DJI AVATA – My Set Up – AlexCarboni FPV

In this guide you will find the best setups for dji AVATA.

How to make movements more cinematic or more dynamic for freestyle ... and how to set the camera to take full advantage of 10bit and always have correct exposure ...

but let's get started right away

I wrote this guide (in Italian) for a magazine specialized on drones

link :

https://www.dronezine.it/390543/djj-avata-una-guida-per-i-settaggi-dei-rates-e-parametri-principali/

and I saw that it was much appreciated

so i decided to share it with all of you my friends here on DJI forum as well

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Usually after buying a Drone, especially stabilized ones , like DJI (Mavic Series - Mini - etc)

once verified that it is good conditions , read the manual instruction, made the first checks and checks list ... we can  immediately fly...

Obviously as we pilot the movements they will become increasingly smooth and instinctive, furthermore when we need greater reactivity and speed, or greater precision, we can take advantage of the SPORT or CINEMATIC flight modes which, depending on the case, will modify the reaction of the Drone movements in relation to the movement of the joysticks of our radio control, bringing them to pre-establishedvalues and more suitable for our needs.

So let's say that in most of the cases, the pilot does not feel the need to know and know how to manage the Gain & Expo values…

but unlike stabilized drones, a drone (commonly called) FPV has quite different flightmodes from stabilized ones, which allow it to perform both stabilized and dynamic and even acrobatic maneuvers.

Allmost  FPV drones and certainly with DJI Avata we will be able to select 3 different modes..

Normal - Sport - Manual

NORMAL  MODE (ANGLE)

the drone flies almost like a stabilized one and reacts to commands like classicDJI drones

using the gps and the VPS (visual position sensor) Avata will be able to maintain altitude and position, it will fly in a precise and very controlledmanner, also maintaining a minimum safty distance from the ground

speed is limited and to me this is the best mode ,  to start with Avata .

it is evenvery good to proxymity flights (people , ground, objects) and indoor flights....

I personally love it

The throttle stick manages the altitude and not the power of the engines, leavingthe sticks , the drone will keep in the his position given by the gyroscope and the GPS trying to maintain the position and altitude by itself. (Hovering)

SPORTS HORIZON)

This mode is a simplified FPV mode where the drone flies at a higher speed than NORMAL mode, while maintaining altitude and without exceeding too much pitch and roller,

it never leaning too much and self-leveling when necessary.

Then there's the...

MANUAL MODE, also called ACRO

In this mode, which can only be activated when the drone is piloted via the remote control, youcan make really fun flights and more acrobatic maneuvers such as flips and rolls.

The drone can reach much higher speeds especially considering the possibility of making very rapid dives and spins .

In this mode, it is essential to know how to manage the accelerator control (throttle) and therefore know how to maintain  the altitude and the positioning of the drone.

(positioning also means its angle / inclination of the drone in the air)

Before you can activating this mode DJI itself through the dji fly app and the goggles suggests practicing with a simulator in order to be more confidendt  both the movements of the drone and the remote control itself, i.e. knowing the position of the button  and their functions, this is becausewhen necessary, we will most likely not have time to remove the goggle and look at the remote control and look for the button we need.

In fact, although it is possible to select and fly in acro,(manual mode)  at the same time there is always the possibility of pushing the PAUSE button which will stop the drone which will return to NORMAL mode, remaining stable and fairly firm in its position.

This function is very useful , both in case of PANIC because we can activate it avoiding a possible crash , but also useful when there are difficulties in landing in ACRO or on an unsuitable surface .

Then, when necessary, you can go back to NORMAL or push the PAUSE button stopping the drone in place

⚠️ BE CAREFUL ⚠️ -

⚠️ BE CAREFUL ⚠️ -

WHEN YOU CANNOT LAND ON A SUITABLE SURFACE

you can approaches it and very carefully grab the drone  , with one hand, from above, paying attention to the propellers

flipping the drone quickly will shut down the engines…

thus avoiding,to land on the ground when, as mentioned, we are over on unsuitable surfaces... dusty, sand, water, uneven ground.

Having said this short and quick introduction on the three different modes and assuming youhave already done enough simulator and practice in all three modes…

By the way

Do you already noticed that once you get familiar with the

MANUAL MODE   you can also unlock 'M Mode Attitude Limit'?

If you haven't already, I recommend you do, otherwise you're not flying true ACRO yet

If you have reached this level ... it means that you have SURELY seen the menu below

Finally we can explore some aspects that are important to me

DJI AVATA through this menu,  

gives us the chance to customize a little the response that the drone will give us and therefore its reactivity or gradualness of movements in relation to the commands we send it through the movements of the joysticks on the remote control.

This is because each of us has our own flying style, but also different needs.

In fact if we want to try to do a little freestyle we will surely need a little more reactivity...

but  if we want to shoot more cinematic videos perhaps it will be better to set the parameters in such a way as to obtain more gradual and smooth  movements.

Also … there are our hands … yes  our articolates , fingers

Each of us manages to articulate our hands better or worse of others ,

there are those who pilot using only the two thumbs and those who like to hold the joystick with two fingers …

all of this affects how we manage to move the joysticks

(with more or maybe less difficulty)

left and right or bottom to top.

therefore it can be useful to customize the parameters that are made available to us

The three parameters that we can set are:

- Central sensitivity - Maximum rate - Expo -

Respectively on the three movement axes of the drone

ROLL - PITCH - YAW

and then of the respective levers (joystick) of the radio control .

Usually I start from the standard parameters, i.e. those that we find already pre set by DJI

Then I'm going to change the value of the Max Rate column

This value represents the energy with which the command is transmitted from the remote control to the drone

Then the intensity of the commands on the respective reference axes of ROLL - PITCH - YAW will be amplified or attenuated

If we lower the value too much, the commands will be attenuated and even moving the stick all the way, the maximum power willnever be reached

Conversely, if we raise them too much (over 100%) small movements of the sticks will be enough to reach very high values, reaching 100% of the energy even without bringing the sticks to the end of their stroke

Note: Minimum value is zero – maximum 2000

Once you have found the right MAX RATE value, i.e. the value that best suits your flying style and the sensitivity of your fingers, you move on to the EXPO

The EXPOscontrol the starting attenuation, the initial smoothness of the stick response curve

With low values the movement of the drone will be more GRADUAL … smooth at the beginning (attack) and then it willgradually reach the set value

while with high values, the movement will attack immediately and continue in an almost linear way.

Also for the EXPOs

same like all the other values come would be set one at a time and gradually adapting them to our PERSONAL needs…

it goes without saying that in reality there is no one value that is good for everyone ...

but each of us will adapt the parameters to his personal style.

The last one I usually adjust, but not the least is the

Center Sensitivity

this value represents the radius from the central point of the stick within which the remote control will not send any command …

i.e. it represents a small area which I call the dead area…

It is used to compensate for small movement errors when we accidentally move the sticks slightly.

Errors that can occur for example when we have not grasped the remote control well and move our finger or maybe when we only have to go straight but we also tend to move to the right ... (pitch & roll)

or when we give gas and accidentally rotate the drone (throttle – yaw)

In short, even in this case, you will have to find your best setup

These are the parameters that I have set and with which I feel comfortable these days...

for a cinematic flight ... But I repeat ... do not take them as suitable parameters for everyone

Because the important thing is to understand and experiment until everyone finds his or hers

ALSO REMEMBER THAT BY SWITCHING FROM THE DIFFERENT FLIGHT MODES (NORMAL - SPORT - MANUAL) THESE VALUES WILL NOT CHANGE AND WE WILL THEREFORE

ALWAYS THE SAME ANSWERS FROM THE DRONE WITH RESPECT TO THE MOVEMENTS MADE ON THE REMOTE CONTROL

but once you understand the dynamics and have a little experience, they could better manage our flight and make it more kinematic or more dynamic and suitable for freestyle

If you've come this far, it's because you're a true enthusiast like me

So … perhaps these little TIPS could also be useful for improve your video shooting qualitywith AVATA

With AVATA if you love making videos, you will have noticed that we do not have the possibility to use the histogram to verify the correct exposure

We also need to be able to see (directly through the goggles) where we are flying our drone, especially when we go from very bright to dark  environments.

So to try to always have a good exposure, I suggest you use this method.

First of all let's go to Camera settings and start entering these values

16:9 aspect ratio

4K/50fps video quality

(becouse on a 25fps timeline we will be able to make a small slowmotionswithout problems)

FOV Wide

EIS : (Electronic Image Stabilization) OFF

Wide FOV and EIS OFF so you can stabilize with Gyroflow

ISO limit : 1600 (more grains too much)

Grid I like to have the center and have the guidelines

Exposure Mode : Manual

ISO : Automatic

Shutter 1/100

(respect the 180 degree rule to have a better motion blur and thus increase the quality of our video)

EV:0

WB : Manual

(white balance 6500K but it should be evaluated from time to time depending on the light conditions ... even better to use a color tablet like X-RITE Color checker at the beginning of shooting to have a better color match with the other clips)

However, white balance is very important to get a good final color

Advanced shooting settings

I record with both in order to have an emergency copy on the goggles too…

prudence is never too much

Automatically register on take off…helps the distracted like me

D-Cinelike color

It offers quite a good dynamic range, especially now that we finally have 10bit and alsoduring the flight you can see the shadows better...

(but needs color work in post-production)

Sharpness -1

in order to slightly reduce the graininess when we go up with the ISO

Noise Reduction 0 … (that's fine with me but you can experiment)

Anti flicker Auto

Subtitles ON

Once you adjust  these parameters...

We have to position the drone in such a way as to frame (look) what will be the brightest scene of our clip, of the video we plan to shoot.

If too bright we have to use ND filters

I use the original DJI ones but other brands are fine too, the important thing is that they are of good quality.

Then, with drone camera , look and frame the brightest scene, set SHUTTER to automatic and check the value that is as close as possible to 1/100

If the value is higher, for example 1/500 ... you put an ND filter with a higher value (for example you pass from ND8 to ND32) until you are satisfied with the exposure.

over time you will be able to easily understand which ND filter will be more suitable depending on the environmental conditions

Once the correct ND filter has been determined, apply it to the drone and re-set SHUTTER to manual with a value of 1/100

At this point you are ready to shoot your scene….

The drone will change the ISO by increasing them automatically when we pass in the shaded areas , without correcting the shutter speed (shutter) thus maintaining the right relationship with the set FPS .

NOTE: the ND filter, in addition to correcting the exposure, will also have a function of protecting the lens of our camera, thus avoiding scratching it.

Ok …

once you have set the RATES that best suit your style and the type of video shooting you need

Set the correct values for proper exposure and video ratio.

All you have to do is download the free video stabilization program

Gyroflow … ( FREE PROGRAM TO HAVE A REALLY GOOD QUALITY VIDEO SMOOTHLY STABILIZED )

Transfer your clips directly from the SD memory to the program which will immediately recognize the source video (DJI AVATA) automatically.

So it will immediately set the right values to stabilize our video clips well and fluidly , SMOOTH.

(I personally don't really like the auto zoom feature and I deselect it)

Again  … play a little with this simple program

Maybe even watch a little tutorial on youtube and you'll see

that better results than the function can easily be obtained

of automatic stabilization ROCKSTEADY or Horizont present

already in the drone options.

If, on the other hand, you are not interested in this further step,

remember to select EIS in the mode you like best.

If you liked this little guide …

I'm AlexCarboni

You can follow me on my Facebook page Alex Carboni

https://www.facebook.com/AlexCarboniVideo/

Or Instagram

@alexcarboni_

https://www.instagram.com/alexcarboni_/

As always I will try to stay available and I will continue to

share my little experiences …

I suggest you do the same... together we always grow better

"SACRED OR PROFANE"

Andy Warhol

https://youtu.be/KKjD-AlUJTA

my backstage of the work done with DJI Avata

indoors in the museum of Rome exhibition Andy Warhol -

"SACRED OR PROFANE"

this drone is amazing new updates made video files better editable 10bit improves a lot

the drone flies great

hope you will like it

Alex Carboni

Rome Italy VideoMaker museo

LA VACCHERIA

soundtrack - Artlistio

Thanks for sharing!
And yes, I like it

hello,
I'm glad you liked it…
I hope it can help some other enthusiasts like us

Nice setup.   

Very detailed guide Alex.    Great job.  

DAFlys Posted at 12-27 02:24
Nice setup.

THANK YOU for enjoying this little guide
I have been using DJI AVATA for more than three months ...
and i have to admit that after 'last update is much better ...

DowntownRDB Posted at 12-27 03:02
Very detailed guide Alex.    Great job.

I wrote this guide (in Italian) for a magazine specialized on drones
and I saw that it was much appreciated
so i decided to share it with all of you my friends here on DJI forum as well
I'm glad you like it
and thank you for your kind comment

AlexCarboni Posted at 12-27 03:13
I wrote this guide (in Italian) for a magazine specialized on drones
and I saw that it was much appreciated
so i decided to share it with all of you my friends here on DJI forum as well

You're very welcome Alex.  I really appreciate you sharing this guide.  

Hey Alex,

I like the way you share your experience. Even ND filters. Thanks

Canfrt Posted at 3-12 13:46
Hey Alex,

I like the way you share your experience. Even ND filters. Thanks

Yuppies yea
Very good
Your comment is very appreciated

your the BOMB. Great work!!

ahr69 Posted at 7-16 08:15
your the BOMB. Great work!!

many many many thank

Great Job Alex, U're a Hero for Avata's Newbie like Me. For More, Could u Please Give a TIPS How to Maintain Altitude with Throttle in M Mode, specialy in Slow Flight....

JIWAYA Posted at 9-26 20:49
Great Job Alex, U're a Hero for Avata's Newbie like Me. For More, Could u Please Give a TIPS How to Maintain Altitude with Throttle in M Mode, specialy in Slow Flight....

thanks ... I will do it