Are there any tricks  or tips for really smooth stick control, or is it just a matter of practice, practice, practice.

My settings are as follows
EXP  0.20, 0.10,  0.20
Sensitivity 100, 130, 30
Max gimbal pitch speed 9
Gimbal pitch smoothing 25

I have had my Mavic Air for a month now and I try to get out flying as much ss possible despite the weather. Wind and rain are the norm here in The Pennine hills of Yorkshire. However, I have managed to clock up over 12 hours of flying time so far, and no matter how much I practice, I still struggle to get really smooth pans.

The attached video was taken using Tapfly/free mode to give a constant speed and setting, thereby allowing me to concentrate on the yaw as I fly past my subject. But I still struggle to get smooth pans whilst keeping my subject dead centre in the video.

So guys, are there any tips or tricks you can give me, or am I just trying to run before I can walk?

Yawing between 14-17 was a bit jittery...but then after 17, it became smoother. Otherwise good shot of the background and horizon. It takes practice, lots of practice but you're on your way.

It's almost impossible to make that pan with your sticks. Pick up Litchi and fly a mission around the tower. It always works with 100% smooth pans when you learn how to set POI points, which is easy. You can also fly 10 times around the tower at different heights with different POI's. The possibilities are endless once ..............

Happy flying. Regards Leif.

personally i would have done a point of interest shot there, then use point of interest in spotlight mode, otherwise not bad matey ;)

Lots and lots of practice.  You could also reduce the yaw sensitivity or EXP a touch more until the very small stick movements required become more natural.  Using tapfly to let you concentrate on yaw is a great start though.  I think flying along a path manually while controlling gimbal and yaw in a smooth manor must take immense skill and concentration.

IOS and autopilot. ULTRA smooth!

Hi TheDenimac,
I quite understand your problem of navigating around a shape so you have a smooth presentation.
Practice was the way I approached it, because I needed the smooth flow around corners of large buildings.
Once you have settled on the altitude and camera angle, you need only concentrate on 2 stick movements at once.
Place the drone square on to a side of the building or subject and with the right stick slightly to the right, you will travel to the right, parallel to the side.
At the corner of the building/shape, you need to move the left stick left, sufficiently to turn as you travel. Having got round the corner, release the left stick to continue travelling right.
All that is easier said than done.
You will need to practice this process. Until you get the stick movement perfect, don’t think about keeping the image central. That will fall into place when you have navigation skills.
I practiced above a car, which is very difficult, but makes learning better. The reason it is so hard, is because you are so close to the car, albeit above it, so you can’t run into it.
You will find that the trick is to pivot about the corner with the left stick moved to the left.
You will find, initially that because you are not travelling sideways, parallel to the subject, you drift in or away from it.
It took me a while to figure that out and so I slowed everything down to hardly moving and then it all worked out.
After that, I could build up on speed.
It is true you can use the automated controls, but manual control is a skill worth aiming for.
I have included a cutting from an early video I made where automated controls would be more trouble than they are worth.
The ship is long and narrow, so to get in close with a circular automated orbit will result in over close to bow and stern and too far away for the sides.
OK so you may not shoot ships, but buildings have similar issues. POV works well for compact shapes, like cars or towers.
When I first practiced, I used 2 batteries and navigation just got worse. The next day, it was pretty darn good.
I hope you like the vid, it was a spontaneous shoot, so I had no opportunity to plan or practice. Still it did what was required.

you're doing great as far as I'm concerned.

It really difficult to outperform the drone itself flying automatically. As I've learned depending on the weather conditions some stick controls might feel totally different one day to the next, so it's very difficult to calibrate precisely what stick commands are required for obtaining an exact particular kind of shot.

Tripod mode and a lot of practice. Good footage though.

S.D. Pilot Posted at 2018-5-4 09:44
Yawing between 14-17 was a bit jittery...but then after 17, it became smoother. Otherwise good shot of the background and horizon. It takes practice, lots of practice but you're on your way.

Hi and thanks for your response.......I guess I will just have to keep practicing

Landbo Posted at 2018-5-4 10:01
It's almost impossible to make that pan with your sticks. Pick up Litchi and fly a mission around the tower. It always works with 100% smooth pans when you learn how to set POI points, which is easy. You can also fly 10 times around the tower at different heights with different POI's. The possibilities are endless once ..............

Happy flying. Regards Leif.

Hi Leif and thanks for your comment. I have been considering buying Litchi mainly because of waypoints. The extra pre-programmable flights would be useful, but I also, still need to learn smooth stick controls for a lot of the shots I want to get.

Bomberuk1 Posted at 2018-5-4 10:03
personally i would have done a point of interest shot there, then use point of interest in spotlight mode, otherwise not bad matey ;)

Hi and thanks for your comment. POI and the Quickshots do give stunning results, but I was just using the tower as a subject to practice my flying skills on. When I finally get around to doing a full project, I hope to be able to mix the pre-programmable shots with smooth free flying

Breezer74 Posted at 2018-5-4 10:08
Lots and lots of practice.  You could also reduce the yaw sensitivity or EXP a touch more until the very small stick movements required become more natural.  Using tapfly to let you concentrate on yaw is a great start though.  I think flying along a path manually while controlling gimbal and yaw in a smooth manor must take immense skill and concentration.

Hi and thanks for tips. Looks like I will just have to keep practicing......lol.

Bill B Posted at 2018-5-4 10:10
IOS and autopilot. ULTRA smooth!

Hi Bill and thanks for your response. Buying lots of different apps will no doubt give me more choice of pre-programmable shots, but I really feel like I need to improve my basic flying skills so I can create some unique shots.

AlansDronePics Posted at 2018-5-4 12:09
Hi TheDenimac,
I quite understand your problem of navigating around a shape so you have a smooth presentation.
Practice was the way I approached it, because I needed the smooth flow around corners of large buildings.

Hi Alan and thanks for your detailed reply. Your shots of the sailing ship are superb, even more so because you free flow the mission. Those are the silky smooth types of shots that I am aiming at. I guess it's like learning to play a musical instrument. After learning a few chords anyone can soon knock out a few recognisable tunes, but to play the instrument well takes lots of practice.  

Yes sir, I practice my POI's and Cable Cam shots all the time. like playing guitar practice makes perfect ! Another tip always try to follow the rule of thirds.

TheDenimac Posted at 2018-5-5 01:10
Hi Leif and thanks for your comment. I have been considering buying Litchi mainly because of waypoints. The extra pre-programmable flights would be useful, but I also, still need to learn smooth stick controls for a lot of the shots I want to get.

Yes you are right, in it never hurts to practice.

The best way to do it manually would probably be to put the controller on a fixed table and sitting on a chair when doing the maneuver. The problem with doing it manually is also that the bit of delay you see on your monitor, should you always be before on the controller, hope you understand my English.

Good luck. Regards Leif.

QuadKid Posted at 2018-5-5 01:26
Yes sir, I practice my POI's and Cable Cam shots all the time. like playing guitar practice makes perfect ! Another tip always try to follow the rule of thirds.

Well said, and as a guitar player this is spot on, Except I use the circle of 5ths

TheDenimac Posted at 2018-5-5 01:03
Hi and thanks for your response.......I guess I will just have to keep practicing

Absolutely, I have over a thousand miles of flight time under my belt and I'm still practicing certain moves and still learning.

Picanoc Jack Posted at 2018-5-4 13:22
you're doing great as far as I'm concerned.

Thanks for your comment

davidmartingraf Posted at 2018-5-4 13:27
It really difficult to outperform the drone itself flying automatically. As I've learned depending on the weather conditions some stick controls might feel totally different one day to the next, so it's very difficult to calibrate precisely what stick commands are required for obtaining an exact particular kind of shot.

Hi and thanks for your comments.

A CW Posted at 2018-5-4 16:22
Tripod mode and a lot of practice. Good footage though.

Hi and thanks for your comments. I find Tripod mode too slow for most shots, although it is good to practice in that mode

QuadKid Posted at 2018-5-5 01:26
Yes sir, I practice my POI's and Cable Cam shots all the time. like playing guitar practice makes perfect ! Another tip always try to follow the rule of thirds.

Hi and thanks for the comments. I can see the similarity between learning to fly and learning to play music, and I guess they both come down to plenty practice. Once my movements are more smooth, then I can concentrate on composition a bit more....hopefully.....lol