Seasonal Variations in Aerial Mapping

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Summer Map, 10-acre site

Summer Contour Map, 10-acre site

Seasonal variations are an important consideration for mapping your property or structure. For summer mapping, that is the late spring to early fall, the landscape is alive with all the vibrant colors that make for great mapping photography. Although the winter months are less colorful, there are significant advantages to these maps as well.

Summer Mapping

Summer mapping is ideal for showcasing properties and structures, especially for real estate sales. Overhead maps capture the properties with beautiful colors, not to mention stunning detail. (Think of Google Maps, but with super high resolution sufficient to see small objects, such as people and animals.)

All of our map products include geoposition and altitude information, so features such as a structure’s location and height can be measured. Our map products are referenced to sea level, in units of either feet or meters. Position and altitude information are available by just clicking the desired point.

The drawback to summer mapping is that vegetation and leaves hide the landscape that lies below.

Winter Mapping

Winter mapping is ideal for topographical charting of land features otherwise masked by vegetation and leaves. Our mapping software can “see” through naked trees and capture much more of the land features otherwise obscured in summer.

Developers of properties use our topographical products to design projects and estimate their costs. The three most common map products that aid in their decision making include:

  1. Contour Maps. We develop contour lines at the interval specified by our client. They can be at any interval, such as 50 feet, 25 feet, 10 feet, etc., and any unit, such as feet or meters. We have advanced post-processing techniques that we use to overlay contour maps onto our color maps. Examples of our composite maps are shown in these summer and winter pictures.
  2. 3D Object Maps. When opened in an object viewer, these maps provide the client with a look at the property from any angle (both above and below) the image. These full-color images provide height and perspective information of landscape and structures.
  3. Point Cloud Maps. These maps provide 3D views of the map image. They appear as a cloud of points, but each point has position, altitude and color information. The real power of these maps is their ability to see landscape underneath the trees and give the project engineer detailed information on features such as mounds, river banks, small structures, etc. Any particular map section can be selected and viewed. The selection can be rotated and zoomed to view the landscape features better than an in-person survey.

For more information on precision 3D mapping, please read our June 12, 2020 blog.

Mapping Challenges

Winter Map, 10-acre site

Winter Contour Map, same 10-acre site

Our aerial drones take overhead photos shooting straight down and in rectangular patterns. At a flight altitude of 400 feet, the ground resolution is typically 1.25 inches per pixel and the resulting map size is approximately 4 megapixels per acre. OK, this is some serious resolution!

However, there are certain areas that don’t resolve well in aerial maps. Water features and non-distinct land features may be difficult to resolve because discernable points cannot be identified or they’re in motion. These challenges are minimized with high overlap photography. That is, overlapping the photos at 90%. (This means taking 18 photos per acre.) Even at high overlap settings, there still may be features that don’t resolve well, such as bodies of water.

Why? Map making software identifies overlapping pixels to determine their exact position in space. At a 90% overlap setting, a single pixel may have as many as 100 look angles, where each angle helps to establish that pixel’s exact position. Errors in calculating these angles lead to errors in the map’s presentation.

Map processing generally goes well at 90% overlap, but can degrade at lower overlap settings, wind conditions, water features, and non-distinct land features. Winter mapping is usually more challenging because land features can be drab and non-distinct.

Which Season is Right for You?

We wrote this blog to take out some of the mystery of good map making techniques. At FAD-Photo, we have developed many photo maps and know how to set up your 3D map products regardless of season.

DJI Phantom 4 Pro Yaw Drift

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Phantom 4 Pro Yaw Drift

Compensate P4P Yaw Drift

What causes the Phantom 4 Pro to drift in yaw (heading) during programmed flights, such as Orbit Mode? This appears to be a common thread in a number of blogs and is a problem we’ve also encountered. As you know, I like to take on the hard problems, think them through and develop solutions. In this blog, I’ll offer ways to measure the offset and a method of compensation.

As I stated above, this is a common problem, but no one that I know of has determined the cause. Please comment if you have a better explanation and I’ll update this blog.

Are other aerial drones similarly affected? Please comment, I’d love to hear from you.

We See Yaw Drift in All of Our Programmed Flights

The yaw drift that we’ve encountered with our Phantom 4 Pro V2 is much more significant than crabbing (please see our April 28, 2019 blog on crabbing). Our data files indicated that the crabbing effect is around ±1.5 degrees, and is largely compensated by the drone’s flight controller. However, our measured yaw offset runs as high as 30 degrees, sometimes more.

Of note, from our data files we plotted the GPS position, which showed the drone stayed on its programmed circular path and its heading was tangent to the circle.

Measuring Yaw Offset

We program almost all of our aerial drone photography sessions, so when the drone’s camera offsets then it’s pretty obvious in the recorded video. A simple method to measure yaw drift is to record a Point of Interest video. That is, to run a circle around a point with the camera pointed at the center. A large radius allows the drone to be operated at maximum speed (we used 1000 feet radius and 21 mph in our test runs), where the drift was quite noticeable.

For example, print out a Google Map of the test site; then graph the video’s centerline of sight at 15-second intervals. You can measure the yaw offset with a ruler for distance, and a protractor for angle. E.g. measure the distance/angle from the centerline to the center point.

Graphical Data Results

Our data set included ten video runs, taken on different days so we had variations in drone speed, wind speed, and wind direction. In almost every case, the yaw drift was affected by both the drone speed and wind speed. One key measurement was the combined speed of the drone, where we found correlation between the maximum yaw drift and the combined air speed of the drone (that is, heading into the wind).

Our graphical analysis suggests that yaw drift can be minimized when both the wind speed and drone speed are less than 10 mph.

Conditions

  1. Drone: a 2-year old DJI Phantom 4 Pro V2 with an iPad 9.7-inch tablet. Yaw effects were similar for both DJI Go 4 and Litchi apps.
  2. Yaw drift appeared to be the same before and after INS and compass calibrations.
  3. We tried to force the drone’s yaw drift by hovering 5 feet above ground and blowing the drone with a fan. We blew the drone so hard that the camera’s gimbal was pushed into its stops, but it returned to linear after the wind was reduced. The drone’s airframe did tilt into the wind to maintain position, as we would expect, but it didn’t change its yaw (heading).
  4. We measured yaw drift in circular “Point of Interest” runs, where the drone’s camera was pointed toward the center and the drone airframe was flying sideways into the wind. CCW runs resulted in less yaw drift, so only one run was CW.

Conclusions

In flight, it appears that the drone’s flight controller is adjusting heading as the drone tilts into the headwind. So, if there’s a large headwind, the drone tilts more to maintain its GPS speed and it also yaws to the left. Since the drone’s legs don’t appear in the video, we conclude that the flight controller must be changing the drone’s airframe, not the camera.

Minimizing the Effects of Yaw Offset

  1. Fly your drone at a speed of less than 10 mph and when the wind is less than 10 mph.
  2. The yaw offset can be compensated by changing your programmed center point into the wind.
  3. Fly a larger diameter radius so the desired field of view is around 80% of the frame, then crop down to the desired field of view in post-processing.

Use an Alternative to Orbit Mode

Program your drone with waypoints, enable curves, and place a Point of Interest in the center. With a little practice you can capture a beautiful “orbit” that doesn’t suffer the effects of yaw drift. This has become our preferred method of flying circular patterns.

Short Video Clips

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Our post-production services now include short videos to dress up aerial drone video clips that we have taken. This service is ideally suited to real estate firms that want customized information added to their advertising clips.

Our full-service videos include a number of video clips and photos, introduction slides, overhead map photos, closing slides, and audio track options. The difference with our short videos is that only one selected video clip is modified to include an intro slide with agency contact information and an overhead map photo showing property information such as boundaries.

Our short videos are much easier to create and they provide our clients with tailored information in their aerial videos. This information helps your customers visualize the location of the property and area features.

Although we don’t offer moving boundary lines for our videos, we can add them to the overhead map photos (typically credited to Google Maps). Just about any text information can be added to customize the short video to our client’s requirements.

Interested? Please follow this link to a larger example of the above short video:
https://youtu.be/55B2hrF1y9k

Price information is posted to Our Prices tab, under Post-Production. Economies of scale will apply, so if you have several similar short videos in mind, we can discount our price. Please contact us for details.

Precision 3-Dimensional Mapping

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Topography Map, May 2020

Topography Map Draped Over the 2-D Map

Precision 3-Dimensional Mapping

Aerial drones are the ideal method for collecting precision aerial mapping information for your land development projects. This is exciting technology and the map products that we deliver are truly breathtaking.

Each project begins with a client-provided map that outlines the site that needs to be surveyed. We enter this information into our drone’s autopilot (a mapping application), which flies the drone and collects the photos. Our typical settings are 90% overlap and 3 cm/pixel, which are further explained in our Orthomosaic Mapping and Photomapping blogs (parts 1 and 2).

We’re very good at photographing and delivering precision map products. As described below, several of these deliverables require specialized software to take full advantage of 3-D mapping. We do not offer professional cartography services, but instead provide these files to professionals who have the specialized software for these types of projects. The free software applications described below are suggested for viewing our products, but are not endorsed by FAD-Photo as suitable for professional-level mapping. We do believe, however, that many users will find them quite useful.

3-D Map Processing

Using our typical settings, the drone takes 18 photos per acre of land. For large sites, where we collect hundreds of photos, each pixel of the surface is examined at 13 or more different angles. Map processing aligns the pixels and assembles them into a 3-D composite model that includes latitude, longitude, and elevation.

Accuracy? Each photo is tagged with its position and altitude, so the composite model’s position is as accurate as the Global Positioning System. Typically, 3-4 meters.

Altitude information is based on the drone’s barometer, which has an accuracy of 3-4 meters. (We covered this specification in our April 23, 2020 blog.) Map deliverables are normalized to sea level.

Image processing is highly complex, so we use a professional mapping service provider. These are the deliverable products you will receive:

Full Color 2-Dimensional Map

This JPG file is a composite map of the photos, which are combined into a single panoramic map. Instead of a traditional scale, such as 10 meters per centimeter (or 100 feet per inch), the map service provides scale in terms of centimeters per pixel (or inches per pixel).

The JPG map doesn’t include position information, but its TIF counterpart (also a deliverable) has position information for each pixel. Use an application, such as the free QGIS software to view.

3-Dimensional Maps

DEM – Although monochrome, the Digital Elevation Model map (a TIF file) includes position and elevation information for each pixel. Special software, such as QGIS, must be used to view. The mapping service also provides a JPG of the DEM map, but this product doesn’t include position information.

Point Cloud – This is a LAS file, developed for LIDAR applications. At first glance, this full-color type of 3-D map appears fuzzy and not very useful. However, with a good viewer, such as the free Fugro Viewer, you can zoom in on the left panel image and view its corresponding 3-D model on the right panel. This is useful for looking at pixels under trees which would otherwise be masked. Of note, the 3-D model can be rotated in any direction with the mouse.

3-D Object Map – This is also a full-color map that can be rotated in any direction with the mouse. It offers a much sharper appearance than the point cloud, but it doesn’t get under the trees. Three files are required: the main 3D.OBJ file, a 3D.JPG file, and a 3D.MTL file. (You can rename the OBJ file, but don’t rename the other two.) You can open this type of map with the Windows 10 Object Viewer, but the free MeshLab viewer allows full 3-D rotation and zoom with the mouse.

Other Deliverable Map Products from FAD-Photo

The map processing report provides details on your map products, including map location, output size in pixels, scale in inches per pixel, overlap report, etc.

Topographical map (traditional contour map), where the user can specify the color scheme and contour intervals. (A postprocessing fee applies.)

Topographical map draped over the panoramic map. Here, the contour intervals are overlaid onto the full-color 2D map. An example is provided above and a larger example appears on our portfolio page. (A postprocessing fee applies.)

Do you have a special application?

Contact us for the solution. We’re experts in drone photography, mapping, and postprocessing services.

This Crosswind is Driving My Drone Crazy

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Heading Offset Due To Crosswind

Heading Offset Due To Crosswind

As mentioned in my 10/25/2018 blog, “Flying in High Winds – What Could Possibly Go Wrong?,” wind can affect your drone’s flight control system. In severe situations, its effects are immediately apparent on your screen, such as an image that bounces around. However, there’s another more subtle effect that can impact the quality of your videography, which you should know about.

Review of Your Drone’s Flight Control System

First, let’s review what keeps your drone stable while in flight. Today’s sophisticated drones use a magnetic compass and the global positioning system (GPS) to determine the drone’s heading and position. The drone’s inertial navigation system is always comparing its solution with that of GPS to hold the drone in position and to keep the camera steady. So, even if the wind is buffeting your drone, its control system is doing a pretty good job of holding the camera steady.

However, if the wind is high enough and the gusts strong enough, the drone’s flight control system can be driven into its non-linear region. This appears as bouncing around in the video feed to your screen and recorded images if you’re shooting video. Your only solution is to wait until the wind settles down and try again.

Wind Can Affect Your Videography in Other Ways

While flying your drone manually, you’ll probably never notice the effect of a crosswind. However, in programmed flights, such as DJI’s waypoint mode, you may notice a yawing (heading) offset while the drone is flying from point A to point B. This offset is known as “crabbing.”

Crabbing is where the yaw axis of the camera offsets from the drone’s direction of travel. Stated another way, while your drone’s course toward Point B may be on a direct heading, it offsets in yaw to another angle, typically turning into the wind.

In light winds, the crabbing effect is minor, but as the crosswind speed picks up it becomes more pronounced. Its effect on your video? You’ll notice your drone’s video image offset a few degrees from the straight-ahead direction.

What Causes Crabbing?

Your drone does a pretty good job of maintaining its heading and position along the desired track over ground. However, it still has to adjust heading to compensate for wind and stay on the objective track. When your drone adjusts the heading, its camera crabs over to an offset angle. This is simply vector math and is commonly encountered in aviation scenarios (as well as for boats in crosscurrents, etc.). Think of an airplane landing in a crosswind – notice how its angle relative to the runway is offset? That’s crabbing.

What Can I Do With This Information?

With awareness of crabbing, you can look for its effect on your videography. If it becomes objectionable then you can increase your drone’s speed (again, vector math), wait for a calmer day, or crop out some of the offset in postprocessing.

Orthomosaic Mapping and Photomapping, Part 2

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This 40-acre cornfield is a composite of 326 images

This 40-acre cornfield is a composite of 326 photos

Part 1 focused on orthomosaic photogrammetry maps – our high-tech mapping service that delivers image files with embedded position and altitude information for each pixel. Another service that we provide – photomapping – uses a more familiar image processing technique known as photo stitched panorama.

Although the photo collecting technique is similar to orthomosaic mapping, position and altitude information are tossed in favor of the less complicated panorama image processing. We use our licensed professional software to align features in the overlap areas, stitch the images together, and shade the transition zones.

Panorama Software is Common, but How Does it Work?

Panorama software works best when the camera is fixed and all images are taken from the same point in space. However, when using a moving camera the altitude must be high and a large overlap used. Therefore, we use the same flight control software and settings for photomapping that we use for orthomosaic mapping.

Our photomaps have the same high resolution as orthomosaic maps, but avoid the expense of the mapping service for generating 3D map sets. If position and altitude information aren’t required, then this is a less expensive way to get ultra-high-resolution maps of large properties.

Map Image Resolution (Geek Alert!)

Our Phantom 4 Professional V2 drone takes images that are 5,742 pixels across and 3,648 pixels high, which yield an image size of 19.98 megapixels (rounded to 20 MP). At an altitude of 400 feet, that image represents a ground view that’s 600 by 400 feet. Dividing pixels by distance yields the spatial resolution, which in this case is 9.6 pixels per foot. (In metric units, that’s 3.2 cm/pixel.)

For example, take an acre of land, which is 43,560 square feet. When photographed at an altitude of 400 feet, one acre takes up 18% of the camera’s image. The area-to-image ratio is scalable, so an orthomosaic map or photomap of 40 acres can be covered with 8 images. The composite image size is then 145 MP, with a resolution of 3.2 cm/pixel. The key word here is “composite,” since a large number of photos (e.g. 326 photos at 20 MP each) contribute to this composite image.

Since a map’s image size is proportional to the number of acres, we can estimate your finished map’s image file at 3.6 MP per acre. This number can grow 20% or more because we’ll always be photographing a larger tract than required. In terms of file size, the finished JPG image file will end up at about 1.5 MB per acre.

Want to Proceed? Here’s What We Need to Know:

When specifying a mapping job, clients just need to provide their tract boundaries and we’ll take care of the rest. We’ll determine the appropriate parameters, such as 85% overlap frame to frame, 85% overlap track to track, and flying altitude. Overlap is partly determined by the height of objects on the ground (such as trees) and seasonal variations (such as leaves).

Our flight control software will use this information to generate the photo-taking commands to be used by the drone’s autopilot, which ensures the photo-taking process is accurate and repeatable. This is especially useful if the map needs to be updated for project progress or for seasonal variations.

Viewing Large Image Files on Your Computer

For our example above, a 145 MP image is too large to display on common photo viewers such as the MS Office Picture manager. However, it can be viewed with more advanced software such as Adobe’s Photoshop. Of note, we can resize large images so they’ll display on your photo viewer, but the resolution will have to be decreased.

How Much Will Map Services Cost?

Every job has its own unique requirements, so we don’t publish our prices. However, our prices are very competitive and we deliver an excellent value. We’re happy to take your map requirements and give you an estimate within 24 hours. We guarantee our work will meet or exceed your requirements.

Call or e-mail. We’d love to hear from you!

Orthomosaic Mapping and Photomapping, Part 1

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Aerial Drone Photography is the Ideal Technology for Orthomosaic Mapping and Photomapping!

Digital Elevation Model

Digital Elevation Model Topographical Map

Realm of Possibilities

In this article, the term orthomosaic mapping is used to describe the orthomosaic photogrammetry mapping technique, which is a computationally-intense method that yields position and altitude information for each pixel in the map. The term photomapping is used to describe the use of photostitching software to generate large panoramic maps.

Our orthomosaic map deliverables include: ultra-high resolution 2D maps, 3D Digital Elevation Model (DEM) topographical maps, 3D models, and 3D point clouds.

Our Photomap deliverable is a 2D map image similar to Earth-type maps but with ultra-high resolution.

As implied, “high-resolution” means these map image files can be very large – on the order of 3.6 megapixels per acre. For example, an 80-acre map will have around 300 MP and a JPG image file of around 120 MB. Large files for sure, but the terrain detail is amazing!

Who Can Use Orthomosaic Maps?

Surveyors, Architects, and Civil Engineers are several of the many professions that use orthomosaic maps for their land development and construction projects. They have the budget for high-end software, which can further process our orthomosaic map products. Tract size can range from less than one acre to thousands of acres.

Real Estate marketers and landowners may also need high resolution maps but don’t want to make the significant investment in photogrammetry software. For these users, we offer photomaps, which provide beautiful full-color map images. More on photomapping in Part 2.

Either way, these maps have high enough resolution to detect very small features. For example, a 1 foot by 1 foot object is represented with around 100 pixels.

What Makes Aerial Drone Orthomosaic Maps So Special?

Three dimensional computing is at the heart of calculating position and altitude information for each pixel. The numerically-intense software that does this, to my knowledge, hasn’t been made available for personal computers, so most users have to use online mapping services. For more detailed information on how this specialized software works, please refer to this article at ScienceDirect.com.

How Is It Done?

Orthomosaic mapping software requires many photographs of the landscape so each pixel gets multiple look angles. The software then assigns position and altitude information to each pixel. As you might reason, this is a very complicated process. To get good results, very high overlaps of the subject area are required – on the order of 75 to 90%. This requires that each ground point is photographed 16 to 100 times.

Aerial drones with precise GPS-based navigation are ideal for photographing landscape with this kind of precision. Hundreds or even thousands of high-resolution photographs are taken, typically looking straight down, and stored on the drone’s internal memory card. Back at the office, these photos are then uploaded to the mapping service and reconstructed by their orthomosaic software to create stunning, full-color maps, DEM maps, 3D models, and point clouds.

To achieve good results, the drone’s altitude must be around 4-5 times the altitude of the highest object, such as trees. The algorithms work best when there’s low wind and lots of leaves on the trees. Water can be a challenge due to its reflectivity. With less-than-ideal photography, the algorithms have difficulty assigning position and altitude information to the pixels. If done incorrectly, the resulting map either has strangely-shaped areas or areas that are blanked out.

Orthomosaic Map Deliverable Products:

  • 2D Map – full-color image of the landscape, including position and altitude information.
  • Digital Elevation Model – color-coded for elevation, any color scheme is possible as well as contour lines.
  • 3D model – full color three dimensional image. The model can be viewed on-screen from any perspective.
  • Point Cloud – typically viewed with high-end software. It’s a full color 3D model using points.

In part 2, we’ll examine photomapping, which will be of particular interest to real estate marketers and landowners.

What Should I Expect To Pay For Aerial Drone Photography Services?

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Let’s Start With Some of the Costs of Running a Business . . .

The Business Part of Aerial Drone Photography

The Business Aspect of Aerial Drone Photography

. . . specifically, our drone photography business. There are many operating costs spread across aerial photography operations. They include: drone hardware, accessories, digital camera, camera glide, desktop computer, laptop, tablet, software, office expenses, Internet access, desk phone, mobile phone, aviation liability insurance, FAA certification, transportation, accounting, banking, taxes, etc. These costs are spread across all of our services.

Is a Drone Shoot that Complicated?

We go through a lot of effort to deliver results so you don’t have to deal with these burdens. A hobbyist can go out and buy a drone for less than $500 and then go into “business.” However, that is where the similarity ends. A professional drone operation is so much more than that, so let me explain some of the preparations that go into every drone photography session:

  1. The first step is receiving the task from our client. Through phone conversations and e-mail, we learn about the location and type of photography services desired. (Photography in this article includes videography.)
  2. From there, we look up the location on Google Maps; then check against the FAA’s restricted flight zones. We can fly in certain areas, but others are off limits for drones. Please read our blog.
  3. We then hand-chart the flight requirements onto a hard copy from Google Maps. Tools include self-developed programs to calculate altitudes, speeds, camera tilt angles, fields of view, etc. We know how to translate the client’s requirements into drone commands and can visualize what the camera’s field of view will look like. We’re good at this, very good. Usually, we get our shots on the first try!
  4. Flight requirements are then entered into drone flight programs. We use several, and select the appropriate program for the mission. Some examples: videography, surveying, mapping, etc. Programmed drone flights provide smooth, repeatable missions. This is particularly useful if the client wants us to fly the same mission again, such as for progress reports or seasonal changes.
  5. Driving time to the client’s site is one of our major cost drivers. We need to charge for extra driving time outside our service area.
  6. On site, we look over the terrain for obstacles that may pose a hazard to our drone, such as trees, power lines, light poles, water towers, etc.
  7. The fun part, flying the drone, goes relatively quickly. The preparation steps above help to ensure a successful mission; while collecting the required photography takes less than 20 minutes.
  8. If the client is on site, we download the photography to their computer or give them their files on a USB thumb drive. Otherwise, we upload their files within 24 hours to a cloud service and send them a link. We operate a fee-for-service business, and deliver unlimited copyright with our products.
  9. Returning to the office, we download the files to a desktop computer and back them up onto a storage server. Periodically, we back up client files to BluRay disks and retain them for several years.
  10. Of course, collecting our fees, processing credit cards, accounting, paying taxes, sending receipts, logging flights, etc., all add to the time commitment.

Just a Quick Note on Postprocessing

If the client has asked for postprocessing services, we have a number of high-end desktop programs for photography, videography, and mapping. We’re experts with this software, taking the uncertainty out of the equation and delivering products that meet or exceed the client’s expectations. Examples of our postprocessing products can be found on our Portfolio page.

So, Just How Much Time Do You Spend on a Standard Drone Shoot?

Six hours, which typically breaks down into thirds: (1) Client communications; (2) Mission planning; and (3) Executing the mission. Compared to most other skilled trades, our prices are very reasonable. In the end, we’re in business to earn money, but it just comes down to the fact that we love to fly!

Zoom-in With a Fixed Lens Camera

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Zooming In With Your Drone's Fixed Camera Lens

Zoom-in With Your Drone’s Fixed Camera Lens

At one time or another, everyone has had situations where zooming in on a video clip adds that finishing touch. Whether it’s for effect or for greater stand-off distance, the convenience of camera zoom takes your photography to the professional level.

In this blog, I’ll show you how to get Full High Definition (1080p) results at a zoom factor of 1.4x using a fixed-lens camera. This is good information for venues like sporting events and weddings, which can be recorded from the air but at a great enough distance so the drone’s presence has minimal notice. For more information on camera resolution please read my blog Setting Up Your Aerial Drone Camera.

Do I Need an Expensive High-End Drone and Camera?

Although that would be one way to get zoom capability, it can be a very expensive investment. But, let’s look at just one of many high-end drone/camera solutions:

For a modest investment of $5,000 you can purchase a DJI Inspire 2 drone, Zenmuse X5S camera, and Lumix 14-42mm zoom lens and the results will be quite professional. The Lumix lens gives you the standard camera focal length equivalent of 28-84mm. So, with 50mm as the standard for zero magnification, this camera has a zoom range of 0.6x wide angle to 1.7x telephoto. Remember these numbers.

Is There a Less Expensive Alternative?

There’s another solution that is far less expensive and provides excellent results. Many drones on the market can record Cinema 4K video, which has a resolution of 4096×2160 pixels. However, most users are satisfied with a Full HD resolution of 1920×1080 pixels.

What these numbers mean is that to get a digital zoom capability, you can record video in Cinema 4K mode, which leaves plenty of resolution to render any portion of the frame in Full HD. Rendering the video is done in post-processing, where video clips are transformed into the finished video.

For example, we can use our drone to record the desired scene in C4K mode. We start with the equivalent wide angle focal length of the camera’s lens, which is 35mm (0.7x). Using post-processing software, as much or as little of the C4K image can be cropped for the desired magnification. So, when your video is captured in C4K, you can select a crop “window” of up to 50% and render your new “zoomed-in” video in beautiful FHD. In other words, you get a full-definition 1920×1080 pixels! For this level of cropping, you achieve a zoom factor of 1.4x, equivalent to a 70mm telephoto lens.

Compared with the $5,000 solution, which zooms 0.6x to 1.7x, this digital zoom technique gets you 0.7x to 1.4x.

Any More Slick Ideas?

Two for sure . . .

  1. If you want even more zoom, just crop to get the desired magnification. There’s no limit to how much you can crop, though you will start to see the results of lower resolution. For example, you can crop at 25%, which gives you a zoom factor of 2.8x (140mm telephoto) but the resulting FHD video will display a lower resolution of 1024×540 pixels.
  2. Any method of zoom will increase the image’s sensitivity to camera movement. So a small and acceptable level of vibration at 0.7x may be objectionable at 1.4x. Unwanted vibration can be minimized in post-processing using image stabilization. For more information please read my blog Video Production and Post-Processing.

At FAD-Photo, we use the DJI Phantom 4 Professional V2, which provides a highly stable platform capable of stunning high definition photographs and videos. We have mastered the art of taking C4K videos and using our post-processing software to minimize vibration and render FHD videos.

We deliver the results you would expect from a professional aerial drone photography service! For more information, please refer to our Aerial Drone Photography and Video Services page.

Video Production Sound Track

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Recording Your Voice Using A Cell Phone

Recording Your Voice Using A Cell Phone

I mentioned in last year’s blog on post-production processing that the sound track can be tricky. Especially when the client wants music that they’ve heard from other media sources (such as the radio, TV, concert, CD, etc.) These sources are almost always copyrighted and the owners can (and probably will) track down violators and demand compensation.

Beware, The Music Industry Has Their Ways!

Last year, I know someone who came up with a slick idea to digitize a 1960’s record album and used about 30 seconds of it on a YouTube video. YouTube recognized the song, identified the copyright holder, and gave them a warning! So, you can’t be too careful about copyright violation.

How Much Will It Cost For A Music Track?

The cost for a music track depends on the service. For example, TripleScoop licenses 3-5 minute music tracks for $60 to professional photographers (this is my class). However, for small businesses, such as real estate listings, their licenses run $120. Large businesses will cost even more.

I once had a client ask for a specific song and I had to track down the copyright owner. It happened to be a big Hollywood outfit, Universal Music Publishing Group. They quoted $1500 per month to play this track in a small business marketing video! Needless to say, this expense was not in the client’s budget.

In addition to the cost for acquiring a commercial music license, there’s also the time required for the post-production part of it. This can be significant and includes searching for suitable music, getting a quote for the license, getting the client’s approval, purchasing the license, and coordinating the audio track with the video. Sometimes, several iterations are required until the client approves the finished video.

Are there penalties if you get caught by the copyright owner? Yes, and they’re covered by U.S. federal law under Title 17 US Code Section 106. Damages can include fines and court expenses.

The Path of Least Resistance Often Works Best

The challenges above are among the reasons that a client’s voice track works so well. First, the client owns the copyright on their own voice recording. Also, it personalizes the video to their prospective clients.

How to Record Your Own Voice Track

Clients often take my draft video and practice their narrative with it. Then record their voice using a cell phone (e.g. using Voice Recorder/Voice Memo) and send me the .M4A (MPEG-4 Audio file). Such a choreographed voice track works well for my post-production work. When appropriate, I can add a 15 to30 second stock music snippet to the introduction and end.

You will find examples of sound tracks in the videos posted to my portfolio page.