Tips For Using The DCS 2.9 Camera Mode

Learn how to get the shots using the new Object Camera in DCS 2.9
there is a good tutorial on how to use steam to enable a game controller in DCS here.
• Cinematic Filming Usin...
‪@crowsnest725‬ does a much better job of explaining than I would have done.
if you have any comments or questions please drop by my Discord at: / discord

[@Sidekick65]

BTW - For everyone coming to this video in 2024 and thereafter - some things have changed since it was released. There are a couple other later videos on the channel you may want to check out to get the most current information on keybinds and controller mappings.

[@takeoffwithjakesoft]

I think ED realized that DCS's fan made videos are the best free advertisement that a game company could ever hope for.

[@xxxautopsy99xxx]

1000000 %

[@leo4mc851]

but it looks really good. so we can thank ED for adding all the camera position and thats its possible at all for free cam to make beutifull movies

[@Sidekick65]

Agreed

[@marianobalerdi9448]

Please make if it possible a video to configurate de x box joystick with 2.9 cameras . Thank you!!!

[@patrickpak9383]

I would've never known about it until I saw growling sidewinder video's.

[@GoldenGnu]

Great video showcasing all the awesome shots that are now possible. I'm so excited to see all the cool videos people are going to make with this. Another reason why I think this is great, is because I think a lot of people get into DCS after watching videos of it. So better videos could equate to more players, which in turn means more money for ED to reinvest into improving DCS.

[@Sidekick65]

Agreed! Thanks for the feedback. I'm looking forward to seeing what I can do with the new tools.

[@patrickpak9383]

Thank you Lain, I don't have VR or head tracking so f2 key tip really helped appreciating the back drop, made it look alot like flight simulator chase camera when before it seemed like the camera was tide to a rope whenever I pitched or rolled.

[@rudelchw]

Thanks a lot for the video, you saved me a lot of trial-error on my part to learn these views, as they are not documented on the DCS Manual. Cheers.

[@Sidekick65]

So nice to hear from you again! Glad this was helpful.

[@GazAce]

Great vid Iain, very nicely presented man. Can’t wait to learn these functions, going to make my vids %100 better. 🙏👍😊

[@rogeraylstock3641]

Iain, such cool shots! How about backing up a step and build a video on how you might plan a flight and execute it with the intention of capturing video from it? I like the idea of video clips that appear like they could be shot from a camera plane where it takes a minute to tell if this is real or DCS... Thanks for all your tips here!

[@Sidekick65]

Thanks for the feedback. I will put it on the list. To be honest a lot of those shots were very short missions with only AI planes.

[@RebelNine]

Cool… & Yep, would love to know more about how you setup your XBox controller with ‘Steam Input’ 😎

[@Sidekick65]

Been a while since I made this and things have evolved. If you need more details drop by my Discord. I am happy to discuss.

[@plokkum]

I made a bunch of cinematics and know how hard it is to get the right shots. But still, after all these updates, the camera system just needs to be completely redone. Besides that, I'd love to be able to control the F-stop, shutter speed and focal point. Maybe throw in some helpers, like rule of thirds etc.

[@Chenstrapftw]

Id love a video on your Xbox controller setup for recording. Ive made sim racing cinemarics in the past using a controller but DCS cam contros seemed suoer clunky so never bothered.

[@Sidekick65]

OK, thanks, I will put it in the queue

[@wolfgangernst1336]

Thank you, your video explains clearly why the WASD and QE keys don't work, as described in the 2.9 changelog. It's the 6482 keys of the NUM keyboard. Unforunately I just haven't really understood how to properly bind the mouse and keyboard inputs to an Xbox controller. Only then are the great, truly cinematic shots possible as shown. It would therefore be great if you could make another video for dummies like me, as already suggested. Thank you again for a wonderful job.

[@Sidekick65]

Oh believe me! It was no simple matter. I was very pleased when I finally got it to work. I will put that video on the list.

[@julianmorrisco]

The ‘wingover’ camera use (as described) is, for me, the best way to get realistic shots. Many of the others look great, but some have a sense of unreality as there’s no way to get such shots with actual cameras. But the wingover application reflects having a chase or leading aircraft with a camera operated by a ‘real’ person sitting in that chase plane. Of course, it doesn’t have to be used this way to get a realistic shot, as long as what is possible IRL is considered. But it makes it easier and the path of the anchor plane ensures that at least the aerodynamics are physically correct. Drones have changed this to an extent these days but drones, certainly not the quad or octo type, don’t fly at high subsonic or above speeds. I learned all about this about a decade ago when I was doing a lot of VFX work for TVCs and early online productions. You could get away with less than perfect render engines or lower render times if the camera didn’t do physically impossible things. In fact, the criticisms of some of the VFX heavy films in those days was the dreaded ‘physics defying camera’. The Transformer movies were used as demonstration of how having a magic camera and camera person could look less than real, and although those movies were used as an example, I suspect it was a deliberate choice in those movies rather than a mistake. After all, a giant robot turning into a semi-trailer is ridiculous. Still, another, less lens-flare obsessed director might have paid more attention to how real the camera tracks were. IIRC, the 1999-200x Star Wars movies are criticised for this, whereas ‘better’ directors like Gareth whassisname in later Star Wars movies had a more grounded sense by being careful to not have their cameras do anything unrealistic, no matter how exotic the subject. Don’t get me started on this ridiculous ‘I hate VFX’ and ‘aren’t I clever, give me a pat on the back for creating FX in camera’ BS that seems to be calming down now. Of course, we should always do what we think looks best for the story we want to tell but sometimes if a shot doesn’t look ‘right’ when working in the virtual world, deliberately limiting the camera to something that can be done IRL can work wonders.

[@Sidekick65]

Excellent points. Thanks very much for the advice!

[@fargo007]

I came for the content. I stayed for the rockabilly guitar.

[@Sidekick65]

Good to know!

[@kuvasik]

Same)))

[@kahss]

Cool stuff. Up until now I had no idea how this camera worked, all clear now - thanks!

[@Sidekick65]

I'm glad it helped

[@indianrockstrat]

Awesome. That song greaser is right up my alley.

[@Sidekick65]

Nice

[@riman8493]

Sign me up for the gamepad-mapping video! Sounds like a brilliant idea! Please, make it happen! =)

[@Sidekick65]

Got it!

[@hotjonmw90]

​@@Sidekick65I literally had been wondering if it was even possible to do that would be an amazing video

[@FA18Training]

Thanks Mister Christie for this interesting and useful video.

[@Sidekick65]

Glad you enjoyed it!

[@lsdzheeusi]

I have one subtle yet HUGE suggestion for ED (Eagle Dynamics, yo, not the other thing). There's a fundamental immersion breaker built into the DCS camera system, so fundamental that most people don't even realize it. The DCS system is too perfect, and here's why. When you watch real live footage, there are two sources: fixed cameras mounted to the airframe or ground aaaaaaaand .... a camera plane. The camera plane has movement. This is why DCS footage looks fake on playback, real footage isn't on rails like that. The DCS footage is too perfect, when our brains have been trained to see camera movement as part of a realistic scene. The same is true for instance of flying formation, tanking, etc: not only is the other aircraft moving up and down, side to side, but the aircraft we are in isn't flying on rails. There should be a setting that basically gives the camera its own platform with random motion as if it's on a camera plane, from subtle to severe.

[@Big_Red_Dork]

Isn't this something you can just emulate in post, tho, sacrificing a little resolution to do it?

[@WillyP_03]

These camera videos have been super helpful! Thank you and I hope you do more! I've been really struggling to get the padlock camera to work properly. Do you have any insights on that? Maybe you could do a video on that! Have a great day

[@Sidekick65]

I will take a look and put it in the queue

[@ricbish]

GREAT video Sidekick! Learned a lot on this one, thank you! Yes please do some more tutorials on this!! Great stuff! I can’t tell you enough how this kind of tutorial is really needed! Again thank you!!

[@snowy_cinematic]

love your video, was desperate to find it, finally did 😎😎😎

[@Sidekick65]

Glad you did. Thanks!

[@CallsignShoe]

Dude these videos are the best!

[@Sidekick65]

Glad you are enjoying them!

[@AGSimulation]

Thanks! Very useful💪

[@Tome4kkkk]

A tip from me: It was possible even with the old F2 camera to toggle rotation point between the aircraft CG and the pilot.

[@Sidekick65]

I did not know that. Thanks!

[@Tome4kkkk]

@@Sidekick65 I'm rusty on the key commands but try all F2 combinations, including both sides.

[@Tome4kkkk]

I wish DCS had the X-Plane wingover camera, where you don't even need a lead aircraft to be the camera carrier. In X-Plane the camera simply continues with the velocity vector current at the time of the camera activation.

[@Sidekick65]

That would be great for sure!

[@yappydawg8985]

Interesting new options. I agree it would be great if the controls were standardized. That's one of the things I disliked about the camera system. If you don't use it regularly, the randomized keybindings are really tough to remember. Have you had a chance to form an opinion on the "new and improved" track file system?

[@Sidekick65]

The final key for me with the using the cameras was to set up the X-box controller. Now I don't have to remember the key bindings, I just have to remember how to move my thumbs. It's also possible using the Steam Controller setting to bind multiple keystrokes to the same buttons so that I can control different cameras the same way. As for the track files, I have not done a lot of experimenting. The new system has broken a lot of my old track files, but that's nothing new with DCS updates.

[@imellor711]

Great and informative video. Thx for the tips, I wonder using LUA if you could add your camera rates for speed and favourite camera angles to the DCS comms menu, so you can call them up during any flight????

[@Sidekick65]

Interesting idea. You should drop by my Discord and discuss!

[@d1fballplayer]

Very interested in your camera control setup!.. please do make us a video!

[@Sidekick65]

Ok thanks for the interest I'll put it on the list.

[@FighterOperationsGroupFOG]

Using track IR while filming helps a ton!

[@Sidekick65]

That'd true you can get some interesting shots that way. I didn't actually need to use for any if the shots in this video though.

[@soundboy605]

Good job buddy

[@Sidekick65]

Thanks!

[@randallmacdonald4851]

Thank you, Iain.

[@Sidekick65]

You're entirely welcome.

[@LeoStixx86]

Awesome video my friend. Loving 2.9 so far. Hey whats the song you have playing in the intro. Been looking for this song for awhile now. Also would you be interested in showing us you you have it mapped via XBox controller. Using DCS open beta standalone. A buddy and I was just talking about trying to figure out how to map this F2 cam to controller.

[@Sidekick65]

Thanks for the feedback. I have the controller video on my to do list. I will check the song and get back to you. Don't have the name handy right now.

[@LeoStixx86]

@@Sidekick65 Thanks as far as the controller video. And I finally got Shazam to work lol song is called Forget Me by Twin Ngor

[@SteonCZ]

great great video 👍

[@Sidekick65]

Thank you! Cheers!

[@KOLUCHIY25]

Thanks a lot! I will definitely need this.👍

[@Sidekick65]

Glad you enjoyed it.

[@Tridan24]

very cool... one question, are these shots manipulated during or after recording. If it's during, could you do a vid on how you get bombs on target from outside the aircraft.

[@Sidekick65]

I'm.not sure what you mean by "manipulated". I'd be happy to discuss it though. Drop by Discord and send me a message.

[@MILSPECMOM]

Thanks! Unfortunately until ED fixes the jitter bug most footage up close will still look like ass. :( EDIT: Subbed. o7 Name's Alita, nice to meet ya. :) EDIT: I also would like to add that setting your external FOV to something around 54 degrees matches a 50mm lens and when coupled with a nice DOF effect in post we can finally make nice shots that don't require a whole day of planning! lol

[@Sidekick65]

So far, I don't seem to be having that problem most of the time at least. Sorry that it isn't working out for you. Nice to meet you as well. Thanks for subscribing.

[@MILSPECMOM]

@@Sidekick65 no no no thank you! I added a couple edits to my original post. o7

[@Sidekick65]

Thanks. Good to know about the 50mm FOV. Thanks!

[@MILSPECMOM]

@@Sidekick65 np! You can play with it and create all sorts of cool effects.

[@MrSnacko]

Have you noticed that if you right-click when you are in the F4 or RCtrl+F2 view you get that Camera/Clipboard menu. I just noticed it, and am trying to figure it out...

[@Sidekick65]

Interesting. I had not noticed that before. Can't seem to use it to do anything interesting though! Hah!

[@philstyle]

Superb video! How do you assign a device Oher than the mouse to the camera rotate function? Uing the mouse is not smooth enough, but I cannot find how I can assign it to a joystick or controller.....

[@Sidekick65]

I do it outside DCS. Basically you need mouse emulator s/w. BUT there is hope! Steam provides exactly this function in its controller settings. It's intended for game controllers but should work with any connected device. Through these settings you can define any two axis analog control to act like a mouse. DCS does not know the difference. Hah - but YOU do. If you want more details drop by Discord and DM me. Thanks for the compliment BTW - means a lot considering the source! Love your work.

[@philstyle]

@Sidekick65 cool, I will check out the steam emulation! Thanks for the help :)

[@philstyle]

@@Sidekick65 OK, so I used a windows emulator for this,. thanks! One more thing, to used to be possible to select a point on the map, and then move the free camera to that location. I cant do this now since 2.9. Camera alwazs jumps to an aiirfield... any ideas how to do this and if thez changed anything_

[@Sidekick65]

It's LSHIFT F11, I think. BTW there are now command to save a reload that position. They come in handy. Look them up in the controls list.

[@greyeagle5199]

Great video, Iain! As usual! I have a trackball and I’m in the dark as to how I set it up to use with this Mode. Can you describe how to program it? Thanks

[@Sidekick65]

Interesting. Haven't thought that one through. Feel free to drop by my Discord. Happy to discuss it further

[@KENNYB322]

Nice video. what happen to the control F11 view of the map? Did they remove it

[@Sidekick65]

Nope, it's still there. They call it the Free Camera - as opposed to the Object Camera. It responds to the same controls but does not move and rotate with an aircraft

[@SkyKing-Opa]

I would be interested on how you setup your XBox controller please. Just can’t figure it out.

[@Sidekick65]

I use Steam to allow the controller to emulate a mouse and to bind keys to some of the axes. I did find a video on KZbin from a guy who did a great job of explaining it and even published a profile that you can download. The link is in the description.

[@SkyKing-Opa]

Thanx just asked you on your Discord. I’ll take a look at the video now. Thanks so much. ❤

[@docogg50]

Steam Controller? [Need to know more intensifies] >

[@Sidekick65]

XBOX - there's a follow up video about it. kzbin.info/www/bejne/bJ7cgKilebWInbM

[@Plydrms]

Can you position it on the carrier to get videos of your landings? I know there is the LSO view too. Previously, using Ctrl + F11 wouldn't work because the carrier was moving..thanks

[@Sidekick65]

There is a supercarrier view that works on... well... supercarriers. On other ships there are tricks you can use like placing a static and using the "static-view" camera. You have to play with moving the camera off centre - it's a bit of work, but it can be done...

[@Plydrms]

Nice, thank you. What do you think of the general world environment, particularly the water in 2.8- 2.9? I hope they keep letting us use older versions. I like the water in 2.5 for carrier Case I landing practice. I also like the IFLOLS better on the Stennis back then. It was a lot easier to see.@@Sidekick65

[@BlackHornetSim]

I love the camera idea....but whenever I use it, it makes everything insanely blurry, so I'm still using the ctrl+F11 camera for most of my shots.

[@Sidekick65]

That's too bad! There are definitely some strange artifacts going on with 2.9. Hopefully they will get ironed out in time.

[@BlackHornetSim]

Great video though! I'm going to tinker with some settings and hopefully figure out why things go out of focus using the new camera because it's definitely slick and easier than F11@@Sidekick65

[@grifnizzle7197]

purdy

[@rivonantenainarazafindrang8332]

Thanks for the video. I try to setup an Xbox controller and cannot get it to accept the axis. They seemed to be non bindable. Or I am doing it wrong so would you mind making a video on how to set up a Xbox controller. Thanks

[@Sidekick65]

There is a good video out there. I believe it is linked in the description. Good luck.

[@rivonantenainarazafindrang8332]

@@Sidekick65 thanks. Gonna have a look at it.

[@MrSnacko]

Which view mode are you in @3:48? I assume you are in the new Object mode view, but you are locked on the aircraft rotating around it. And several views following that you are also rotating around the aircraft. (is that an XBox thing?) I'm a bit confused there because Mine doesn't do that. ... BTW, I can use WASD QE to move the camera as well..

[@Sidekick65]

That shot is probably in F2 but I can rotate the camera in either mode with the mouse. In the object mode the aim moves. In the F2 mode the camera moves but stays pointed at the object. In the new mode you have to move and point at the same time. That takes some practice and some effort to get the rates balanced. Come on by my Discord if you want to discuss it some more.

[@BuddySpike23]

can u guide me how to assign controls to my xbox controller so that i can use the axis for smooth control of the camera

[@Sidekick65]

I expect I will be making a video about it soon.

[@allanchrisdelossantos7506]

10:43 how did you get this shot. I tried this using F1 view but the head only appears if the camera is set down low.

[@Sidekick65]

Using the new "object camera" view which at the time had very fine control so it could be positioned carefully. I am finding that the latest release have "broken" that fine control. Hopefully it will come back.

[@squidboii]

For me the mouse does not rotate the camera it just moves it the same as the arrow keys in Object mode???

[@futurpilotemarin2341]

With the local object camera the pilot and the cockpit interior become blurry and I don't know how to get rid of it. Do you know have any tips for this ?

[@gdotts]

How to add XBOX joystick controls? I've got it connected to DCS fine and use it in CP/G - RHG TADS on my right side joystick XBOX. My left side joystick XBOX which is unused won't bind to Apache KEYPAD 6-4-8-2 or anything else. Any advise?

[@Sidekick65]

Not sure. I used the controller set up in Steam for mine.

[@architectssuck9957]

how do i get a higher resolution/textured cockpit while in external views?

[@petrtoman2933]

Hi, thank you for this video. Can I ask how to set the camera so that it looks at my aircraft (F2) but is linked to the view of the nearest enemy aircraft? And conversely, how to set the view to the enemy aircraft linked with the view of my aircraft? Thank you very much.

[@Sidekick65]

LCTRL-F3 will aim the camera at the last selected aircraft. So, if you select an aircraft and then place the camera somewhere else and press LCTRL-F3 the camera will stop and follow the last selected a/c. I do not know of a way to bind a camera to one aircraft and then track another automatically. You can put the camera in "Object view" and then move and rotate it so that it points at another aircraft, but you will need to track it manually. Hope this helps.

[@petrtoman2933]

@@Sidekick65 thank you, I'll give it a try.

[@Sidekick65]

@@petrtoman2933 drop by the Discord and DM me if you want to discuss it in more detail

[@vrbublik]

Is there any way to fix this frame-step movement of camera in super high zoom levels?

[@Sidekick65]

It does seem to be dependent on the DCS release. It seems to be better now - mostly. The other possible solution is to record at slower speed (1/2 or 1/4) and then speed it up in the video processing software. That can help.

[@josemalbran2815]

seems i cant slow down teh slew rate fro the num comnads, and the mouse is still to fast

[@Sidekick65]

It takes a bit of fiddling. The way I found that works is to use the game controller programmed through steam and to turn it's sensitivity way down. Using this I can get uniform slow rotations. The PageUp and PageDn keys will change the rate of camera translation but not rotation. If you want to continue the discussion, please feel free to drop by my Discord channel and DM me.

[@joytoys5669]

What graphics setting did you use? Thanks

[@Sidekick65]

Sorry for taking so long to reply. The answer, honestly, is that I am not sure - and it probably varied across clips as I was experiementing with the new settings in DCS2.9. Mostly pretty High settings everywhere. Also to be honest, some of the clips were recorded at slow speed and the then sped up "in post" which helps with some of the stuttering. I guess the bottom line is that these are settings I film with and not necessarily settings I play with. Does that make sense?

[@joytoys5669]

@@Sidekick65 ok, i'll try my hardwares. thanks again :D

[@bercinek3084]

How to zoom view when you're in object mode?

[@Sidekick65]

Depends on your keybindings. Best to check them in "adjust controls". Look under the "Views" category. There are two types of zoom. "Zoom In/Out Slow" - which is really camera movement fwd and back. And "Zoom External In/Out" which changes FoV.

[@BayouFoxx]

My cockpit resolution is low on external views, is there a way to fix that?

[@Sidekick65]

Yes. It is lower res. I don't know if there are settings that affect how much lower.

[@BayouFoxx]

@@Sidekick65 thank you for the quick response!

[@Mailman_NOB]

how to setup that shot at 12:58?

[@Sidekick65]

That was shot from an "object camera attached to an aircraft flying ahead of the "target". They are not in the same group in the ME. The second aircraft is given a waypoint command to perform "aerobatics" consisting of a high G turn to the left. The camera moves forward as the trailing aircraft pulls across the scene.