ok so ive been flying for about 8 months now and my footage is technically fine i guess, like its in focus and not super shaky, but it just looks like... drone footage. you know what i mean? it doesnt have that cinematic quality that i see in all the good reels online. im shooting on a mini 3 pro, usually in normal mode because i was scared to mess with the settings for a while but i recently switched to d-log m and now the colors look all washed out and weird and i dont know if im doing the color grade wrong or what.

also my movements feel really abrupt even when i think im being smooth on the sticks. like i try to do a slow reveal over a hillside and it just looks mechanical. do i need to be in cine mode for everything? i feel like theres a gap between knowing how to fly and actually making something that looks good and nobody really talks about what that gap is or how to cross it

the d-log thing trips everyone up at first, you're not doing it wrong necessarily ? you just need a LUT to bring the image back to life in post. most people start with a free one, DJI actually has official LUTs on their site for the mini 3. throw that on in premiere or resolve as an adjustment layer before you do anything else and youll immediately see what you shot was actually pretty good.

the movement thing is a whole other conversation but honestly the biggest unlock for me was just slowing everything way down. like whatever speed you think is slow, go slower. and if you can, try flying in slightly windier conditions sometimes because it naturally smooths out tiny stick inputs in a weird way. also look up "expo settings" for your controller, you can make the sticks less sensitive around center which helps a lot with those gradual reveals

yeah cine mode isnt really the answer tbh, i barely use it. the real difference is planning the shot before you take off instead of just kind of wandering around hoping something looks good. think about what youre revealing and why, like the camera should be telling a story even in a 10 second clip. also shoot way more than you think you need, the good stuff is usually buried in the middle of a longer clip once the movement settles