Mini 4 Pro - Orbits made Super Easy using Cruise Control and Spotlight Mode

The orbit shot is one of my favorite ways to show off a subject, but they're not always the easiest to capture. Especially if you're trying to add some additional movement to your orbit. But with some experimenting I have found a way to create epic orbits using only simple inputs combine with a few features available on the Mini 4 Pro and other DJI drones. If this is something that interests you, then I highly recommend you check out this video!

[@rwfinger]

Thanks Mark for all the work going into this! Sometimes subtle adjustments make all the difference in the outcome of the shot. Excellent explanation of your process as well. It will save us a lot of time over trial and error.

[@CreateandKaptivate]

I'm glad you found it helpful, thanks for the comment👍

[@theDRONEguytv]

some really nice shots, and moves there buddy, great stuff.

[@CreateandKaptivate]

Thanks! Glad you enjoyed it👍

[@WeretheRoberts]

Dang man, yet again you blew my mind here. There’s something about the way you explain things that make it simple for us simple folk. Lol. Very cool shots here. You got something special here with your channel. Keep it up, brother!

[@CreateandKaptivate]

Thanks buddy! Part of it might be that fact that I'm just figuring this stuff out while making the videos, so I'm just explaining what I learnt along the way. Anyway thanks again for the comment I really appreciate it!

[@jacksonmacd]

Nice combination of features and movements. I like how you identify the problem and work through a solution.

[@CreateandKaptivate]

Thank you very much! What you said is right on, I'm just trying different things and explaining what I learn along the way.

[@Jaaaaaaaaaaaaaaay]

What a decently thorough video - great job dude - you went a lot deeper into all the available options than most do...

[@CreateandKaptivate]

That's great to hear, glad you enjoyed the video! Thanks for the comment👍

[@pubudusj]

Excellent tips with great explanations. Looking forward for more like this. 🙌

[@CreateandKaptivate]

Great to hear! Thanks for the comment👍

[@briankelly7403]

What a fantastic tutorial, so well explained, thank you

[@CreateandKaptivate]

You're very welcome! That's great to hear, thanks for the comment👍

[@stevechong65]

Excellent! Exactly what I was looking for. Other channels just show how to do the cruise control but not as detail as this!

[@CreateandKaptivate]

That's great hear! I'm glad you found the video helpful.

[@stevechong65]

@@CreateandKaptivate can I contact you? I am working on something which I think you might find interesting.

[@stevechong65]

I have tried your suggestion, can I came back here to express my gratitude, it was really helpful!

[@CreateandKaptivate]

Glad it helped! Thanks for the comment👍

[@stevechong65]

@@CreateandKaptivate You might want to try Litchi. You can edit your waypoints with it. That way, the waypoints will be more precise. Really interesting!

[@CreateandKaptivate]

That's interesting, someone else mentioned that, I'll have to look into it.

[@JMprodquad]

Hi Mark, great video. Thanks for all the hard work behind the scenes. Regards, Jerry

[@CreateandKaptivate]

My pleasure Jerry, Thanks for the comment!

[@bjwilson669]

This is a really cool tutorial. Thank you so much for this. I’m headed to Ecuador in two weeks and I have a couple places in mind where I’m going to try these shots out.

[@CreateandKaptivate]

You're welcome! Thanks for the comment, and hopefully you can capture some great shots in Ecuador!

[@Jotnene]

Hello from Norway, nice shots. I learned a lot.👍

[@CreateandKaptivate]

Great to hear that👍cheers from Canada🍁

[@Shooting-Up]

Awesome vids these mate. Keep em coming please

[@CreateandKaptivate]

Thanks so much, that's great to hear!

[@BeautifulNorfolk]

Nice tips, I'll give them a go! Thanks 🙂

[@CreateandKaptivate]

You're very welcome! I'm glad you enjoyed it👍

[@Piratepoilet]

I too am just learning the mini 4 pro. I got it about a month or so ago so I have a lot to learn about the wee drone. I must say every time I fly it I get more confident in it's ability to do it's thing. Every time I fly out to the beach and fly up and down the beach a bit then fly home it's just incredible technology and should only get better 🏴‍☠️🚁

[@CreateandKaptivate]

I'm often amazed myself, how capable the mini 4 pro is. There's a lot of technology packed into such a small drone.

[@michaelantcliff5906]

This is another excellent video for achieving professional orbit shots which would be impossible manually. Really I like your attention to detail (eg settings etc…). Would you consider producing a similar video using Spotlight orbits on a moving subject? Many thanks Mark 🙏

[@CreateandKaptivate]

Thanks for your comment! And yes I'm planning to do more videos like what you mentioned.

[@Roys_Drones]

another good video

[@CreateandKaptivate]

Glad you enjoyed it! Thanks for commenting👍

[@ericcote8146]

Thanks Mark for this newest video that helps us all !

[@CreateandKaptivate]

My pleasure! thanks for your comments👍

[@ericcote8146]

Hi Mark, just a note you would add in one of your next course. If we try to create a Vertigo effect with 2 or more waypoints (zoom in, zoom out or vice-versa.) With 4K 60FPS : impossible to be done. Even if your waypoints settings clearly shows a zoom in of 2 or 3 in the last waypoints. When you switch to 48 FPS, you’ll have zoom 2X, and with 30 FPS you’ll be able to get 3X

[@CreateandKaptivate]

That's interesting, I didn't realize the FPS affected the max zoom. I know the resolution did, but I'll have to check that out, thanks!

[@ericcote8146]

As long as you were shooting at 30FPS, all features are there. I have other limititationn found lately@@CreateandKaptivate

[@ericcote8146]

@@CreateandKaptivate Correction, after extra test. at 30, 48, 50 FPS you can use the zoom, 2X, 3X when recording waypoints. At 60 FPS, it's a no go. Although what I find an intrigue is, when you fly-by at 60 FPS, you can zoom-in up to 3X. Now the other issue is at 50 FPS, you can go down to 1/50th a sec in recording mode, at 60 FPS, no less than 1/60 sec. I believe these limitation are done in the programming by DJI

[@Nathaniel13095]

This is great, thanks. The only catch is, you can't use cruise control if spotlight is tracking a moving subject. You have to draw the box, then move the drone a bit, until the box changes from a tracking box to a position marker. If you try to activate cruise control before you have a position marker established, it will tell you "cruise control not available". Spotlight seems pretty reliable once the position marker is set, even if it is just a undistinguished patch of ground or something. Too bad you can't use the spotlight/cruise control combined technique with moving subjects...but spotlight often loses moving subjects anyway, so maybe that would just lead to frustration.

[@CreateandKaptivate]

Yeah I think you're right, the only option you have for orbiting moving subjects is Spotlight. At least you can still manually control the radius and height of the orbit while Spotlight is active.

[@daniortizcl]

Brutal information my friend!! thank your very much i will use it for my next recordings.... also i want to know where this place is and how its called, it looks insane! right in the sunset 10:53 . Thanks again!

[@CreateandKaptivate]

Glad you found this helpful! The building is the Christian Church, Calgary Alberta Temple.

[@davelewin67]

Very useful, thank you.

[@CreateandKaptivate]

I'm glad you found it helpful! Thanks for the comment👍

[@InfiniteSuccessAcademy]

Thanks for the video and showing your settings. However, why mess with Normal mode when you could change them in Cine mode. As a matter of fact, the settings you changed is what I use in Cine mode. I like to leave Normal alone, except for slowing the gimbal down and adjusting the gimbal smoothness, as this is the mode I use to travel to different shots or return to home etc. I've only used Sport once when avoiding some birds. But to each their own. Thanks for the tips.

[@CreateandKaptivate]

You are totally right, you could just use cine mode. For myself I rarely use cine or sport mode, I usually just end up adjusting the normal mode settings based on what I'm trying to capture at the time. Thanks for the comment.

[@JeffreyJDavis]

Excellent video, the subtleties of the control and gain adjustment settings are not something I'd figure out on my own. Flying home out of YYC in the morning as luck would have it 🤙

[@CreateandKaptivate]

Oh no way, I just flew in from Mexico. And now there's a ton of snow here. I'm glad you found the video helpful🤙

[@S33k3R-22]

Great, thanks so much for this!

[@CreateandKaptivate]

You're welcome! Glad you enjoyed it👍

[@denaco]

did you use spotlight for the elliptical orbit buddy? i always try do spotlight to keep the camera locked on unless it's a reveling shot like you say, but i find it can cause issues in full orbits if you select an area and it ends up behind the building and then the camera goes way off center trying to stay perfect to the original area at the front you selected. i did find if i selected a much bigger area to track it doesnt do it as bad.

[@CreateandKaptivate]

Yes, I was using spotlight for all of the examples except the first one. I was having trouble getting a nice orbit at first, but once I was able to get the location marker near the center, it would stay locked on that orbit.

[@cliffordenglish724]

Hello , there are times when I select spotlight mode it takes a while to acquire the marker .. why is that ?

[@CreateandKaptivate]

The only thing I could think of, is depending on the subject, the camera may struggle to identify and select the subject.

[@cliffordenglish724]

@ Is there anything I can do ? Spotlight mode is great and I like using it

[@CreateandKaptivate]

I don't really know of a solution other than trying to select objects that are more easily distinguishable from their background, but I'm also not completely sure that is the issue

[@cliffordenglish724]

@ How far away from the subject can I be ? On your videos you see to be a good distance

[@CreateandKaptivate]

I'm not sure if distance is a big factor, because as you mentioned, in this video I was a fair distance away from the subject. But I have also used spotlight mode and selected a subject much closer and it works fine most of time.

[@MoonieTheGrey]

What do you think of using waypointd with poi ?

[@CreateandKaptivate]

I haven't actually tried that, I may have to give it a try, and see how it works out.

[@dronetheworld4k67]

U tried to Orbit a moving subject manually or st least using spotlight mode ??...

[@CreateandKaptivate]

No I haven't tried using spotlight mode to orbit a moving subject. I think I would use active track for that.

[@dronetheworld4k67]

@CreateandKaptivate but active track won't Orbit!? No ?!...

[@CreateandKaptivate]

Yeah I think you're right, I thought maybe there was away to do it using the trace wheel, but I don't think it would work.

[@CreateandKaptivate]

I was trying something today, and if you use focus track and select POI it will orbit a moving subject.

[@hdmc-w9p]

Great video! Thanks Stupid question Do you need permission to fly drone here?

[@CreateandKaptivate]

Not that I am aware of. There are no airspace restrictions in that area, and there weren't any signs indicating anything of that sort.

[@jimgunderson6439]

Why don’t you fly this using the Cine Mode?

[@CreateandKaptivate]

I may have been able to use cine mode for some of these shots, but for some it would have limited my lateral speed too much. Most of the time I just use Normal mode and adjust the gain and expo settings. That way I can just limit the controls I want, which is usually the max rotation and gimbal tilt.

[@1FlyingCamera]

Wow Nice work! Thanks :D

[@CreateandKaptivate]

You're Welcome! Glad you like it👍

[@Joe-wk9ow]

another thing you could try are waypoints.

[@CreateandKaptivate]

Yeah that certainly would work, I actually did something similar in my waypoints video.

[@modestartificials9742]

such a usefull video!)

[@CreateandKaptivate]

Glad you think so! Thanks for the comment👍

[@itz_me_cYa]

👌👌👌

[@CreateandKaptivate]

Thanks👍