Just like handheld cameras, drones are equipped with the ability to manipulate various settings to help you get the perfect shot. As a beginner, it can be near-impossible to know where to start.
Most beginners will avoid looking at the settings. Spend the short time it takes to know what your drone is capable of if you want to take better pictures.
Important Drone Camera Settings
Shoot in RAW:
Most drones will be JPEG by default.
Shooting in RAW is going to help you massively when it comes to editing as RAW files retain far more information than JPEG and ultimately will give you more control over the editing process.
AEB:
Auto Exposure Bracketing is a useful setting for daytime photography.
Essentially, your drone will capture 3-5 shots of the same image but with different exposures. Later, you can merge these in Photoshop to get the best of the highlights and shadows. This way, you’ll achieve a much better dynamic range.
Shoot in Manual:
Shooting in manual, if you’ve never done it, will take some getting used to. However, you’ll achieve much greater flexibility over the settings and ultimately a much better shot. For example, you’ll have complete control over things like the ISO which can help you to prevent a super noisy shot in low light.
Shutter Speed:
Ideally you want a fast shutter speed to capture a sharp photo. There’s always a balance to be had between shutter speed, aperture, and ISO. If you can keep your shutter speed fast and your ISO low, you’re onto a winner.
In low light, you’re either going to need to bump up your ISO or lower your shutter speed. If lowering your shutter speed comes at the cost of a blurry image, then you should tweak your ISO to compensate.