Without question, DJI Mavic Pro is one of the most popular travel-friendly camera drones you can currently get capable of producing some stunning aerial videos straight out of the box. Optimizing its gimbal settings, however, could make it even more powerful and versatile filmmaking tool thus taking your aerial cinematography to a whole new level.
These particular settings could have an enormous impact on the cinematic look of the captured footage and utterly change the aesthetics of your aerial videos. To sort things out and walk you through the process, DJI has put together an in-depth video tutorial that covers all the necessary steps you need to follow to customize your Mavic Pro gimbal settings right the way you want.
To get started, tap the icon of three dots in the top right-hand corner of the camera view mode on your DJI 4 App to access the General Settings. Then, head on to the sixth icon down to the top located in the vertical left-hand navigation menu on your screen. The first setting that you’ll instantly get access to will allow you to change the Gimbal Mode. By default, it’s set to Follow.
In essence, this mode automatically adjusts the gimbal to maintain a level line during flight. The FPV mode, on the other hand, will disable the previous function as the gimbal will stay locked with the motion of the aircraft. For more smooth and professional looking shots, you will need to set the Gimbal Mode to Follow.
Gimbal settings of the Mavic Pro will also allow you to center your camera position and adjust the gimbal roll manually as well as perform quick gimbal auto calibration right off the bat. For more precise adjustments, however, you should play around with the Advanced Settings the DJI 4 App provides.
The Gimbal Tilt EXP slider, for instance, controls the speed of the camera when tilting up and down while rolling the gimbal dial on the Mavic Pro controller. If you want to have smooth and slow gimbal movement, set this adjustment to around 35 percent.
If for some reason you want to get a bit more flexibility in terms of your camera movement, you can enable the upwards gimbal tilt limit to 30 degrees. This function will allow you to move the camera above the horizon line. Be careful with the propellers, though, as they can easily get in your frame if you push the camera movement too much towards the top.
The third setting in the Advanced Settings menu allows you to adjust the Tilt Smoothness of the camera gimbal. This is another way to control the precision of your gimbal movements and make your shots look smoother and more cinematic. Also, make sure that Enable Synchronized Gimbal Pan Follow option is turned on. This function helps to provide smoother video when flying your drone in a circle. Finally, you can always restore your Advanced Settings by tapping Reset Settings option at the bottom of the Advanced Settings screen.
Ultimately, all of the above tweaks should help you to fine tune your gimbal movements hence helping you to capture more cinematic videos on the fly.
[source: DJI Tutorials]
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