Emilie Meyer
Taking 360-degree photos with a DJI drone is an exciting way to capture stunning visuals from the air. While the process may vary slightly depending on the specific DJI model, the fundamental steps involve flying your drone to the desired position, utilising specific apps to capture a series of images, and then stitching these images together to create a seamless 360-degree panorama. This paragraph serves as an introduction to the topic of capturing 360-degree photos with a DJI Mavic drone, and the subsequent paragraphs will delve into the detailed instructions and techniques for achieving this impressive feat of aerial photography.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Drone model | DJI Mavic Pro |
| App | DJI Go 4 App, Dronepan App, Litchi App, AutoPano App |
| Number of photos per row | 7 or 8 |
| Number of rows | 3 or 4 |
| Shooting mode | AEB |
| Camera maker | RICOH |
| Camera model | RICOH THETA S |
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What You'll Learn
Using the Litchi app
Litchi is an autonomous flight app that can be used to capture 360-degree panoramas with a DJI drone. It is compatible with the Mavic Mini 1, Mavic Air 2, Mavic 2 (Zoom/Pro), Mavic Air/Pro, and other DJI drone models.
To use the Litchi app for capturing 360-degree panoramas, follow these steps:
- Ensure that your drone is connected to the Litchi app and initialised.
- Familiarise yourself with the Litchi app's settings and features. The app offers a Panorama Database that allows you to stitch, view, and share panoramas. It also provides optimised camera and panorama settings to improve the chances of a successful stitch.
- Set up your camera focus if your camera has variable focus capabilities.
- Use the Auto Pano feature, which uses preset parameters to capture a 360-degree spherical panorama.
- Avoid stitching panoramas while the drone is in the air, as this process can be resource-intensive and time-consuming.
The Litchi app also offers additional features such as Track mode, which uses computer vision algorithms to keep your subject framed, and Focus mode, which assists in controlling the gimbal and drone's yaw axis for better horizontal movements.
Note that Litchi requires an internet connection during the initial setup to register with DJI servers. Additionally, some users have reported issues with overexposure when using the app for 360-degree panoramas, and manual adjustments to camera settings may be required.
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Shooting manually
If you're shooting manually, there are several options for flying your drone. One option is to manually fly it and capture images at intervals around a full circle. Start at the horizon and, if there are interesting clouds or mountains, you may want to start even higher. For best results, you'll want around a 50% overlap between images. For the Mavic Pro, this means about a dozen images around the horizon. Then, move your gimbal down about half a frame height and repeat the process until you are looking straight down. Finally, take a couple of images while rotating around that point (referred to as the nadir).
Another option for manual shooting is to use the Litchi flight app. First, put the shooting mode in AEB before you enter pano mode. Adjust the pano settings to your liking and then shoot.
You can also use the DJI Go 4 App to fly your drone to the position where you want to take a 360-degree photo. Then, run the Dronepan App and go to the settings menu. Set the number of photos per row and the number of rows. Select the "play" button, which takes around 3 minutes to take all the photos automatically. All the photos will be saved on your SD card as usual.
It's important to note that shooting manually can be time-consuming and battery-draining. Additionally, the final resolution of a full 360-degree panorama can be challenging to display, and you may need to crop out the best sections.
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Using the Dronepan app
To take a 360-degree panoramic photo using the DronePan app, follow these steps:
First, ensure that your drone is updated to the latest firmware before using DronePan. This is important for the app to function properly.
Next, open the DronePan app and go to the settings menu. Set the parameters as follows: Number of photos per row: 7, and number of rows: 4. These settings will determine the number of photos DronePan will capture to create the panorama.
Once the settings are configured, select the "play" button, and the app will automatically start capturing the photos. This process usually takes around 3 minutes to complete. You can then fly your drone to another location to begin capturing another panorama if desired.
After capturing the photos, you can stitch them together using your preferred panorama stitching software. Some popular options include PTGui, AutoPano Pro, and Microsoft Image Composite Editor (ICE).
DronePan is a free, open-source app that makes it easy to capture panoramic photos with various DJI drones, including the Mavic Pro. It utilizes the live FPV screen to help you fly to the appropriate altitude and frame your shot. The app then automatically captures photos at the necessary yaw and pitch to create the panorama.
Keep in mind that DronePan relies on the flight mode switch to operate. To yaw the aircraft, the switch must be in the 'F' position to allow the app to control your drone. Additionally, there is a known issue with video feed disconnection when switching between third-party apps and the DJI GO app. To avoid this, follow the recommended steps outlined in the DronePan FAQs until a permanent solution is found.
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Uploading to Facebook
Uploading your DJI Mavic 360-degree panorama photo to Facebook is a straightforward process. Firstly, you will need to ensure that your photo is saved in a format that Facebook recognises as a 360 photo. To do this, go into your file explorer, find the image's file properties, and change the camera maker to "RICOH" and the camera model to "RICOH THETA S".
Once you have the image ready, you can upload it to Facebook in the usual way. If you are using an iPhone, simply open the Photos app, tap on your 360 photo, tap to share, and select Facebook.
If your 360 photo lacks Exif data, you will need to fix this before uploading. You can use photo editing software, such as Photoshop, to manually add the missing data. This gives you full control over metadata but requires some technical expertise. Alternatively, you can use an online tool such as Pano Fixer, which will automatically add the required data to your photo.
Another option for sharing your 360 photos is through PanoCool, a platform that allows immersive sharing. Using a custom domain with PanoCool can enhance your brand, improve user experience, and boost search visibility.
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Stitching photos together
To stitch photos together to create a 360-degree panorama, you can use photo stitching software. One option is to use the DJI Fly app, which can stitch 26 photos together to create a spherical panorama. However, some users have reported issues with the app, such as errors in the horizon line, and prefer to stitch the photos manually on their PC.
There are several photo stitching software options available, both free and paid. Some popular options include:
- PTGui: This software allows you to stitch hundreds or even thousands of photos together into a seamless 360-degree spherical panorama. It offers a trial version, but stitched panoramas will have a visible watermark. A personal license costs €175 or US$205.
- PanoramaStudio 3 Pro: This software is a paid option that some users prefer over PTGui, as they find it does a better job with less fuss.
- Hugin: This is a free option that delivers nice results, according to users. However, one user reported installation errors on a 64-bit Windows 7 system.
- MS ICE (Image Composite Editor): This software offers a "simple panorama" and "auto-detect" feature to help stitch photos together.
- Panoweaver: This software allows you to stitch fisheye or normal photos into a 360-degree panoramic image. You can then export the image to various players, such as Easypano Virtual Tour Player, QuickTime VR, and Flash VR, to view the panorama in an immersive 360-degree experience.
When using photo stitching software, it is important to ensure that your photos have adequate overlap to create a seamless panorama. This may require some experimentation and adjustment of your drone's gimbal angle and rotation. Additionally, using a high-resolution camera and a fisheye lens can help capture more detail and reduce the number of photos needed to create the panorama.
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Frequently asked questions
You can use the Litchi app, which is available on the App Store and Google Play Store. You can also use the DJI Go 4 App, Dronepan App, and the MS ICE (Image Composite Editor) program.
First, fly your drone to the desired location. Then, switch to the Litchi app and choose Pano from the upper left menu. Tap the start capture button and your drone will take the necessary stills to create a 360-degree image. Once the capture is complete, switch back to the DJI Go 4 app to land your drone and remove the MicroSD card to load it into your computer.
Run the DJI Go 4 App and fly your drone to the desired location. Then, run the Dronepan App and set the parameters (number of photos per row: 7, number of rows: 4). Select the “play” button and the app will take the photos automatically. Run the DJI Go 4 App again to land your drone and remove the SD card. Copy the images from the SD card into a folder on your PC and run the MS ICE program. Select “New panorama from images”, choose all the images, and make sure “simple panorama” and “auto-detect” are selected.
In the file explorer, go to the file properties and change the camera maker to “RICOH” and the camera model to “RICOH THETA S”. This will allow Facebook to recognize the photo as a 360 image.
