In this article, I'm going to share with you how the Autel Evo flies. In addition to myself, I had two friends of mine with little or no drone flying experience test fly the drone and asked them to answer a few basic questions about their experience. But first a quick note on Autel Customer Service. In setting up the drone and getting it ready to fly, I discovered I needed to do a firmware update. When I did the update, it failed and so I called Autel tech support and got to talk to a person right away. (BTW, I didn't tell them I was doing a … [Read more...] about Autel Evo drone – How easy is it to fly?
Drones
First look: Autel Evo drone
The Autel Evo was originally released in June 2018, and has gone through various updates and improvements since that time. This article will be looking at it in its current state running firmware version 1.3.46 and is the first in a three-part series. Below is a first look and focus on the basics of the drone, what's in the box and general observations. Part two will showcase how it flies. Here I'll have two people fly the drone who have no drone flying experience and include their feedback in the article and I will also fly the drone and give … [Read more...] about First look: Autel Evo drone
How to register your drone with the FAA as a recreational flyer
This is a follow-up article to Hobbyist drone flyers must register their drones. As of February 23, 2019, even if you are flying your drone for fun and recreation, and not for business purposes, you need to register your drone with the FAA. You'll register under Section 336. The good news is that you only need to register once every three years and you use that same FAA number on all your drones. Yes, you need to display the FAA registration number on the outside of the drone where it is readily visible. So let's get started. First, go to the … [Read more...] about How to register your drone with the FAA as a recreational flyer
DJI Go 4 app: Basic setup for your drone, part two
In this two-part video series, I will be going through the different sections of the DJI Go 4 app. The idea here is to get you in the air with the basic settings rather than an in-depth exploration of each one. I’ll be using my Inspire 2 drone with an iPad, which may have some options you don’t and some options you do, but the basics are there for most of the DJI drones and I will cover most of those. The Android version may also look different, but the basics are still applicable. Click here to view part one. Let's get started. Fly safe … [Read more...] about DJI Go 4 app: Basic setup for your drone, part two
What strength ND filter do I use on my drone when capturing video?
In this video, I'm going to show you one way you can determine which strength ND filter to use when you are shooting video. I always shoot my videos in Manual mode. I also try to keep my aperture between f/3 and f/5.6. This range gives me the sharpest images. I also want to maintain my desired shutter speed and ISO. So my only real option is to use ND filters. I have ND filters that range from 2 stops to 4 stops. I can also stack two of them if I need a darker ND filter because my camera allows me to screw on the filters. An example of ND … [Read more...] about What strength ND filter do I use on my drone when capturing video?
DJI Go 4 app: Basic setup for your drone, part one
In this two-part video series, I will be going through the different sections of the DJI Go 4 app. The idea here is to get you in the air with the basic settings rather than an in-depth exploration of each one. I'll be using my Inspire 2 drone with an iPad, which may have some options you don't and some options you do, but the basics are there for most of the DJI drones and I will cover most of those. The Android version may also look different, but the basics are still applicable. So let's get started. Fly safe and have fun! DJI … [Read more...] about DJI Go 4 app: Basic setup for your drone, part one
Using AirMagic to process your drone photos
In this article and video, I'm going to show you Skylum's new drone specific software, AirMagic, for taking your drone photos, both JPG and DNG RAW, and quickly producing beautiful results with them. How does it work? Here's how Skylum describes it: There’s no doubt drone photos look breathtaking. You can see our world from places previously unreachable. But drone photos often lack quality. You may spend ages getting that one shot with a drone, and then you may spend even more time making it look perfect with manual editing. That’s why … [Read more...] about Using AirMagic to process your drone photos
AirMagic provides one-click editing solution for drone photographers
Tomorrow, Skylum's newest software program — AirMagic — hits the market. I've had a chance to try it out for the past couple weeks. And despite the fact that I'm not a drone photographer, I have to say I'm impressed with what this program can do. Despite the fact that I don't have a drone, I know several people who do. And they all have the same complaints. Their photos are often hazy, not sharp and just not that professional quality. This means they have to spend a ton of time editing their photos. AirMagic changes that, offering a one-click … [Read more...] about AirMagic provides one-click editing solution for drone photographers
Hobbyist drone flyers must register their drones
This requirement has gone back and forth, but for now, as a hobbyist drone flyer, you must register your drone if it weighs more than 0.55 pounds. You have to register even if you are just flying in your backyard. The steps that the FAA lays out for Recreational Fliers is: Step 1: Register your drone To register your drone, you need to create an account. You do that here. Once you create your account, you can login and proceed to register the drone. To register you must be at least 13 years old. If you are less than 13 years old … [Read more...] about Hobbyist drone flyers must register their drones
Learning the basics helps you take better photographs with your drone
While I've written a number of drone articles on flying and photography, I feel like this one will help tie many of those together. Taking photographs with your drone involves a lot of different skills. So here are some things for you to explore that I hope will help you on that journey. Most of these examples use DJI products, but the basic techniques can be applied to any brand of drone. I also think you'll find it much easier to explore many the basics on the ground rather than try to figure them out while you're flying (except for the ones … [Read more...] about Learning the basics helps you take better photographs with your drone
Hobbyist drone flyers must display FAA registration on the outside of drone
The FAA is making some important changes in the area of drones. One of which that may directly affect you is that as of February 25, 2019, hobbyists — like commercial drone pilots — are now required to display their FAA-issued registration number on the outside of the drone, where they are easily visible. The reason for enacting this was a concern by FAA's interagency security partners of hidden or concealed explosive devices that would pose a potential threat to first responders if they have to open a compartment on the drone when arriving on … [Read more...] about Hobbyist drone flyers must display FAA registration on the outside of drone
360 degrees of flexibility and a new perspective: Taking photographs with a drone
While taking photographs with your drone is very similar to taking them from the ground, it's also very different. For me, the difference lies in two main areas. One is in the new perspective a drone offers by being in the air above everything. The other is the ease with which you can change your position from a few feet to thousands of feet from the initial launch point. Your camera can be raised or lowered in altitude, it can be moved forward, backward, right and left. You have 360-degrees of flexibility with your camera that you didn't have … [Read more...] about 360 degrees of flexibility and a new perspective: Taking photographs with a drone
Quick Tip: Learning to fly a drone takes practice and a plan
To begin your practice, find an open field without tall obstacles, such as trees and buildings. If you can start practicing on a light or no wind day. As you get better, begin flying in windier conditions. Flying in windier conditions will improve your flying abilities. Check out the full article here, Becoming A Better Drone Pilot – Part 1 Fly safe and have fun! DJI Mavic Air at B&H DJI Mavic Pro at B&H DJI Mavic Pro 2 at B&H DJI Mavic Pro Zoom DJI Phantom 4 Pro at B&H BJI Inspire 2 at B&H … [Read more...] about Quick Tip: Learning to fly a drone takes practice and a plan
Free Perfectly Clear Webinar | Tuesday, January 29, 2018
Join Chris Anson as he shares some of his insights for making the best pictures while piloting your drone. He'll also show some powerful techniques for finishing them in Perfectly Clear Complete. Everything is a little different when your camera is flying, so don't miss this webinar to help you become a better drone photographer. Tune in live at 12 p.m. Eastern, 11 a.m. Central, 10 a.m. Mountain and 9 a.m. pacific to participate in giveaways and ask questions. The webinar will be recorded for those who can’t join in live. Register for this … [Read more...] about Free Perfectly Clear Webinar | Tuesday, January 29, 2018
First look: ProGrade Digital UHS-II SDXC II V60 and V90 Memory Card and MICROSDXC DUAL-SLOT USB 3.1 reader
While ProGrade Digital is a new player on the scene, the founders of ProGrade Digital are veterans in the industry, from companies like Lexar and SanDisk, bringing their extensive expertise in design, development and manufacturing in creating top products. Their focus as a company is on memory cards, card readers and workflow software. ProGrade Digital's mission is to provide the highest quality professional grade digital memory cards and readers in the industry with a focus on imaging professionals. In this article, we'll take a first look at … [Read more...] about First look: ProGrade Digital UHS-II SDXC II V60 and V90 Memory Card and MICROSDXC DUAL-SLOT USB 3.1 reader
Getting a Drone Airspace Authorization in 60 seconds using LAANC
As an FAA Certified Part 107 pilot, if the area you want to fly in is within five miles of an airport, and that airport airspace is controlled airspace, then you will need to get an Airspace Authorization to fly there. In the past, this has required submitting a request through the FAA portal and could take from 30 to 90 days or even longer. Now, If you are lucky enough to live in an area that has the new LAANC (Low Altitude Airspace Notification Capability) system active, you can often get authorization in 30-60 seconds once you submit the … [Read more...] about Getting a Drone Airspace Authorization in 60 seconds using LAANC
Processing DJI Drone DNG using Perfectly Clear as a plug-in
Editor’s Note: Perfectly Clear is offering Photofocus readers a special $99 bundle, including Perfectly Clear Complete and SharkPixel presets. A $163 value! In this article, I'm going to show you how you can process your DJI Drone DNG RAW Photographs using Perfectly Clear 3.5. Since Perfectly Clear doesn't yet support the DJI Drone cameras, you will need to launch Perfectly Clear as a plugin from inside editing software that supports the Perfectly Clear plugin. I'm going to show you how to do that with Lightroom, Photoshop and Capture One Pro. … [Read more...] about Processing DJI Drone DNG using Perfectly Clear as a plug-in
Aerial HDR Photography using a UAV with Aurora HDR 2019, part 1
This article consists of 2 parts. This is part 1 of 2. In this 2 part article, we're going to explore creating a 3 image HDR merge in Aurora HDR 2019. I’m using RAW photographs from my Inspire 2 X5S camera shot in DNG RAW shooting AEB (auto exposure bracketing) mode taking 3 photographs. One challenge in shooting multiple exposures with a drone is that there can be a slight change of position between the photographs, even at faster shutter speeds because of GPS drift, wind, and other variables. Because of this, I will use a high ghost … [Read more...] about Aerial HDR Photography using a UAV with Aurora HDR 2019, part 1
Drone aerials single exposure HDR with Aurora 2019, part 2
This article consists of 2 parts. This is part 2 of 2. You'll find part 1 of this article here. In this 2 part article, I'm going to show you how you can enhance a single image in Aurora 2019. I'm using RAW photographs from my Inspire 2 X5S camera shot in DNG RAW. One of the challenges with the DJI DNG RAW is that it can take a lot more work to create a good looking photograph from it. I was very interested to see how Aurora 2019 handled this challenge. Let's take a look. Full disclosure: I received a copy of Aurora HDR 2019 for review … [Read more...] about Drone aerials single exposure HDR with Aurora 2019, part 2
How to apply haze removal tool selectively in Affinity Photo
In this article, I am going to show you how I use the masks and the Haze Tool in Affinity Photo to apply it selectively. The above panorama consists of six photographs shot with my DJI Inspire 2 drone using the X5S camera and an Olympus 12mm f/2 lens. I corrected each photograph in Capture One Pro using the Lutify LM-RAW-CL-Chiara-25 LUT and then made further adjustments. I then exported the six photographs as 16-bit TIFF files to AutoPano Pro, stitched them together and exported the final result as a 16-bit TIFF. The next step is to take it … [Read more...] about How to apply haze removal tool selectively in Affinity Photo
Drone aerials single exposure HDR with Aurora 2019, part 1
This article consists of 2 parts. This is part 1 of 2. In this 2 part article, I'm going to show you how you can enhance a single image in Aurora HDR 2019. I'm using RAW photographs from my Inspire 2 X5S camera shot in DNG RAW. One of the challenges with the DJI DNG RAW is that it can take a lot more work to create a good looking photograph from it. I was very interested to see how Aurora 2019 handled this challenge. Let's take a look. Full disclosure: I received a copy of Aurora HDR 2019 for review purposes. As always, I am giving you … [Read more...] about Drone aerials single exposure HDR with Aurora 2019, part 1
A better drone photographer – Using Lutify LUTs with DJI DNG RAW files in Capture One Pro 11
In this article, I'm going to show you how I use Lutify LUTs in Capture One Pro 11 (CO 11). These LUTs will work in any software that supports LUTs like Affinity Photo, Luminar 2018, Photoshop, and Lightroom. The package you choose will determine whether it supports the RAW image for that product. Also, I contacted Lutify directly and was provided a free version of these LUTs for this review. As always, I will give you my honest review of the product. Lutify is kindly offering a 10% discount coupon for Photofocus readers on any of their … [Read more...] about A better drone photographer – Using Lutify LUTs with DJI DNG RAW files in Capture One Pro 11
Video editing basics in DaVinci Resolve 15: The Color page, part 3
The Color page videos are broken down into 3 parts. This is part 3 of the 3. Other parts of my DaVinci Resolve 15 installments are in the links below. DaVinci Resolve 15 - Media Page article here. DaVinci Resolve 15 - Edit Page - Part 1 article here. DaVinci Resolve 15 - Edit Page - Part 2 article here. DaVinci Resolve 15 - Edit Page - Part 3 article here. DaVinci Resolve 15 - Color Page - Part 1 article here. DaVinci Resolve 15 - Color Page - Part 2 article here. In video editing, my primary tool is DaVinci Resolve. While I do use Final … [Read more...] about Video editing basics in DaVinci Resolve 15: The Color page, part 3
Video editing basics in DaVinci Resolve 15: The Color page, part 2
The Color page videos are broken down into 3 parts. This is part 2 of the 3. You'll find the DaVinci Resolve 15 - Media Page article here. You'll find the DaVinci Resolve 15 - Edit Page - Part 1 article here. You'll find the DaVinci Resolve 15 - Edit Page - Part 2 article here. You'll find the DaVinci Resolve 15 - Edit Page - Part 3 article here. You'll find the DaVinci Resolve 15 - Color Page - Part 1 article here. In video editing, my primary tool is DaVinci Resolve. While I do use FCPX for some things, I have a real fondness … [Read more...] about Video editing basics in DaVinci Resolve 15: The Color page, part 2
Quick Tip: Speed up your editing in DaVinci Resolve
Here is a simple way to speed up your editing in DaVinci Resolve. With clips, there are many times where we want to remove from the beginning or end of the clip. The fastest way I know to do that is. Move the play head over the clip where you want everything to the left of it removed Press the Command/Control, Shift, [ keys. [ is the left square bracket. Move the play head to the right side of the clip where you want the remaining part of the clip removed Press the Command/Control, Shift, ] keys. ] is the right square … [Read more...] about Quick Tip: Speed up your editing in DaVinci Resolve
Video editing basics in DaVinci Resolve 15: The Color page, part 1
The Color page videos are broken down into three parts. This is part 1 of 3. You'll find the DaVinci Resolve 15 - Media Page article here. You'll find the DaVinci Resolve 15 - Edit Page - Part 1 article here. You'll find the DaVinci Resolve 15 - Edit Page - Part 2 article here. You'll find the DaVinci Resolve 15 - Edit Page - Part 3 article here. In video editing, my primary tool is DaVinci Resolve. While I do use Final Cut Pro X for some things, I have a real fondness for DaVinci. One thing to note is that it requires a more … [Read more...] about Video editing basics in DaVinci Resolve 15: The Color page, part 1
Video editing basics in DaVinci Resolve 15 – The Edit Page, part 3
The Edit page videos are broken down into 3 parts. This is part 3 of the 3. You'll find the DaVinci Resolve 15 - Media Page article here. You'll find the DaVinci Resolve 15 - Edit Page - Part 1 article here. You'll find the DaVinci Resolve 15 - Edit Page - Part 2 article here. In video editing, my primary tool is DaVinci Resolve. While I do use FCPX for some things, I have a real fondness for DaVinci. One thing to note is that it requires a more powerful graphics card than FCPX. The good news is you can try it for free to see if … [Read more...] about Video editing basics in DaVinci Resolve 15 – The Edit Page, part 3
Video editing basics in DaVinci Resolve 15 – The Edit page, part 2
The Edit page videos are broken down into three parts. This is part 2 of the 3. You'll find the DaVinci Resolve 15 - Media Page article here. You'll find the DaVinci Resolve 15 - Edit Page - Part 1 article here. In video editing, my primary tool is DaVinci Resolve. While I do use Final Cut Pro X for some things, I have a real fondness for DaVinci. One thing to note is that it requires a more powerful graphics card than FCPX. The good news is you can try it for free to see if your computer can run it. The free version of DaVinci Resolve … [Read more...] about Video editing basics in DaVinci Resolve 15 – The Edit page, part 2
Video editing basics in DaVinci Resolve 15: The Edit page, part one
The Edit page videos are broken down into 3 parts. This is part 1 of the 3. You'll find the DaVinci Resolve 15 - Media Page article here. In video editing, my primary tool is DaVinci Resolve. While I do use Final Cut Pro X (FCPX) for some things, I have a real fondness for DaVinci. One thing to note is that it requires a more powerful graphics card than FCPX. The good news is you can try it for free to see if your computer can run it. The free version of DaVinci Resolve 15, both Mac and Windows, can be found here — you will find it on the … [Read more...] about Video editing basics in DaVinci Resolve 15: The Edit page, part one
Quick Tip: Slowing down your panning speed can reduce jitter in your drone videos
Are you having problems with your drone videos having a smearing or jitter during your panning from left to right or from right to left? If so, try slowing down how fast you pan. That will often result in jitter-free video. See the full article, "Becoming a Better Drone Videographer: Reducing Jitter in Your Drone Footage" here. … [Read more...] about Quick Tip: Slowing down your panning speed can reduce jitter in your drone videos
