2: Use the slider to manually regulate the white steadiness.
When taking photos, you could both select to set the white steadiness manually or let the Air 3 select the white steadiness robotically.
To both set the white steadiness manually or to auto when taking images:
Step 1: Faucet WB.
Step 2: To manually regulate the white steadiness, use the slider. To set the white steadiness robotically, faucet Auto.
» MORE: Enhance your Aerial Images with these useful suggestions
Coloration Profiles (Video Solely)
The Air 3 presently has three coloration profiles: Regular, HLG, and D-Log M. The Regular coloration profile is 8-bit, whereas HLG and D-Log M are each 10-bit.
With regards to coloration depth (8-bit or 10-bit), we’re referring to the quantity of coloration and the number of shades a digicam can document in.
The upper the bit depth, the extra colours can be utilized to boost a video’s element and visible high quality. With this comes higher, extra life like, or much more creatively color-graded footage.
Movies recorded in 8-bit make the most of RGB utilizing 256 colours per channel, which means 8-bit can show a bit over 16 Million colours (16.7 Million to be actual).
Compared, movies recorded in 10-bit use 1024 coloration ranges per channel, displaying over 1 billion colours (1.07 Billion). With all of this entry to paint and shades, footage could be extra true to life.
Word: Since we’re speaking about the very best video settings for the Air 3, we encourage you to shoot within the 10-bit coloration profiles, which might be HLG and D-Log M.
» MORE: DJI Air 3 Vertical Mode (Video)
D-Log M
D-Log M is a toned-down variant of D-Log and a reasonably flat video coloration profile used particularly in DJI drones.
The D-Log M 10-bit coloration profile comprises extra info and dynamic vary than the conventional coloration profile.
Due to this, it may be modified and adjusted and is good for making use of Cinematic LUTs (lookup tables) for a extra movie-like look.
When D-Log M is chosen, the footage can be recorded in 10-bit. Moreover, when recording in D-Log M, the h265 codec (high-efficiency video coding) is robotically utilized. You can not change it to h264.
Word: Though the h265 codec is of upper high quality, it does take up extra SD card house than the h264 codec. This can trigger the machine you might be utilizing for modifying to work more durable and probably slower.
Capturing in a 10-bit coloration profile allows you to extensively color-grade your footage in a video editor with out the concern of destroying the footage, because of coloration artifacts associated to pushing the colour too far.
» MORE: Suggestions for Capturing & Modifying Drone Movies (Information for Newbies)
HLG (Hyper Log Gamma)
HLG is even simpler to work with in video editors if you wish to color-grade. Like D-Log M, HLG can be a 10-bit, h265 coloration profile, with the next dynamic vary than the conventional coloration profile.
HLG additionally has a punchier, much less flat picture than D-Log M, making coloration manipulation simpler. For HLG, including slight distinction and saturation improves the general footage in comparison with that of the conventional coloration profile.
Like with D-Log M, you possibly can select from a wide range of LUTs to get the cinematic look you are attempting to realize.
» MORE: The best way to Fly DJI Air 3 Drone (With DJI RC 2)
To decide on coloration profiles on the fly with no need to enter the principle DJI Fly settings:
Step 1: Faucet on the present coloration profile. Mine is ready to HLG right here.
Step 2: Underneath Coloration, select the profile you wish to use. Keep in mind, HLG and D-Log M use the h265 codec.
A Tip for Capturing Higher Video
ND Filters
ND filters are a kind of merchandise that when you by no means have to make use of one, you may not even know they exist. ND filters act as sun shades for cameras.
If you’re utilizing the settings instructed on this article, exterior of ISO, there aren’t many issues one can do to vary the publicity of the video footage being shot.
The apertures on the Air 3 cameras are fastened at both f/1.7 (24 mm) or f/2.8 (70 mm). They will’t be used to darken the footage by selecting a extra clamped-down f-stop like you possibly can on the Mavic 3 sequence.
Additionally, to keep up correct movement blur, the shutter pace must be double the body price, so the shutter pace can’t be used to darken the footage both.
Within the case of the Air 3, when correctly capturing video, the one accessible choice for footage that’s too shiny is to make use of an ND filter. The filter will average the quantity of sunshine coming into the digicam.
There are fairly just a few producers that make ND filters for the Air 3.
We advise the next:
» MORE: Drone Images: Newbie’s Information to Getting Began
Photograph Associated Settings
For many of this text, we talked in regards to the settings that have an effect on each images and movies. We’ll now contact on the very best settings for taking images.
For the picture taken under, I used the entire settings talked about on this part.
Image Format (RAW)
Like with all DJI superior and prosumer drones, the Air 3 has the choice to shoot images in JPG or RAW codecs.
For the very best images on the Air 3, it’s instructed the RAW format be used.
RAW recordsdata are uncompressed, unprocessed recordsdata that comprise all the data the Air 3s twin digicam system collects.
This info would come with picture colours, dynamic vary (highlights & shadows), white steadiness, and so forth., all of which it is possible for you to to regulate inside photograph modifying software program.
RAW recordsdata additionally take up extra space than the less complicated JPG format, by greater than 20 instances as a lot in some cases.
» MORE: Drone Images for Actual Property (Finest Drones and Practices)
Side Ratio (4:3)
For images (and cinematography), the facet ratio of a picture is the proportional relationship between a picture’s width and peak.
The Air 3’s photograph facet ratios are both 4:3 or 16:9.
The 16:9 facet ratio is usually acknowledged as a large panorama ratio and solely makes use of a selected portion of the digicam sensor to crop the picture to suit the broad ratio.
We advise utilizing the 4:3 ratio.
Whereas the 4:3 ratio produces a extra square-looking photograph, the whole picture sensor is getting used. In case you’d prefer to crop the picture to the ratio you’d prefer to submit in photograph modifying software program, this will simply be achieved.
» MORE: DJI Mini 3 Professional – The best way to Change Video Settings (Video)
Decision (48 MP)
Though the Air 3s cameras are technically 12 MP, DJI has employed the utilization of Quad Bayer expertise.
Quad Bayer expertise makes use of the small pixel aperture of the Air 3’s twin cameras and will increase decision by breaking every pixel into 4s, which then will increase sharpness.
As an alternative of only a 12 MP sensor, the digicam can act as a 48 MP sensor.
The one situation I’ve observed with utilizing the 48 MP picture choice is that, in some cases, randomly, the image would possibly endure from chromatic aberration.
Chromatic aberration is the place there’s noticeable purple or inexperienced fringing. This may simply be lowered in photograph modifying software program.
To set or change the photograph settings from inside the dwell view display screen:
Step 1: Faucet anyplace on the left facet of the Professional mode part.
Step 2: Select the Format, Side Ratio, and Decision choices you prefer to modified.
» MORE: The place Is the Serial Quantity on DJI Air 3 (Answered)
Composition Associated (Pictures and Video)
The DJI Fly app has fairly just a few instruments to help within the composition of photograph and video footage. Turning these on can support in framing your pictures and retaining topics center-frame if that’s what you’re going for.
Grid Strains
Gridlines are damaged into 2 varieties, with the addition of a middle goal.
These being:
Rule of Thirds
The Rule of Thirds overlay has 9 equal blocks that divide every body.
There are 4 intersecting factors on these strains and putting your topic on a number of of those intersecting factors creates extra compelling compositions than simply having the topic in the midst of the display screen
Diagonal and/with Heart Goal
These strains support in framing up your shot. This would possibly appear to be a double-edged sword.
For some, the diagonal strains could also be an added distraction, whereas, for others, they’re helpful whenever you’d like a specific topic (boat, jet skier, or one thing else) to be entrance and middle within the image.
To entry the gridlines and middle goal choices:
STEP 1: Open the choices menu within the higher right-hand facet of the DJI Fly app dwell view display screen.
STEP 2: Go to the Digicam Tab.
STEP 3: Scroll all the way down to Gridlines and select both Diagonal, Rule of Thirds, Heart Goal, or all three.
Use the Tele Digicam
One of many foremost attracts of the Air 3, except for its cost-to-feature ratio, is the addition of a second digicam.
This second, 70 mm equal tele digicam is nice for including one other artistic dimension to each photos and movies.
The 70 mm lens, with the usage of parallax strikes, provides a much-needed perspective and cinematic worth to video footage, in addition to giving nonetheless images the benefit of capturing any topic from additional away.
When capturing any content material on the Air 3, it typically pays to take action in each 24 mm and 70 mm when doable.
