Phantom 3 is one of the best drone series ever launched by DJI. It has a number of drone models ranging from standard to pro level designed to meet customer’s demands. All of them have multiple features that can be set according to your needs. For a drone enthusiast, finding the best setting to get the best cinematic results of his drones is very important. They can be found by experimenting with your drone’s settings or reading articles or watching tutorials online. To attain the clear and good quality results of your camera, it is very important to keep it on the right settings. Here are a few camera settings that we consider are best for Phantom 3 series:

Don’t miss: The most useful accessories for the Phantom 3

Best Recommended Settings for Professional Cinematic DJI Phantom Footage

Light Sensitivity: ISO

It is recommended to fix ISO at 100. To keep the noise at minimum, the sensor of phantom 3 series should be set in the best way possible. The ISO mostly depends upon the time of the day you are shooting. If the shooting is being done at night, ISO can be increased but it should not be increased beyond ISO 400. Your video won’t look professional otherwise. Best possible settings should be used for best possible results.









Color Settings

Firstly,you would do the color correction as desired. Then you can use any professional video or image editing software for more details like Final Cut Pro X or Adobe Premiere Pro or can use any Plug-in Color Finale for advanced color settings and grading. The preferred color mode is -2 -3 -2

Shutter speed:

It is very important to learn that what is shutter speed and how it affects the overall look and quality of the video you are shooting. A shutter speed should be set so it is a double of your FPS. So if you are shooting at 1080 @ 60 FPS then the shutter speed should be set at 120. A suitable ND filter should also be used. Likewise, if you are shooting at 4k @ 30 FPS then the shutter speed should be kept at 60. 30 0r 60 FPS are recommended for a cinematic look. But it should later be changed to 24 fps with some editing software because vimeo and youtube support this frame rate. Most of the time your image will be overexposed with the recommended shutter speed, that´s the reason why it´s necessary to use ND Filter for professional footage.

Use ND Filters:

ND filters should be used frequently. They do not only help with the exposure but they also help with jello effect. During a dark cloudy day, you will notice that those filters are not required to achieve a nice exposure and the shutter speed of double your frame rate. The same might be the case for early morning shots. It all depends upon the amount of natural light available.

Click here to read a full explanation for ND Filter

Color profile:

D log is a quite flat profile but it is recommended because it is good for post production. A couple of plug ins are also available from different companies that have specific color grading profiles that can be used with D Log mode. Standard profile can also be used for starters. For Phantom 3 standard, it is a little different so for that, video mode profile produces good results.

White Balance settings

It is really necessary to set your camera’s white balance at the most suitable range set possible so that the image look better. If you working in color mode, never leave the white balance option on auto, in camera settings. If you set it to auto, white balance would start changing every time you point the camera towards a bright light, or a dark scene, and it would be really hard to correct it later.

Recommended White Balance value on custom is 5000 to 6000 range set.









Choose the right time:

Choose the right time for shooting with appropriate light. Very cloudy and extra bright days are not recommended though. The recommended time for shooting is mornings and time during and after sunrise. Even though using the right ND filter can produce right effects even when shooting during extra sunny days, but it is better to choose the right time. Professional settings and approaches should be taken if you want a footage that looks like a professional one. If you are a landscape photographer, you will see the changes for yourself when shooting in sunny days and when shooting in the mornings or evenings. Lightly lit mornings and evenings produce a certain magical effect.

Adopting these settings will help you achieve good results.

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Don’t miss: The most useful accessories for the Phantom 3