DJI MINI 4 PRO // 7 REASONS YOU NEED TO USE THIS FLIGHT MODE!

Why did it take us so long to discover the potential of DJI's cruise control function?! This is a perfect mode for all creators, but especially solo pilots who need that extra automation to pull off some nice moves of themselves when they are out and about. Here are 7 reasons you need to use cruise control.
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[@rkgibbons]

Another excellent way to create these kinds of shots is to use Waypoints. You can control the start position and end position without needing to fiddle with the joysticks at all....with the ability to make adjustments anywhere along the path as required (rather than just having one set motion as with Cruise Control). Of course, Waypoints aren't as good for spontaneous shots. You have to spend some up-front time setting them all. So both functions have value.

[@DroneFilmGuide]

100%. We are headed up into the hills with the mountain bikes to test some waypoint ideas. Like you say, if you don't have to worry about the end point of the drone's move then I think we'll be able to produce some moves that would otherwise have been either too risky or too difficult to pull off. Cheers!

[@Canucks2024-m2u]

Thank you both for your content and sharing. I was wondering the question I think your comment answered: "Can you make in-flight adjustments to a cruise or waypoint flight path to simplify a pilot's area of focus? Is setting-up a waypoint program the easiest or best way, say for a car shot. wherein the speed is obviously out of my control, but I'd also like to adjust other parameters as well? Thanks again!

[@thejohnsoriano]

🎯 Key Takeaways for quick navigation: 00:57 🕹️ *Cruise control helps in achieving smooth and controlled maneuvers, especially during partial stick movements, reducing the risk of pilot error.* 02:33 🎮 *For solo flying scenarios, cruise control becomes beneficial for achieving controlled movements without relying heavily on manual stick inputs.* 03:58 🔄 *Cruise control offers flexibility in creating cinematic shots without the limitations of active track and spotlight modes, providing smoother results in various scenarios.* 04:29 🎬 *Cruise control allows introducing subjects into the frame after setting up maneuvers, adding suspense and storytelling to shots, unlike focus track modes.* 05:40 🌳 *Cruise control enables capturing shots with foreground elements, like trees, passing between the camera and the subject, adding depth and visual interest.* 06:25 📸 *Cruise control is advantageous for creative compositions, overcoming limitations of tracking modes, especially when dealing with partial subjects or low-light environments.* 07:47 🚁 *In scenarios like filming weddings, cruise control offers a time-efficient and smoother alternative to manual control, providing better results even for experienced pilots.*

[@mfthedronepoet9745]

Hey Stewart, compliments of the season. Something you may want to try - Hold the stick between your thumb and pointing finger, it gives way more control and this is the way we fly RC planes and other RC using sticks

[@InfiniteSuccessAcademy]

You can stack the maneuvers as well. So if you start with a backing away maneuver, you can also add an ascend stick and touch the Cruise control button again, you will have a dronie like maneuver. Then, if you add some left or right stick, and tap the cruise control again, you will have a nice orbit while it flies away from you, and ascends. Each time you touch the cruise control button, you will see a "Crise Control Updated" on your display screen. So, in this way, cruise control can become as simple or as elaborate as you want. I think it is an indispensable feature.

[@cgustaff4807]

Is there a way to ease in and out of cruise control? Another words, be able to start slow to the speed you want and once switched off, to ease out or slow down at a specific rate. I think the function would simulate more an aerial dolly, if you will. Thanks.

[@DroneFilmGuide]

Nice idea but that's not how it works at the moment I'm afraid.

[@Skysurferdrones]

am about to dive into the world of drones... i also have the mini 4 pro and am learning fpv in the simulator on the side.. good vid

[@brianjordan8990]

Wow!!! How did I not think to use this??? What a great idea. And video. Thanks for putting this out. I doubt I wound ever have even thought about using cruise control. Great video. 👍🏻

[@Meg.Burrage]

Your videos are AMAZING Stewart! Thanks so much for the time it's taken to do these. I've just ordered my very first drone (Mini 4) and will be following ALL your training!!

[@grooveecard]

LOVE Stewart and Alina's videos! Whenever I'm looking for info on my drone or to improve my game, this is where I come. Great video, guys!

[@DroneFilmGuide]

Thank you for that!

[@rickkenyon8486]

Great out of the box thinking...it also gives us the opportunity to do what we bought a drone for initially which was to fly

[@DroningaboutIreland]

Hello S&A, yes Cruise control is great especially in freezing cold weather where even basic manoeuvres are difficult.

[@DroneFilmGuide]

Very true!

[@stevepaterson2]

I swear by cruise control and it's my go to for most manoeuvres. Thanks for sharing.

[@fletcherbrown728]

Thanks for enlightening me on cruise control. I have never used it but will jump on it tomorrow.

[@boblupo]

As always, great stuff!!! Thank you for helping us stay creative!

[@Dadtech.]

You are correct with this. I was so excited to have that feature on my Air 3 n iv bearly used it but this gives me plenty of food for thought on my drone hikes. Thank you

[@frankinblackpool]

I was afraid to try Cruse Control in case the Obstacle Avoidance did not work. I last, and only ever, used Cruse Control with my original Mavic Pro where I followed all the instructions, yet it ploughed into trees and was never seen again. If DJI has improved safety features to avoid obstacles then I'm willing to give it another try. I can see potential for a Dolly Zoom, rather than trying to faff with Waypoints and camera commands.

[@Julio260375]

What! I didn't know this was available, thank you for this video 🙂

[@Al-Kwadrone]

Great advice, Stewart! 👍🏼

[@veronicapachulski]

Wow did not know about it! Thanks very much I will try it my next flight 👍

[@mucy2807]

lol ❤ just bought my first drone today 😊

[@opticonor]

Just happened to watch this one day before going to Iceland 😂 this is gonna be so useful, thank you!

[@HEATHERTITUS]

this is really good for the type of footage I want to capture. Thank you for sharing.

[@RonaldBrown59]

Your right, I do need to use the Cruise Control feature more. As a drone reviewer, I always demo new features like this when I first get a new drone, and talk about how great it is. And then forget to use again. Great video Stewart, thanks for sharing.

[@DroneFilmGuide]

Ha! At least you're honest!!

[@clackersclarke4450]

All good reasons. More than I had thought of. Only problem, I am not in the habit of using it, so I often forget to turn it on.

[@andyairshots]

As succinct and informative as ever thank you Stewart.

[@stevechong65]

Fantastic! I was wondering if there is a way to keep the active tracking on, while keeping the main subject off center? Thank you!

[@grantross1360]

Great video. Just took the plunge and bought my first drone (mini 4 pro) and looking for hints and tips to film myself (mostly solo) while out exploring. Thank you.

[@DronographerEU]

one of DJI's best features lately 🙌

[@DougChristensen]

I never even knew we had cruise control. Thanks

[@DronographerEU]

@@DougChristensen it's also available with mavic 3 / mavic 3 pro. and air 3, not just mini 4 🙂

[@a-framesurfmedia]

Thank you so much. Another amazing video. Cheers.

[@StephenODonnellx]

I'd love to be able to save my cruise control manoeuvres, as my own personal Quick Shots. A very slow rotate around the subject would be one, for example. Can this be possible?

[@DroneFilmGuide]

Not that I'm aware of. Waypoints might be your best bet for this.

[@ablemediaproductions]

Cruise control is a game changer in my opinion. If there's one feature I wish my old Mini 2 had (other than obstacle avoidance of course) it'd be cruise control just for the amount of takes it would have saved me over the last two or so years manually trying to fly at constant speeds around an object.

[@DroneFilmGuide]

Summed it up perfectly. Cheers!

[@DrDuu_Technic]

Thanks you to explain some examples for cruise control. I haven’t used it until now. But I think it will help me a lot to follow the yachts if I take some shots with my APS-C camera.

[@djduanestechtips]

To be perfectly honest, Stewart, I had completely forgotten that feature entirely!! I get stuck in a rut, most times, and use what I’m familiar with so THANKS very much for this great video!! Happy New Year!

[@JorgeGonzalezC10]

So cool! Great feature, I don't have a drone yet, but I was looking for a way to get some of these shots while driving a motorcycle. Being able to set the direction and just forget about it, without needing to fiddle with the controller and driving is exactly what I was looking for. I've been looking at waypoints, but everyone justa shows you how to make a complicated path. Having this option to quickly set up the shot is a definite win. I thought I was going to have to stop and set a couple of waypoints to get a similar shot. Thank you for the video! Could I request, if you happen to know someone with a motorcycle, to try out some of these shots. I'm interested in seeing how fast one could drive a motorcycle and have the drone keep up, or at least get some fast driving shot.(Kind of like your initial shot with the drone going sideways)

[@roadmapmedia]

I haven't used the sticks for a couple of years either and I do get better control of the drone. I wasn't aware of cruise control so I'm definitely going to be using it in the future. Thanks for that.

[@zulender8926]

Hi, beautiful video, very interesting, the cruise control function is very useful for me and I would like to ask you a question: is it possible to activate the cruise control with a simultaneous movement, for example a climb and a lateral movement? I tried but I wasn't able to block them both, perhaps because the excursion of the peaks wasn't deep enough? Hello and congratulations again for your work.

[@davebutler3905]

Brilliant info as always! Thank you. Don't think my mavic 2 has cruise control... Will have to check.

[@c11p]

6:17 A super new drone pilot here... there a certain setting to use for a shot similar to this, a sort of a "half circle" close-up, slow tracking shot? Need to film a car that's up against a wall, so can't go all the way around for a full circle, just filming one side of a car.

[@sonasedlicka]

This was really good. I had no idea about this functionality! I will definitely try as the tracking is always wrecking my head :D

[@Bob.Stoddard]

great video. Thank you. I want to start using CC more. I can see how useful it can be. I was looking for help with 'Dynamic Altitude Mode' Do you have a video that might help me with that? I have been flying for less than a year....and relatively new to flying my mini 4 pro. I am trying to focus more on flying low and slow while making videos. Any help would be greatly appreciated.

[@pancaro77]

What a great video Stewart! Just a shame I don’t have cruise control on my air2s. Is it possible to do that with Litchi (especially the rotative shots) ?

[@frankiegoes9939]

Thank you Stewart!! Great video as always! Now, can you activate cruise control on a shot that has been setup with way points? And can you tilt and pan a shot when the drone's CC is on?

[@newskyyz]

how did I not know this existed? This will really help my drone shots. 🙂

[@greeceinfocus]

I didn`t use it yet. But for sure I will give it a try. It`s a good idea not to use the sticks 👍

[@dwkdrones]

Well explained Stuart

[@RisenandRisen]

Albeit I dont own a M4P, I still hardly ever use Active Track on my M3P for all the reasons you listed. It has its benefits for sure but I also think it depends heavily on your content creation medium. I could see cruise control being a huge asset. Thanks Stuart! 🍻

[@gimbalair]

Can you use the gimbal tilt without disabling Cc? Can you use hyper lapse with CC?

[@AllisterSpence1]

Do you use obstacle avoidance with cruise control, or do you make sure there's nothing in its path before activating it? I like the shots where you fly closer to objects with cruise control enabled, but I don’t see the drone moving out of the way. Do you have obstacle avoidance turned off?

[@DJMATRIXVIDEOBLENDZ]

Can the mini 4 do fly through flips or rotations?

[@QSDigitalVideo]

I have the original Mavic Mini. What do I need to do to get the info from the controller on the final video, just as you do on your tutorials?

[@philsheath]

Great video, it’s funny I have never used the joysticks, started through fear of losing them now I don’t think about it, so much easier without them.

[@theDRONEguytv]

hey buddy, as always nice video, clear and informative. The function is great for me when filming on construction sites and use it to fly through tight gaps with obstacle avoidance switched off for some really cool shots etc.😀

[@taylorpartners]

Thanks for this and am looking to try this out soon. While Active tracking is a great addition to the Mini 4, I quickly came across some of the limitations you mentioned e.g. subject too small and low light conditions. Do you have a video on stick control? So when you do have a manual situation there are settings which avoid jerky movements. Thanks.

[@HEATHERTITUS]

Does this work for the Mavic 3 Pro ?

[@soloskiff]

GREAT VIDEO !! BEST tips on this drone I have seen. We have this drone specifically for doing promotional videos on the fly and still learning as I usually am out on the Solo Skiff with no one to operate drone.... Active track on my old AIR was not so good on the water as the camera typically blew out (over exposed) the boat on the water which was the whole reason I got it.... I am excited to get out and start filming with the new Mini 4... Thanks for a great video !! Keep them coming ! @soloskiff

[@lannyls]

Note. It still might blow out. So make sure to set exposure manually before pressing record or else use exposure compensation.

[@jaco_oosthuizen]

I there any specific reason why cruise control can not be introduced into older drones, like the Air 2S?

[@DroneFilmGuide]

I don't know but I can't see why not...

[@DavidRose-nonichemedia]

Nice🎉

[@grossi46]

Great video buddy. I have the rc-n2 controller, so it is a bit fiddly when trying to press the FN button when, say I want to do an orbit and then initiate cruise control. I end up using my nose 😂. Any tips very much welcomed 🙏

[@NiazMahmood1977]

Is it possible to make Drone halo photo at night using Dji MIni 4 Pro using it's built in landing light?

[@NiazMahmood1977]

Would you able to test and show us a demo?

[@kinocchio]

Hey what location are you filming at? Is this in Scotland? I ask because I’ll be visiting soon.

[@DroneFilmGuide]

Sure thing. That's Glen Luss - just north of Glasgow. Keep heading north and you'll find Glencoe which is even better.

[@TeeEmmCee]

Always enjoy your videos, Stewart, along with your presentation style and abilities. Cruise control is obviously a great useful tool, but sometimes I wonder why I even watch videos like this. I'm still in the Mini 3Pro world and trying desperately not to get sucked into another iterative upgrade as I alway seem to do with drones, watches, and phones. I'm trying to stay the course until the next version of the Mini Pro. Videos like yours make that very hard. LOL. //Tom

[@DroneFilmGuide]

Yup, hard to justify why they haven't put Cruise Control on the Mini 3 Pro.

[@1NickyFan69]

Only on the Mini 4 Pro?

[@timothykieper]

My question also.

[@clackersclarke4450]

It's on the air 3 as well. And I think the Mavic 3 drones

[@roninr8199]

When someone told me it has cruise control I thought he was jokeing 😂😂😂

[@schadlarry]

I guess the M3P doesn't have cruise control, I just see it for hyperlapse cruise control. Oh well.

[@MK-Creator]

😃👍

[@ernieschatz3783]

Going ugly early and staying with it (Phantom 4) 😅

[@DanPandrea]

I need to stop watching your videos or my wallet is going to bleed to death :D The Mini 4 Pro has become soooooo tempting!

[@injectionAI]

Is the Alina in the room with you now? 😂😂