Hi all

I had fun in the South of England today shooting this panorama of the entrance to Langstone Harbour.  Mini 3 Pro.


But take a look at the horizon?

Despite perfect flying conditions and no wind, and with a clear horizon  line, the DJI software has not stitched the 9 shots together at all  well.

Was this just bad luck? Anyone else noticing this? It seems a fairly basic error to not get the horizon right.
  
Thanks
C

This is a very common problem shooting 360 spheres. If you shoot RAW it keeps the original souce photos on the card. Then you can post-stitch the photos on a computer at home using software which is a lot better than the on-board stitching which is quite poor.
Seaward horizons are particularly difficult due to the lack of discernable features to get matching control points.
Search the forums, this has come up multiple times before.

Hi there. Thank you for reaching out and we're sorry for the trouble. Please try to perform the gimbal and IMU calibration and check if the issue persists. You may reformat the microSD card or use a  different microSD card. Before formatting the microSD card, please backup the data on it. If you are using an RC controller, please try to use a mobile device after refreshing the aircraft's firmware to further isolate the issue. Please let us know. Thank you.

Are you sure there was no wind,     at altitude things can be different and this looks like a wind issue.

DAFlys Posted at 10-23 02:12
Are you sure there was no wind,     at altitude things can be different and this looks like a wind issue.

Well, it was flat calm at ground level. I don't think there was much at 400ft. Certainly well within the Mini 3 Pro limits.

Corsairoz Posted at 10-23 03:08
Well, it was flat calm at ground level. I don't think there was much at 400ft. Certainly well within the Mini 3 Pro limits.

You'd be surprised how it can vary.    Ive just got back from a weeks trip around the West Country and there wasnt a single day when it was windy at altitude,  even the difference between 100ft and the ground was noticeable.  

DAFlys Posted at 10-23 02:12
Are you sure there was no wind,     at altitude things can be different and this looks like a wind issue.

The issue has nothing to do with wind.
This is a popular myth that is completely untrue.
Small changes in the position of the drone make no difference to stitching (unless your subject is very close to the drone).

The issue is as described above, a combination of very basic stitching software and the difficulty of stitching a featureless water foreground and the sky without  any hard detail.

Labroides Posted at 10-23 03:34
The issue has nothing to do with wind.
This is a popular myth that is completely untrue.
Small changes in the position of the drone make no difference to stitching (unless your subject is very close to the drone).

I would beg to differ from my own experience.  

DAFlys Posted at 10-23 04:44
I would beg to differ from my own experience.

But you are wrong.
Have you tried stitching the individual images with proper stitching software or are you just guessing?
You'll get poor stitching with inadequate software in perfectly calm conditions.

If you took the individual images and used proper stitching software, you'd almost always get a good stitch of the same panorama.
At the distances drones typically are from the panorama subjects, movements of small distances make no differences to stitching.

Wind has NOTHING to do with it.
Use real panorama stitching software and you will obtain better results.
The DJI method is garbage.

Labroides Posted at 10-23 14:28
But you are wrong.
Have you tried stitching the individual images with proper stitching software or just DJI's in-camera stitching or are you just guessing?
You'll get poor stitching with inadequate software in perfectly calm conditions.

Perhaps you could let DJI know that then as if it's too windy the drone will not even complete the series of shots.

DAFlys Posted at 10-23 21:03
Perhaps you could let DJI know that then as if it's too windy the drone will not even complete the series of shots.

Perhaps that's true, but wind won't cause poor stitching.

I'll take your reply to mean that you didn't try stitching the individual images with proper stitching software and just guessed.

So far I have yet to see one single satisfactory stitch coming direct from my M3P, which has lead me to beleive the on board stitching is poor.
The best results come from post stitching.

Method 1
Shoot the sequence manually
Pros: You can shoot at 48MP or with AEB (unfortunately not both). You can capture the zenith with the max tilt up (+60deg) in portrait mode. You control the image pattern (number of shots, overlap, etc). You have full manual control over all camera settings for a perfectly matching image set.
Cons: Its a slow and labourious process.

Method 2
Use Auto Pano with RAW enabled and post stitch.
Pros: It's a lot faster and easier to shoot that way.
Cons: Limited to 12MP. No AEB. No manual controls. You will get a zenith gap unless you manually shoot covering shots before/after the auto squence.

Both methods will give a superior stitch using the right software. Though 1 does the best job, because of: See Method 1 Pros.

DAFlys Posted at 10-23 21:03
Perhaps you could let DJI know that then as if it's too windy the drone will not even complete the series of shots.

You are incorrect as you are referring to a WIND WARNING!
Wind has nothing to do with it!
The best result is achieved using real pano stiching software!

TP-FPV Posted at 10-24 13:04
You are incorrect as you are referring to a WIND WARNING!
Wind has nothing to do with it!
The best result is achieved using real pano stiching software!

What ever you think must be right.

DAFlys Posted at 10-24 22:26
What ever you think must be right.

In this case he is correct.

Labroides Posted at 10-25 01:22
In this case he is correct.

Im sorry my own experience counts for nothing.  

DAFlys Posted at 10-25 01:29
Im sorry my own experience counts for nothing.

I've done my own testing which showed that wind is not a factor at all.
Please explain the testing that gives you the opposite idea?
Or was it just a guess as I suggested earlier (but you ignored)?

Labroides Posted at 10-25 02:10
I've done my own testing which showed that wind is not a factor at all.
Please explain the testing that gives you the opposite idea?
Or was it just a guess as I suggested earlier (but you ignored)?

Ive flown the same location with and without wind many times and the days with strong wind I get worse stitching than flat calm days.  With enough wind the drone will even quite mid process and complain its in movement.   

Perhaps your testing with different drone to me.

DAFlys Posted at 10-25 02:25
Ive flown the same location with and without wind many times and the days with strong wind I get worse stitching than flat calm days.  With enough wind the drone will even quite mid process and complain its in movement.   

Perhaps your testing with different drone to me.

And were you using DJI's in-camera stitching or if not, what program were you using?
The drone used isn't relevant.

Labroides Posted at 10-25 02:28
And were you using DJI's in-camera stitching or if not, what program were you using?
The drone used isn't relevant.

Of course the drone is relevant,  a Mavic has much less issue with the wind than a Mini1.   

Ive used the inbuilt software,  PT Gui,  Panorama Studio and Lightroom,  sometimes they can be saved but not always.

DAFlys Posted at 10-25 02:43
Of course the drone is relevant,  a Mavic has much less issue with the wind than a Mini1.   

Ive used the inbuilt software,  PT Gui,  Panorama Studio and Lightroom,  sometimes they can be saved but not always.

Yes, the drone is irrelevant.
If a drone moves a foot or two that makes no difference to stitching when the subject is hundreds of feet away as in just about all drone panoramas.
I commonly shoot panos in >20 knot winds without any problem.

The software is the main factor and the stitchability of the subject matter is a secondary one.
Microsoft Ice will often give broken sea horizons, whether the flight was windy or perfectly calm.
But Autopano Giga can always stitch the same images perfectly.

Labroides Posted at 10-25 03:08
Yes, the drone is irrelevant.
If a drone moves a foot or two that makes no difference to stitching when the subject is hundreds of feet away as in just about all drone panoramas.
I commonly shoot panos in >20 knot winds without any problem.

Perhaps you should try stronger winds,  Im often flying in 35mph gusts.  

DAFlys Posted at 10-25 03:14
Perhaps you should try stronger winds,  Im often flying in 35mph gusts.

I do fly in stronger winds.
But as I tried to explain to you, any small difference in camera position is meaningless with the normal camera to subject distance.

Labroides Posted at 10-25 03:28
I do fly in stronger winds.
But as I tried to explain to you, any small difference in camera position is meaningless with the normal camera to subject distance.

Well as I keep telling you that has not been my experience,   

DAFlys Posted at 10-25 03:29
Well as I keep telling you that has not been my experience,

And you have completely dismissed mine.

Labroides Posted at 10-25 03:38
And you have completely dismissed mine.

I just think your not taking into account the characteristics of different drone and different subjects.

DAFlys Posted at 10-25 03:42
I just think your not taking into account the characteristics of different drone and different subjects.

You post alot of nonsense on this forum with no facts to back them up.
Try using REAL Panorama stitching software!!!
What TYPE of DRONE makes absolutely no difference!

TP-FPV Posted at 10-25 05:21
You post alot of nonsense on this forum with no facts to back them up.
Try using REAL Panorama stitching software!!!
What TYPE of DRONE makes absolutely no difference!

Yawn, Yawn, Yawn and your usual aggressive nonsense.   Perhaps you should go out and fly more.