A memo from the US Army reveals a cease of use of DJI Products due to undisclosed “cyber vulnerabilities”. Unmanned Aviation site sUAS News recently reported about an obtained memo from the US Navy that called for the institution to halt its use of DJI products. According to the document, this measure comes as a result of an “increased awareness of cyber vulnerabilities associated with DJI products”, citing a memorandum from the Navy titled “Operational Risks with Regards to DJI Family of Products” as well as “DJI UAS Technology Threat and User Vulnerabilities”, a report from the Army Research Laboratory that remains classified. Image Credit: sUAS News It is unclear what exactly is implied by “cyber vulnerabilities”, leading DJI to have reportedly reached out to the US Army for clarification. A response from the Army confirmed the outcome of the memorandum, but refused to comment further. DJI drones are not impervious to hacking, as we recently saw with the Russian company selling a hack to remove the DJI No Fly Zones restrictions. Perhaps they are also vulnerable to remote hacking by a third party, or maybe it has something to do with DJI’s data gathering. In any case, at this point it is all conjecture until DJI releases an official statement. It is worth mentioning, however, that DJI had been the most common off-the-shelf UAV products in use by the Army. Via: sUAS News. What kind of vulnerabilities do you think caused the US Army to drop DJI products? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below!

The DJI Spark camera drone has received a new firmware update that will include enhanced gesture control to start recording, a quick-shot feature as well as improved photo quality. Read on for a summary of the new features and how to install the new firmware. We recently featured a post by Tamás Kiss who was testing the Spark for cinema5D in Iceland. He had troubles with the gesture control – and now it looks like as if DJI enhanced some of these functions. New REC start/stop gesture The DJI Spark features an innovative 3D Sensing System that includes Gesture Mode and PalmControl. Using hand movements, Spark users can instruct their drone to follow them, take aerial selfies, send the drone away and order it to come back. The new Record gesture allows users to start and stop video recording with a simple arm movement. See the image below for more information on performing the new Record gesture.   Enhanced QuickShot video features for more cinematic control The Spark’s QuickShot Intelligent Flight Modes allows the drone to automatically fly along a preset flight path and track a subject along the way. Users can now control which circular direction the drone flies during Circle and Helix modes, offering more control when filming. Other QuickShot modes have also been improved by increasing the height gained during Drone mode and smoothing out the camera’s pitch in Rocket mode. A 180-degree photo shooting mode and improved photo image resolution This new photo-shooting feature maximizes the camera’s stills capabilities. In addition to the existing Vertical and Horizontal Pano modes, a new 180 mode stitches 21 individual photos together to capture 180-degree panoramic images. The photo resolution when shooting in ActiveTrack and Gesture Modes has also been improved to capture images at 12-megapixel resolution of 3968×2976 pixels. Other updates The firmware update also improves the overall performance of Spark, including better responsiveness to input from the remote controller, enhanced connectivity between the aircraft and remote controller, and flight logging for the Intelligent Battery system. Firmware Installation To take advantage of these new features, users must download and install the latest firmware on their drone and remote controller, which also updates the firmware on the Intelligent Battery system. Users must also download and use the latest DJI GO 4 mobile app, available for Android and iOS devices. To make life a little easier, take a look at the video below to make sure you install the firmware correctly. (DJI SPARK DOWNLOAD PAGE). Are you a DJI Spark user? Are there any other features you would like to see in your DJI Spark? Please let us know in the comments below.

As a professional filmmaker and DJI Mavic shooter, Tamás Kiss wanted to test the capabilities of the tiny new DJI Spark drone, so he took it to the challenging Icelandic climate to put it through its paces. Here’s his DJI Spark Review, that confirms a lot of the observations I made during my hands-on session with the tiny new drone. – Introduction by Sebastian Wöber. DJI Spark photo by Sebastian Wöber DJI Spark Review It turned out that Iceland was the perfect test journey for the Spark. I had the opportunity to test it under heavy circumstances that really managed to put the little drone through its paces. The DJI Spark is a very nice toy for hobby use. Family parties, barbecues or children’s birthdays can be creatively documented with it and that’s how DJI advertisers it. But can it work for professionals as well? Let’s find out! Size DJI Spark photo by Sebastian Wöber This is clearly the main feature of the Spark. It’s incredibly compact, and it will fit in any rucksack. However, since its arms are non-folding, it’s actually not that much smaller than the DJI Mavic. Nevertheless, it is still unbelievably handy, light and very easy to transport.   Steering Because I didn’t have a dedicated Spark controller, I’m not able to submit a full-featured report in this DJI Spark Review. I just steered it with my mobile phone and with body gestures. It would have been easier if the Spark was compatible with the Mavic controller, but unfortunately I believe the spark uses a different transmission protocol. That said, steering with my mobile phone was very easy. You don’t need to be a drone expert to get the steering under control. DJI Spark photo by Sebastian Comment by Sebastian Wöber: In my own hands-on test I was able to use the DJI Spark controller. It makes steering the Spark easier and much more ergonomic. Also it enables sports mode, which lets you fly the Spark several times faster than in smartphone mode. Admittedly, when only used with a smartphone, the top speed of this drone is very limited, as you can see in Tamas’ review video. DJI Spark photo by Sebastian Just like the Mavic, the Spark has a number of safety systems, which makes it very easy to fly. However, if you want to steer the drone you have to connect your phone to it, which I must say proved to be quite challenging. The drone had quite a few problems connecting to my phone. The screen of the DJI app turned black and an error report kept telling me that I was using Wi-Fi abroad and that I should connect again. This happened every time I started the app, but after three or four tries it finally worked. This might be firmware related or a fault on my phone. In any case, I’m certain the dedicated remote would have been a more convenient option. As a professional, I think if you go for the Spark, the remote should definitely be part of the package. Stability Unfortunately, coming from a DJI Mavic, the flight behavior of the DJI Spark wasn’t satisfying. The Icelandic wind made it very hard to achieve stable shots with the Spark and its tiny propellers. Steering was difficult and sometimes downright impossible because the wind literally blew the drone away. Precisely because of that strong wind, the Spark had to fight a brave little fight, which meant its battery went flat after just 10 minutes. I wanted to try flying through small aisles because the Spark was the only drone that could fit through the tiny gates, but the wind made it very hard to manage this manoeuvre. After several tries, the Spark was finally able to record but very soon I realised that the material wasn’t usable because of the movements of the drone which had to fight against the wind. Also, apparently, the gimbal isn’t able to compensate the movement caused by strong winds as it only has 2-axis stabilization, unlike the DJI Mavic’s 3-axis gimbal, which can also counterbalance sideways movements. DJI Spark photo by Sebastian Camera The picture is very nice for beginner use and even more so for HD resolution. It is comparable to a mobile phone camera. Because you’re not able to use ND-filters, however, it isn’t easy to get a cinematic look. To compensate for exposure, the drone raises the shutter speed beyond measure, which makes possibility of a smooth cinematic look difficult and has to be achieved in post-production as per Sebastian’s drone footage tutorial. This is another aspect that makes it unsuitable for professional use. However note, that I think the drone does deliver rich colors and a great focal length.  DJI Spark photo by Sebastian Which brings me back to “fun and games”. You are able to steer the DJI Spark without a controller or mobile phone, making it really fun to control the drone via facial recognition and hand gestures. Simply press the start button twice and place the drone on your palm towards your face. After a few seconds, the Spark takes off and locks onto your face. Unfortunately, during my test this also went wrong. Upon takeoff, the drone was unable to manage the wind so it proceeded to fall on my hand, causing the propellers to drill into my thumb. Ouch! DJI Spark photo by Sebastian As soon as it made its way up into the air, however, all I had to do was place my palm towards the camera, which clearly caused the drone to recognise it. Steering the Spark with my hand went reasonably well and the system is simple – when you start to wave towards the camera it’s supposed to rise, move it back and it starts to follow you. This took several attempts and it seems the feature is not very reliable and needs some work. You can wave and wave before anything happens, a problem that supposedly lies on the uv recognition system, as strong sunshine interferes with it. DJI Spark Review Conclusion Although the beautiful pictures stood out, overall I must wrap up this DJI Spark Review by saying that, for me, the Spark failed the Iceland test. It seems that the DJI Spark is prone to wind and will not produce the kind of stable smooth shots the DJI Mavic can. It is much weaker and doesn’t offer the same set of professional features like log recording, 3-axis stabilisation, longer battery life and ND filters.  So as a professional I wouldn’t take the Spark with me for another journey – for me it’s too vulnerable to wind and weather and even though on paper it seems to offer almost the same features as the Mavic, in reality, the DJI Mavic is a different beast alltogether. So my recommendation if you’re on a job and need a reliable, small drone, go for the Mavic. DJI Spark – Pros and Cons Pro’s Small and easy to transport Easy to handle Easy to charge Fun to use the body gesture features Con’s Connection to Wi-Fi is very unstable. The dedicated remote is recommended No ND filters Vulnerable to wind and weather Very sensitive gimbal, 3rd axis is missing to make shoots really smooth. Facial recognition and gesture features aren’t reliable and not intended for professional use Battery runs empty quickly when wind gets stronger We value your observations and opinion. Have you managed to successfully use the DJI Spark in a professional environment? Let us know your own experience in the comments below!

EDIT: DJI Spark drone was launched. Read all about it here: LINK On May 24th, DJI will hold a VIP event in New York releasing a new mini drone. With a brand-new promotional video out and about, it is for certain that we will see something along the lines of a DJI Mavic “mini-me”. DJI have been keeping the pressure on in the drone market. After a tumultuous start, GoPro are back on sale with GoPro Karma, so the market for “put your drone in a backpack and off you go” is becoming more populated with a huge audience on the other end. With the recent release of the DJI Phantom 4 Advanced at NAB just a few weeks ago, they obviously had a top secret plan up their sleeves to woe us all. Have a look at their promotional video below and gaze in awe how a drone can fly easily through canyons and through a library. As the saying goes “size doesn’t matter”, and the new mini drone – called “DJI Spark” according to several rumor sites – will surely live up to that. Based on what we have learned, this drone will be the mini-me counterpart to DJI Mavic. One of the titles that come up in their promotional video stood out of all of them. The word “Size” transforms into “Seize” and continues into “seize the moment”. “S(e)ize the moment” – May 24th Promotional Video Based on the video DJI have released, the new mini drone seems to fit in a small backpack or purse. It therefore must be an incredibly small drone that can fly through caves, canyons, poles and even indoors through a stack of books in a library. Screenshot of DJI Spark promotional video, showcasing its size when flying through a stack of books in a library Having seen the library shot, I would suspect it to still be fuelled with incredible features that we all know and have come to appreciate from DJI drone products. Coupled with DJI Goggles, this drone will surely create a new field of possibilities for DJI lovers. The DJI event will take place on May 24th 2017. cinema5D has been invited and will keep you up-to-date as we learn more about the new release. Stay tuned. DJI Firmware Update Alert In other news, it seems that unfortunately DJI is forcing a firmware upgrade on their users. DJI will soon introduce a new application activation process for international customers. This new step, to take effect at the end of next week, ensures you will use the correct set of geospatial information and flight functions for your aircraft, as determined by your geographical location and user profile. If this activation process is not performed, the aircraft will not have access to the correct geospatial information and flight functions for that region, and its operations will be restricted if you update the upcoming firmware: Live camera streaming will be disabled, and flight will be limited to a 50-meter (164-foot) radius up to 30 meters (98 feet) high.

The DJI Mavic Pro drone is a great product straight out of the box, and is even capable of carrying some extra payload. With this custom DJI Mavic Pro 3D printed camera mount, you can rig up the drone with additional devices, such as 360 cameras, a smartphone with a thermal camera or lights. DJi Mavic Pro equipped with two Samsung Gear 360 2017 cameras. Photo credit: Jean-Marie Cannie Belgium-based hobby videographer and drone enthusiast Jean-Marie Cannie has designed a 3D printed custom camera mounts for the DJI Mavic Pro drone. Right now there are two type of mounts available: a lower one to fit the belly of the Mavic, and an upper mount to be used on Mavic’s back. Flying thermal camera. Photo credit: Jean-Marie Cannie   Using the DJI Mavic Pro 3D Printed Camera Mount One great example of using these mounts is to create a flying 360 camera with the Mavic Pro. By using one 360 camera mounted on top and one on the bottom of the drone, you can create the illusion of a flying 360 camera by cropping the Mavic out of the picture, though stitching both images will need a bit of effort to make it look good. Here is a test video of that setup from the mount creator himself: Another cool example is rigging up the Mavic with a smartphone equipped with the Flir One thermal camera. The result is a cheap flying thermal camera, which can have many cool practical uses and extends the usability of the thermal camera itself. Here is a short test video: There are more possible uses of the mounts, such as mounting other lightweight action cameras. The setup has already been tested with GoPro 5 Session and, according to the designer, the Hero5 should work too. Personally, though, I don’t think mounting a GoPro on a Mavic makes much sense as it is not so much better than the Mavic’s own camera. Mounting an LED light underneath or on the Mavic could also be a good idea. But you may ask yourself, how well does the Mavic Pro handle all that extra weight? The increased payload causes no problems while flying, it just drains the battery a little quicker. The mount designer performed tests to compare flight times with the different setups, and here are the results: Mavic Pro itself (799 g / 28.18 oz) – flight time 25:40 minutes Mavic Pro with one Samsung Gear 360 camera attached (932 g / 32.88 oz) – flight time 17:42 minutes Mavic Pro with two Samsung Gear 360 cameras attached (1.125 g / 39.68 oz) – flight time 13:03 minutes Here is the test video: How and where to get the mounts? All versions of the DJI Mavic Pro 3D printed camera mount are available on Jean-Marie’s Shapeways E-shop for prices ranging from $20 to $30. A design is also available for free on Jean-Marie’s Thingiverse page. It is an older version of the belly mount for the DJI Mavic Pro, which does not allow for the bottom sensors to be turned on. However, it is there and can be downloaded for free. It just requires a 3D printer, obviously. According to the designer, all his mounts will eventually end up on Thingiverse to be available for download, although it is not yet clear when. Do you find the custom mounts for the Mavic Pro useful? What would you like to mount on your Mavic? Let us know in the comments!

HOT OFF THE PRESS: DJI has just announced a new drone! The DJI Phantom 4 Advanced brings incredible upgrades to their mid-level drone series, such as 4K at 60fps, a mechanical shutter, and an all-new screen built into the controller. Here are the specifics in detail. DJI is like a gift that keeps on coming. It is difficult to keep up with them, as new drones seem to pop out of nowhere. However, it’s likely you won’t be disappointed with what the new DJI Phantom 4 Advanced has to offer. Mainly an update to the existing DJI Phantom 4 base model, it shares some of the features found in the DJI Phantom 4 Pro drone. DJI Phantom 4 Advanced – Camera The new DJI Phantom 4 Advanced model has a 1-inch, 20-megapixel sensor and a mechanical shutter. This upgraded camera is capable of shooting H.264 4K video at 60 frames per second, as well as supporting H.265 4K at 30fps, both with a 100Mbps bitrate. DJI claim that the improvements in optical performance, sensors and processors ensure a higher dynamic range and more image detail. Flight Modes and Sensors As with the DJI Phantom 4 Pro, the Advanced comes with many key intelligent features that allow smooth automatic flight modes. These include Draw, ActiveTrack, TapFly, Gesture and Tripod modes. The Phantom 4 Advanced is also equipped with the FlightAutonomy system, which is made up of five vision sensors, a forward-facing obstacle avoidance system, dual-band satellite positioning (GPS and GLONASS), and ultrasonic rangefinders. This allows the DJI Phantom 4 Advanced to hover precisely in places without GPS and to fly in complex environments. Built-In Screen and More The DJI Phantom 4 Advanced also allows for more storage capacity using a 128GB microSD card. The flight time has also been extended to up to 30 minutes. For a slight increase in price from the regular Advanced model, the Phantom 4 Advanced+ version offers a 5.5-inch 1080p screen integrated into the controller. The built-in display device is based on an Android system with 4 GB RAM and, according to DJI, the screen is twice as bright as conventional smart devices. According to DJI, the introduction of the Phantom 4 Advanced means that as of 30th April 2017 the Phantom 4 model will no longer be available. However, DJI will continue to provide after-sales support to Phantom 4 customers. DJI Phantom 4 Advanced – Tech Specs: Sensor: 1’’ CMOS, Effective pixels: 20M Lens: 24mm (35mm format equivalent). f/2.8 – f/11, with auto focus at 1 m – ∞ ISO Range: 100 – 6400 (Manual) Video Recording (h.265): C4K:4096×2160 24/25/30p @100Mbps 4K:3840×2160 24/25/30p @100Mbps 2.7K:2720×1530 24/25/30p @65Mbps 2.7K:2720×1530 48/50/60p @80Mbps FHD:1920×1080 24/25/30p @50Mbps FHD:1920×1080 48/50/60p @65Mbps FHD:1920×1080 120p @100Mbps Video Recording (h.264): C4K:4096×2160 24/25/30/48/50/60p @100Mbps 4K:3840×2160 24/25/30/48/50/60p @100Mbps 2.7K:2720×1530 24/25/30p @80Mbps 2.7K:2720×1530 48/50/60p @100Mbps FHD:1920×1080 24/25/30p @60Mbps FHD:1920×1080 48/50/60 @80Mbps FHD:1920×1080 120p @100Mbps Fore more details on specs, please visit the DJI website here. Pricing for the DJI Phantom 4 Advanced will be $1,349, with the Advanced+ version going for $1,649. Both models will be available as of April 30 2017. What do you think about the newly-updated DJI Phantom 4 Advanced? Would you choose it over the DJI Phantom Pro? Please let us know in the comments below.

I recently reviewed the new DJI Inspire 2 drone extensively and did thorough tests in our lab. In this workflow tutorial on how to master drone footage, I will show you how to convert Inspire 2 X5S or DJI Inspire 1 X5R files in order to get the best results from your Inspire footage. Get our Inspire LUT and Inspire Raw to Log conversion presets HERE. Why Convert Inspire 2 Raw Files? I spent a few days filming with the Inspire 2 drone to create a drone film so I could gain some hands-on experience for my review. During the editing process, I quickly noticed that when filming in Raw mode ( = 5.2K resolution), and similar to the DJI Inspire 1 Raw drone, the DJI Inspire 2 X5S produces .dng sequences that I somehow needed to transcode in order to edit and apply LUTs. The problem for me was that I could never get anywhere near neutral colors by simply sliding the color settings in Adobe Camera Raw, or even by using DaVinci Resolve’s “Blackmagic Film Gamma”. I had the same problem with the Inspire 1. Furthermore, to edit properly I needed some kind of proxy footage, so early transcoding was inevitable. Of course, professional colorists can use the Raw files and tweak the colors until they are right to them, but that is not my style – I’m used to neutral Log gamma video files that I can apply LUTs to and color easily and efficiently, preferably directly in my editing app. So, in conclusion, my requirements were to: Convert Inspire 2 Raw (Or Inspire 1 for that matter) to a well-preserving video format in order to edit and colorize later (without having to go back to Raw). Match and get a neutral Gamma on all my video files, ideally right while transcoding, so I can apply LUTs and grade easily. In the test lab, the colors coming from the X5S and X5R (Inspire) cameras appeared to be off by quite a bit in comparison to an Arri ALEXA, so on top of making a workflow tutorial video I also decided to create several presets and LUTs to get closer to Alexa Log C. Inspire Raw to Log Conversion During my test lab analysis, I found that the best workflow for .dng Raw from the drones to be as follows. Note that this workflow works both for the DJI Inspire 2 with the X5S camera as well as the DJI Inspire 1 with the X5R camera. Also note that this workflow method is for Mac users only right now, although if you work with Windows you can probably adapt it. 1. Convert Inspire 2 Raw to Log in DaVinci Resolve Camera Raw Settings in Blackmagic Design DaVinci Resolve Notes about the DaVcini Resolve conversion • Faster than the After Effects method described further down. • Does not remove lens defects like chromatic aberration, vignetting and distortion. • Gives you a generic flat gamma. (Unless you use the DaVinci LUTs) • In my experience, it blows out the highlights a bit. Open DaVinci Resolve (free download). Browse to your Inspire Raw shots. Drag your folder(s) to the media pool. Change your project settings to the resolution of your shots. (Gear wheel at the bottom right –> Timeline Resolution) Go to the “Edit” tab and drag your shots into the timeline. Go to the “Color” tab and select each shot. Then change: Decode Using: “Clip”; Color Space: “Blackmagic Design”; Gamma: “Blackmagic Design Film”; Tick the “Highlight Recovery” box. (optional) Use our DaVinci 3D LUTs to get closer to the Alexa Colors. Then export your files in the “Deliver” tab. To batch convert all clips, select “Individual Clips” and “File” –> “Source Name”. Click “Add to Render Queue” and then “Start Render” to convert Inspire 2 Raw or convert Inspire 1 Raw files. Using the cinema5D DJI Inspire Raw to LOG Conversion LUTs With my conversion LUTs you can get closer to the Arri Alexa Colors and Gamma. To install them: Launch DaVinci Resolve. Start a new project or open an existing one and click on the settings icon in the lower right corner. Click on the “Color Management” tab. Click on “Open LUT Folder”. The LUT folder will open in a finder window. Copy the LUT .cube file(s) into the LUT folder. When copying has finished, click the “Update Lists” button in the DaVinci Resolve settings window. And to use them: Follow the instructions laid out earlier and apply the “Blackmagic Design Film” Gamma. Before exporting, right click each clip thumbnail and select “3D LUT” –> “C5D_Inspire-1-RAW-to-LOG” or “C5D_Inspire-2-RAW-to-LOG”. 2. Convert Inspire 2 Raw to Log in After Effects Converting Raw to Log in After Effects using the conversion presets. [Update March 31st 2017] With DJI’s new firmware for the Inspire 2, there is now an option to select “D-LOG” gamma while shooting in RAW mode. Please note that this option has little to no effect on your RAW files, but it will lock your exposure to ISO 500. If you can shoot at ISO 500, which is a good place to expose RAW correctly, then use the “D-LOG” option while recording RAW. Otherwise, if you want to be more flexible, leaving the “D-LOG” option off while recording RAW is recommended. Notes about the After Effects conversion • Removes color noise from your footage. • Removes chromatic aberrations, vignetting and distortion from your shots by using the embedded Raw lens data. • The Olympus 25mm lens data is currently faulty, so any footage shot with this lens will not look great. Let’s hope DJI will fix this. • This conversion takes a very long time. Expect your computer to run for at least a day for 30 minutes of footage. Open Adobe After Effects CC. Drag and drop your folder(s) containing the Raw .cdng sequences into the After Effects “Project” tab. The Camera Raw App will open. (optional) Go to the Presets tab (second from the right) and select one of the cinema5D RAW to LOG presets. For each shot (folder with .cdng sequences) you import, the Camera Raw App will open individually. Once all your shots have been imported into After Effects, you can drag them to the “Render Queue” tab at the bottom. Select your desired target codec under “Output Module” in the “Render Queue” tab. Select your desired file destination under “Output To”. Click “Render” in the “Render Queue” tab to convert Inspire 2 Raw or convert Inspire 1 Raw files. For the best possible quality, select the Apple ProRes 4444 or 4444 XQ codec. To save space, go for Apple ProRes 422 HQ. Using the cinema5D DJI Inspire RAW to LOG Conversion LUTs With my conversion presets you can get closer to the Arri Alexa Colors and Gamma. To install them: Navigate to your “Library” folder in Mac OS X. If it is hidden you can reveal your library folder by going to your home folder and then selecting “View” –> “Show View Options” and ticking the “Show Library Folder” checkbox. Navigate to “/Library/Application Support/Adobe/CameraRAW/Settings/”. Place all the .xmp files inside this directory. Restart After Effects. And to use them: Follow the instructions laid out earlier. To use the presets, go to the “Presets Tab” (second from the right) in the Camera Raw window of each clip and select one of the presets. “Inspire-*-RAW-to-LOG_0” is the standard preset. “+1” means pushing the shot if it was underexposed. “-1” means pulling the shot if it was overexposed. For shots with overexposed portions of the image you can also choose the “HL” or “HS” presets. “HS” saves your highlights, “HL” blows your highlights and makes the rolloff more smooth. Note that the presets inside the parenthesis “(…)” are NOT always recommended, as they may produce a “flicker effect” in rare occasions. Inspire Raw to LOG presets If you intend to get awesome shots, I’m sure you will benefit from my presets. I’ve spent a lot of time and effort to get them right, which is why we are not offering them for free. The package also includes the C5D instaLUT B1010 (.cube file) for Log footage (ARRI Alexa and Inspire RAW to LOG) and DaVinci presets for fast conversion of Raw and D-Log footage. This is the best way I found to convert Inspire 2 Raw files to a better format. Disclaimer The presets don’t turn your shots into 100% Arri Alexa Log C footage. They were created by hand and they were intended to get your colors and gamma into the ballpark of Alexa Gamma, so third party LUTs can be used more easily and D-Log and Raw can be matched more easily. That said, for me they are a big help and I hope you enjoy them too. GET THEM HERE As I mentioned in my video, the After Effects workflow gives you the best possible quality and I use it all the time, but DaVinci Resolve converts quicker and the files are also very usable in case you need your files fast. If you shot your video in 4K (UHD) on the Inspire 2 you should use Apple ProRes and D-LOG and you won’t have to convert Inspire 2 Raw files at all. I have tested and explained this in my review. 3. Convert Inspire 2 D-Log to Log in DaVinci Resolve Converting D-Log to Log in DaVinci Resolve with the conversion LUTs With my conversion LUTs you can also convert your D-Log footage (recorded in Apple ProRes) to get closer to the Arri Log C look as explained earlier. Note These only work for the Inspire 2 which records in high quality at 4K resolution with the Apple ProRes codec. It is not recommended to use them on the Inspire 1 or any other DJI drone available right now, as the quality and bitrate of those is not high enough to work properly in such a flat Log Gamma. To install them: follow the instructions laid out under point “1.”. To use them: Open DaVinci Resolve (free download). Browse to your Inspire D-Log shots. Drag your shot(s) to the media pool. Change your project settings to the resolution of your shots. (Gear wheel at the bottom right –> Timeline Resolution) Go to the “Edit” tab and drag your shots into the timeline. Go to the “Color” tab and select all shots. Right click each (or all) clip thumbnails and select “3D LUT” –> “C5D_Inspire-2-RAW-to-LOG” or “C5D_Inspire-2-RAW-to-LOG”. Then export your files in the “Deliver” tab. To batch convert all clips, select “Individual Clips” and “File” –> “Source Name”. Click “Add to Render Queue” and then “Start Render”. 4. Convert Inspire 2 Raw to D-Log in After Effects Here is one more conversion preset as a bonus that I haven’t mentioned in my video. It is called “(Inspire-RAW-to-DJI-LOG)”, part of my cinema5D Raw to Log conversion package. You can select it in the presets tab during the After Effects Camera Raw conversion that I explained in point “2.” This allows you to convert Inspire 2 Raw shots into a gamma that is closer to the D-Log look that you get with AppleProRes recordings on the Inspire 2. It should make it easier to match your footage if D-Log is your target gamma. 5. Direct Workflow in Premiere Pro CC Step 1, 2 and 3 There is also a very simple way to use the D-LOG to Log LUT in Premiere Pro CC directly. The LUT contained in the Raw to Log package converts D-LOG to Log and it can be applied in the Lumetri Color Panel. The benefit of this method is that you do not have to convert your files, but you can work on them natively. The downside is that you cannot apply this to RAW, but only to D-LOG footage, shot on the DJI Inspire 2 with the X5S camera. Go to the Lumetri Color Panel in Premiere Pro CC. Under “Basic Correction”, choose the C5D_Inspire-2-D-LOG-to-LOG.cube LUT as “Input LUT”. Choose your look under the “Creative” tab in the Lumetri Color panel. Choose any .cube file of your liking that works with Alexa Log C. Conclusion That’s it. I hope this workflow tutorial on how to convert Inspire 2 Raw files or Inspire 1 Raw files into Log was useful for you, even if you don’t use my presets and LUTs. I tried to make this tutorial informative for everyone, but I must admit that I see my presets as an integral part of my own workflow to get my footage to where I need it to be. If you have any questions don’t hesitate to let me know in the comments, and please post links to your work where you used the presets successfully!

San Francisco-based company Lily Robotics, the folks behind the autonomous Lily camera drone, is going out of business. After having raised around $34 million on pre-orders from its customers and through venture capitalists, it did not succeed to start the production and plans to refund the money. It is not always rainbows and butterflies in the camera technology market, and these news is another proof of that. We reported about the Lily camera drone almost two years ago, when it promised to deliver exciting features like autonomous flying, object tracking, a compact and ready-to-shoot design, etc. The first Lily drone units were supposed to start shipping in February 2016, but the drone’s creators Antoine Balaresque and Henry Bradlow kept postponing the shipping date. Until finally yesterday they published a goodbye post on the Lily blog saying that they would be going out of business after not being able to secure enough financing to start mass manufacturing. According to the company, customers will be getting a refund in the coming days. Officially stopped smiling: The Lily camera drone. Lawsuit & Prosecution According to San Francisco District Attorney George Gascón, Lily’s creators were ignoring numerous customer demands for refunds. Prosecutors warned them on Wednesday and filed a civil law enforcement action and temporary restraining order at the San Francisco Superior Court. They demand Lily Robotics to refund around $34 million to the 60,000 customers who pre-ordered their product. The Lily company is also being accused of false advertising, including misleading customers with a promotional video. According to TechCrunch, some of the footage following a subject was not recorded with a Lily drone but with a DJI Inspire. The fact that Lily did not use any established crowdfunding platforms to gather initial investments, deciding instead for an independent pre-order strategy, forms an important part of the lawsuit. The problem is in the way the law understands pre-order money in this case (“internet sales” instead of “investment in an idea” as is the case with crowdfunding), which exposed the company to certain consumer protection laws. More on this on TechCrunch. Sources: Businessinsider, Cnet, Techcrunch