Hello All,

Very excited to be a new DJI Phantom Pro III owner. So far, I've had just a few flights around my local area. Not had many remote control "toys" so I'm working on getting fluent with the controls.

I've read the manual(s), viewed intro DJI videos, and started taking in various threads here. I have several questions that I would really appreciate answered/directed to links where the answers exist:

1. What is the optimal video editing software? My understanding is that the DJI app does not allow you to import sound/music.
2. What device do you use to connect the storage card to pc/mac? Also asking for upgrading firmware purposes.
3. I currently use an iPhone 5s for my device and am considering upgrading to iPhone 6. Any feedback on the quality on iPhone 6. iPhone 5s does not work very well. Screen is small and landscape mode is only option.
4. I've read that is recommended to add a second battery for additional flying time and a larger SD card (64GB). Any other add-ons that are recommended and why?
5. Any help on optimal settings (camera, triggers, etc)? I found that the right joystick drone direction can be tricky/difficult, particularly when the drone is out of site and you are not sure which way is straight

Looking forward to improving and getting some great pics/vids together. Thank you so much for the help!

1) If by optimal you mean best, then try Adobe Premiere Pro.
2) you need a memory card reader. This one is fast and inexpensive.
3) These devices work well with DJI GO.
4) Checkout www.PhantomHelp.com for ideas of things you might need.
5) You can find tips on the best settings at www.PhantomHelp.com.

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1. What is the optimal video editing software? My understanding is that the DJI app does not allow you to import sound/music. Not sure on this one I'm still looking myself for a good editing software.
2. What device do you use to connect the storage card to pc/mac? Also asking for upgrading firmware purposes. I use a PC I also downloaded the firm ware on the PC then copied it to the SD card but make sure it's in the root and no a folder
3. I currently use an iPhone 5s for my device and am considering upgrading to iPhone 6. Any feedback on the quality on iPhone 6. iPhone 5s does not work very well. Screen is small and landscape mode is only option. I used my I6 and quickly upgraded to an Ipad Mini 2 a lot of people use Ipad mini 3's or the new Air 2 but the Air 2 is a bit big some say
4. I've read that is recommended to add a second battery for additional flying time and a larger SD card (64GB). Any other add-ons that are recommended and why? you might look into detachable prop guards and graphite props. The battery and larger SD card are good ideas
5. Any help on optimal settings (camera, triggers, etc)? I found that the right joystick drone direction can be tricky/difficult, particularly when the drone is out of site and you are not sure which way is straight The app will help with heading straight and finding your way back. I have no issue with the directional control on the right but I understand in other countries its the other way around on the controls.

Good flying

Thank you to your responses so far.

1. I've setup Adobe Premiere Pro. Seems very difficult to use. I'm very PC savvy but couldn't even load a video from my desktop. Perhaps it was the wrong format.
2. I've ordered this card reader. Will be here Sunday. Hopefully will resolve #1.
3. Lists my phone, although I don't seem to to view my flight well on an iPhone 5s. Screen is small and difficult to see (especially in sun).
4. Lots to research
5. This link did not work.

Here are some notes from my early flights:

1. On this mornings flight, I took off and was practicing straight/forward, flip 180 and then straight/forward. Just to be able to go straight at higher elevation/speeds. A few seconds into this while the drone was 10-15 feet away, a giant dragonfly ran right into the propellers. Happy to say his guts are on one of the propellers but no damage, just some nice evidence Out of curiosity, has there been drone hitting bird posts here?
2. While I am getting better at flying, photo/video is still completely clueless to me. Even a video or two in my DJI app sometimes is choppy/distorted. Is this standard until converted to HD? Any useful links to learn how to use Adobe Premiere well are appreciated. I also was never big into photography, so I do not know optimal settings for camera.
3. One battery is really not enough. I will be getting at least 1 more.

for basic video editing if you do not like premier pro then look at adobe premier elements 13

So I just had my first "crash." I'm guessing it is very insignificant as I've seen some large crashes through video here. I hit a tree at 8-10 feet above ground. These trees are massive, maybe 80-100 feet tall lined all the way down my street. The drone only hit light leaves leaving the propellers a bit grass stained but nothing much. Everything worked fine afterwards. Restarted it and flew until battery ran out.

I did start trying to video record and there is some serious lag on my screen. There is also some serious chop on my screen. Any ideas as to why? I notice on occasion I can see the propellers in the screen/video as well.

Even when I open my DJI app and go to Library > Video, the video is very choppy. Is this typical? Will it look better on my SD card?

danwahoo Posted at 2015-9-4 19:41
Even when I open my DJI app and go to Library > Video, the video is very choppy. Is this typical? Wi ...

The 5s just doesn't have enough power to keep up with even the 720p stream.  What is recorded on the SD card will be smooth as it is the full 4K (assuming you recorded at 4K) video.  This of course means you need a decent PC/Mac to manage.  I use my Macbook Pro with Final Cut Pro (currently compiling a "best of" my first 100 flights).

After using an iPhone 6 for two weeks, as others have said, it is worth the cost to upgrade to an iPad Mini..  I went with the 3 as Best Buy had it on sale for $100 off ($299) for the 16GB Silver iPad Mini 3.  I have hardware decode turned on and do not see as much "stuttering" as I did on my Nexus 7 or my iPhone 6.  And to be perfectly honest, you get more information on the Mini than the 6...

heyandy - thanks for the response.

The reason I bring up an iPhone6 is because I am due for an upgrade in several days. I figure I can knock out two birds with one stone.

I'm leaning towards using my Macbook Air with Final Cut Pro (recently downloaded the trial) for video editing. Man I am a beginner. I couldn't figure out how to select a still image and save it. I looked here () and the "Share" feature on the top menu bar does not exist for me in the software. I suspect this is because it is a trial version. Needless to say, I can't do much yet and I had to screenshot the screen in order to save the file.

Please do send the link to your first 100 flights when it is available. I feel like I have so much to learn.

Some other points:

1. I noticed that you can semi-frequently see the propellers during flying. Is this typical?
2. I've had one crash thus far. Was a bit windy out and flew into a pine tree, about 20 feet up. Luckily it didn't fall, but had to climb the tree to retrieve it. After some light cleaning, everything seemed normal.
3. Bit surprised on the low battery life for each unit per flight. Having several batteries is a must.

Thank you for your help!

danwahoo Posted at 2015-9-7 19:54
heyandy - thanks for the response.

The reason I bring up an iPhone6 is because I am due for an upgr ...

Holy Wow. Tried Adobe Premiere on my PC. Found how to extract images within 30 seconds. That's a good start. Lets see where I can get with this.

So tonight there was an amazing sunset. I rushed home to fire up the drone and go fly into it. Below is the image I see of the video. I'm assuming this is due to the fact that the lightning and I may need to purchase filters to be able to capture this. Am I right?

So tonight there was an amazing sunset. I rushed home to fire up the drone and go fly into it. Below is the image I see of the video. I'm assuming this is due to the fact that the lightning and I may need to purchase filters to be able to capture this. Am I right?

sunset

Hmmm, nevermind. All images in Adobe Premiere view in correct colors, but all the video colors are distorted. Perhaps this also is because I am using a trial?

Hi Guys,

I'd really appreciate anybody's help with Adobe Premiere. I'm not sure why I'm seeing distorted video color and a complete novice with the software. Just got in from another flight. Decided to push the limits of my max distance and I hit around 330m before losing signal. Talk about stressful. Conditions were as good as ever. Hardly any wind. Partly cloudy/sunny. I'd say the only reason the drone lost eyesight was because I couldn't look up because of the sun, even with sunglasses.

Why did it lose signal? Is there anything to do to improve the signal quality? I'm going to attempt to update the aircraft firmware tonight (http://forum.dji.com/thread-29857-1-1.html) and I hope I don't run into any issues.

Very off. Opened Adobe Premiere to look at which videos to delete to create more space the colors are fine now. No idea what happened previously...