Which device do you have?
Choose your camera and you'll get the right path straight away: the settings, the technique and the movements that work for your device. Got both? All the better — together, air and ground make one film.
Drone · from the air DJI Mini 5 Pro
You fly and film from the air. Start here for your settings, your first flight and cinematic movements.
Handheld · at eye level DJI Osmo Pocket 4
You film on the ground with the gimbal camera. Start here for your settings, gimbal modes and smooth walking techniques.
Action & underwater DJI Osmo Action 6
You film action and underwater. Start here for your settings, the variable aperture and filterless underwater with Dive mode.
The path in 6 steps
Whether you have a drone or a gimbal — this is the order from flat clip to filmic footage.
- 01 Know your device
Learn where the buttons are and what the modes do — before you shoot your first take.
- 02 Lock in your settings
Pro mode, 4K, 25 fps, shutter 1/50 s, ISO 100, white balance manual ~5500 K. Nothing on auto.
- 03 Understand the 180° rule
Your shutter speed ≈ 2× your frame rate. That gives natural, filmic movement — and determines your ND filter.
- 04 Compose deliberately
Rule of thirds, leading lines, a level horizon and depth in the foreground.
- 05 Move with intent
One slow, smooth movement per shot. Slower nearly always looks more expensive.
- 06 Edit into a story
Alternate wide, medium and detail shots, cut to the music, and build a beginning-middle-end.
Colour your footage
Filming in D-Log M or D-Log? Learn to grade it into a cinematic look.
The Colour Filmer →Don't get the terms?
ISO, shutter speed, white balance, LUT — all the film jargon explained in one sentence.
To the glossary →All articles
In-depth guides on technique, light, editing, rules and destinations.
To the articles →