I was out flying for the first time in weeks today. It’s Minus 2 here so I was pushing my luck, but I wanted to play with some of the fancy tracking features on my new RC Controller. I was flying my Air2S and trying to get ActiveTrack to follow me as I walked down a path.
Try as I might I was not able to understand how to get this to work. I created a green box around myself (on the screen), the feature select screen appeared (Options are “ActiveTrack”, “Spotlight” or “POI”) but then I get the following message.
I wasn’t trying to switch subjects, I had just drawn a green box around myself as the target, expecting next to choose “ActiveTrack” and then start walking.
Nope! At no point would it do what I was expecting it to do.
Does anyone have any idea where I went wrong with this please?
I find that top down shots are hit and miss with tracking. To make it work, I move out so the drone is at an angle to me, say 5m out horizontally, and 3m up.
You know when it works, as you will not need to draw a box around yourself (although you can), instead it will automatically detect you.
I also don’t start recording until it is tracking.
That’s great, thanks for the tip, I did wonder if it was something silly like me merging in to the ground colours of somesuch. I had images of me having to try this wearing a giant yellow sowester
The other thing I was confused by was the “detection” you mention. When I was using a tablet with the FLY app I could go into the settings and check a box that would have the drone actively detect a person (sorry, forgotten what it was called now). But today, try as I might, I could not find that same setting on the DJI RC Controller. I expected the FLY version on this to be the same as the version I had used when using my tablet, but I just could not find it. I wonder if they have changed the functionality of the embedded version on the RC Controller?
OK, that may have also been a contributing factor, because I was already recording the session, both from the drone and from the screen recorder on the RC Controller?
I rarely use the screen recorder, and I not when it was with tracking, so I can’t comment.
But I did have issues setting the tracking whilst video recording. Hence, I always now set the tracking going, make sure it’s working as expected, then I start recording
It’s like Chris said, it’s the top down view. The software isn’t recognising you as a human. I’ve had it on the 2s and m3p.
Easy solution…while horizontal to yourself and at the same height, get the tracking going, then take it up to a top down view and off you go. Works a treat.
Same type of scenario, if your having trouble latching the A.T in spotlight mode from far away, bring the drone in closer to the subject, sort the tracking out on the subject, then take it to the height /distance you want and get your shot👍
You can also go into the menu settings, there’s an option to put on automatic targets. What you will then get on the main osd is the software will place multiple targets on screen at once, you just have to choose which one it is you want. I’ve found this to be better than drawing boxes in certain situations.
@clinkadink You were absolutely on the money with the observation about positioning. Went out again this morning and had a couple of goes at setting height and distance before engaging ActiveTrack, got to say, this software is a tad twitchy on what it likes and doesn’t like.
On the whole though it worked each time and gave me some interesting footage. It looses you as a target if you go into an area of different contract, it did this to me once, even though I was clearly still in the frame.
This is the test where it lost me as the target. It’s set in “Trace” mode and it seems to loose me when it changes position. Maybe I’m just imagining it, but the drone seems to break it’s own rules for tracking a subject (the aforementioned height and distance) and that causes it to loose the target?
I also discovered that, for best results, the “Parallel” settings was most effective.
I need to do a little more investigation, but I am not sure that the recording on or off setting made much difference. The first flight I started with the recording off, but then just left it recording when the drone lost my position and I had to reset the ActiveTrack. It seemed to start working again just fine.
It’s obvious that I have more work to do here in order to fully understand the feature, but it was a real buzz getting it to work this far. So thanks again to all that offered suggestions
Yep, I mentioned that I couldn’t find that feature last time I looked and wondered whether there was a difference between the Fly app embedded in the RC Controller and the Android app I had been using (where it was definitely there)? I looked again today and still couldn’t see it.
RC pro, app version 1.6.12, that’s with the Air 2s.
RC, app version 1.6.9, with the M3p.
Yep, still there. I don’t know what version the app is at, its been a WHILE since I’ve updated because I don’t believe in doing it just for the sake unless needed.
Here’s where I’m finding it, I’m sure you’ve looked there, and I don’t know whether they’ve taken it out of a later version
Well, Jeez! You are completely right and I am completely wrong! Just looked again following your screenshot and the damned thing’s right where you said it was.
Sorry about this, I must be experiencing a bout of aged decrepitude
Yes, or to be more accurate, I’m beginning to understand the problem. There are some other screwy things going on when use this controller, but I will start a new thread for those Thanks again.
