Drone Photography and Image Editing with Lightroom & More!

Name: Drone Photography and Image Editing with Lightroom & More!
Rating: 4.2 (53 reviews)

Learn to edit and create compelling images captured with your drone. Lightroom, Photoshop, Aurora HDR, and Luminar

Created byRichard L Charpentier

Last updated 9/2018

English

What you'll learn

Students will have the basics on drone exposure setting and shooting manual for their drone images.
Students will be able to organize, edit, and export their images to multiple formats
Students will have the foundation for making exciting edits to their new and previous digital images.
Students will understand how to resize images for different media display. Web vs Print
Students will be able to edit their drone images using Lightroom as their image hub.

Course content

9 sections • 43 lectures • 8h 2m total length

What can I expect to learn in this class?6:36
In this lecture I explain what students can expect out of the overall course. This is not a drone flight instruction course. This is a class about still photography with drones. How to setup your drone camera for still photography, how to off load your images, and several editing programs to work on your images after your shoot is completed. I've also included a PDF in this lecture with a little more information about expectations and what we'll be doing.
Class Introduction4:07
Section 1 of this course is all indoors and in front of a green screen. We'll be talking about photography in general in the next few lectures, and a little information about preparing for your flight and photography section. For those folks who are already versed in camera exposure, shoot planning, FAA requirements, and you have your drone flight routine down, you may just want to move ahead to Section 2. I talk about the basics in this section with complete beginners in mind.
Setting up Manual Exposure and RAW for your drone10:00
If you want to come away with the best possible images we need to talk about using Camera RAW. We also need to talk about controlling your exposure for your still photos. On some drones you can control ISO, Shutter speed, White Balance, and other items. In higher end drones you can also control Aperture which allows for more creativity with your exposure. Whatever type of drone you have, we'll discuss the importance of understanding Exposure here.
Manual Settings9:08
We talk more about the manual settings for exposure in this lecture.
Initial Drone Setup For Photos9:51
Initialize the drone outdoors, connect the controller, and set up manual exposure with shutter speed, ISO, and aperture before flight, then adjust as lighting changes.
Preparing To Go On A Drone Photo Shoot10:50
This is more of an "Administrative" lecture. There might even be a little "soap box" time about flight safety and working within the rules laid out by the FAA.
Check List Before You Fly8:43
Is your drone safe and good to go? Do your batteries have cracks in them? Is your controller, drone battery, and smart phone fully charged. Make a check list that you stick to before each flight.

Taking a look at the DJI Go 4 and Litchi camera settings for each application8:06
In this lecture we take a look at the DJI Go4 App and the Litchi App "off line." We look at each interface and identify the items we'll be working with when doing our drone photography.
DJI Go4 App photography setup with a connected drone - All done on the ground!11:23
In this lecture we park the Mavic Pro on it's helipad. We connect to the drone and take a look at our photography settings from the ground. For this lecture we use the DJI Go4 App.
Litchi App Photography Setup connected to your drone - All done on the ground.7:35
For this lecture we use the Litchi App. In this lecture we park the Mavic Pro on it's helipad for the second time. I know, repetition, but you'll appreciate this in the long run! We connect to the drone and take a look at our photography settings from the ground.
Course audio change for outdoor filming - A heads up on the outdoor audio.2:30
In this lecture I give you a heads up about the audio change between our indoor recording and outdoor recording.
DJI Go4 Photography setup while in the air. Making changes while piloting.8:59
In this lecture we launch the drone using the DJI Go4 App. While in the air we'll adjust our exposure in manual. This is a repeat of the lectures on the ground, but you'll see how the exposure changes once in the air, and also changes as we pan around examining our photographic subject matter.
Litchi Photography setup while in the air. Making changes while piloting.5:11
In this lecture we launch the drone using the Litchi App. This is a repeat of the previous lecture, but with the Litchi App instead. While in the air we'll adjust our exposure in manual.

Adobe Lightroom CC Introduction for Drone Photographers7:19
Are you new to Adobe Lightroom? If so the next few lectures will get you started. I know, we're always in a hurry to try things out, so we're jumping right in to Lightroom. Additionally, Section 9 offers a full walk through of my Lightroom Workflow course that I used to teach in person several times a year. If you want to know a lot more about Lightroom in depth be sure to check those lectures out as well.
Lightroom catalaog setup for drone photographers13:33
Setting your catalog up properly from the start will help you find your images quickly and easily. If you don't pay attention to where your catalog is vs where your images are stored you might find yourself searching around for the drive you imported your photos to. This is also covered in detail again in Section 9 as well.
Navigating the Lightroom interface for drone photographers11:27
Getting accustomed to the Lightroom interface. As you use Lightroom more and more you'll find the workflow gets easier. And down the road you might wonder how you ever managed your photos without it.
Lightroom's catalog and develop modules11:44
A quick intro to the main grid view on Lightroom, and the Develop module as well.
Sorting and selecting images for drone photographers8:46
The ability to find images easily, even in a library of thousands of photos, is one of the main selling points of Lightroom for me. If you keyword things appropriately, create collections to help you do the job, and pay attention when you first import images you will be on your way to easily finding images you created years ago. Lightroom's search features are incredibly powerful!
Exporting your images from Lightroom to share online or in print9:58
When we're finished editing our images there's a high probability that we're going to want to share them. Either we'll be sending images to clients, or maybe we'll be posting them on dozens of online photo sites and apps. Pictures are meant to be shared, right? In this lecture we'll talk about setting up your own presets for sharing your images in multiple formats. For web, for print, for use in a publication, etc.
A quick HDR photo edit in Lightroom and Aurora12:11
Because we all want to get to taking pictures with our drone and then processing them..... A quick HDR demo from Lightroom.

Flying and Photographing with Litchi - Bracketed photos, manual panos, and HDR16:31
And the drone is off the ground! Finally we fly the Mavic Pro around, adjust our exposures manually, create some AEB images (auto bracketing) for making HDRs on your computer, and even setup a 360 panoramic for grins and giggles.
Importing images to Lightroom from the Litchi flight10:52
With our flight and image captures we're now ready to off load our shots and start working with them. In this lecture we import our newly created photos into Lightroom and start working on them!
Litchi Flight Processing - HDRs with Lightroom and Aurora HDR11:44
From Lightroom we setup for creating some HDR images with the help of Aurora HDR. After creating 3 HDR images that were also shot with Panoramics in mind we merge the 3 images in Photoshop to create an HDR Panoramic!
Litchi Flight - Lightroom Edits and Lightroom HDR Edits as well!11:38
In this lecture we continue processing some of the images captured on our Litchi flight.
Litchi Flight - Creating 360 Panos with PT Gui12:20
In this lecture we take the JPEG images we captured using Litchi's Pano mode and put the images into a program called PTGui. This is a powerful tool for stitching many images together into Panos and more. This is a "for fun" lesson showing you one of the many possible uses for your drone photos.

A quick landscape edit with Adobe's Lightroom CC11:42
In this lecture we'll spend some time doing edits to our images in Lightroom only. No external photo applications, just Lightroom.
A quick landscape edit with Skylum's Luminar7:58
In this lecture we'll do an edit with Skylum's Luminar photo editor. There are so many options in Luminar, and so many presets it's mind boggling. You can get incredibly creative with this editor!
A quick landscape edit with Skylum's Aurora HDR7:17
This lecture will focus on Skylum's Aurora HDR software package. We've already seen it in action, but let's make another HDR with our bracketed (AEB) photos.
A quick landscape edit with Adobe Photoshop CC11:15
Probably the most powerful photo editing tool out there. Adobe photoshop has more features than you'll ever learn about. This can make using Photoshop daunting for people new to real photo editing. If you're interested in Photoshop keep in mind there are many amazing classes out there to get you into all the features in this amazing package!

A closer look at Skylum's Luminar photo editing package.14:03
While we've already worked with each photo editing packages, this time around we'll focus more on the interface of the application. First up is Luminar!
A closer look at Skylum's Aurora HDR package. Power HDR editing capability!10:33
While we've already worked with each photo editing packages, this time around we'll focus more on the interface of the application. Next up, Aurora HDR!
A closer look at editing with Photoshop16:03
While we've already worked with each photo editing packages, this time around we'll focus more on the interface of the application. Photoshop is our next closer look, and we barely scratch the surface. If you have Photoshop and are still new to it, you have a lot of experimentation ahead of you. Don't let that discourage you, once you have the basics down you can start enhancing your images in Photoshop. For new Photoshop users, you won't learn this over night so be prepared for a learning curve.

DJI Go4 App Flight with the Mavic 2 Pro. Aperture Control!!!8:59
Before this course was completed I received my new Mavic 2 Pro. With the limited time I've had testing it I have to say it's an amazing aerial imaging platform. With the ability to control ISO, Shutter Speed, Aperture, and focus points this little drone can do almost everything the big drones can do! And that gives you more creative control! Let's take a flight with the DJI Go4 app!
Mavic 2 Pro Flight and Settings while off the ground - Aperture Priority Mode?6:16
For this lecture let's take a look at the changes to our photo settings in the Go4 app with the new Mavic 2 Pro
Mavic 2 Pro Images in Lightroom - Taking a look at the RAW Images10:31
After the Mavic 2 Pro flight we'll import the images into Lightroom and then take a look at the quality of the RAW images coming out of the drone.

Outdoor Photography Rules - Some samples of my landscape work addressing rules14:54
In this lecture we talk about photography, some rules in photography, and ignoring some rules in photography. In the end, the images you produce are yours, and how they're framed, shot, and edited is to your own tastes. Sure, the Rule of 3rds is great but you don't have to focus on it for every shoot.
As you increase your photographic knowledge and skills (both shooting and editing) you will develop your own style and probably accidentally follow some of the big rules!

Setting up a new Lightroom Library and importing your first images.17:40
Even in 2012, the Lightroom Workflow proved indespensible for photographers of all walks of life. Wedding photography, portrait photography, landscape photography...you name it. And this set of lectures demonstrates that Lightroom has remained incredibly consistent through the years. Whether you're using an old version of Lightroom or the latest Lightroom CC, the workflow remains the same!
The Lightroom Interface. A consistent and easy to follow layout over the years.25:44
This lecture finds us looking over the Lightroom interface. As you progress with Lightroom you will find the layout and interface to be very intuitive!
Sorting and Selecting Images to find what you need quickly!21:36
Lightroom's sorting and selecting features are a big part of what makes it such a powerful tool for photographers. If you develop good habits when importing and keywording your images, you'll never have a problem finding "that image" from 3 years ago!
The Develop Module - Easy edits from within Lightroom for photographers10:56
Lightroom gives you a lot of powerful editing tools for your images. The best part? All edits performed in Lightroom are "non-destructive." That means you can always get back to the original image if you like. And the original image will never go away, unless you purposefully delete it of course.
The Develop Module Continued - Powerful features that are easy to use19:19
We continue working with Lightroom's Develop module to show you the tools available for developing. For most photographers, Lightroom will be all you need in your editing process!
Noise removal and bulk edits - A wedding and portrait photographer's dream!10:49
Have a group of photos that all have the same imperfection? Bug on your lens, issues with your sensor, color profile not right? You can perform bulk edits in Lightroom easily. And once again, if the bulk edits don't have the intended results you can just reset your images to their original state!
External editing - Tie Photoshop, HDR software, and more into Lightroom!15:45
You've already seen it in the early lectures of the Drone course. You can tie Lightroom in with other editing packages out there. So Lightroom can be your image storage hub and launching point for using other applications!

Requirements

Students will need a drone, DJI preferred as we'll be using DJI Go4 app and the Litchi App
Students should understand the FAA rules on drone flight
Students should have basic computer skills
Students will need a copy of Adobe Lightroom
Students do not need the latest version of Lightroom

Description

In this course you'll learn the basics of taking control of your drone aerial photography images. We'll cover initial drone still photography setups, with a focus on making manual adjustments for your exposure and focus points. The first section of the course will focus on understanding exposure and how to adjust for the right exposure manually. Please keep in mind, this is not a drone flight instruction course, we're specifically focusing on generating still photos with our drone, and editing them with multiple photo editing software packages.

In section two of this class we'll cover the software used on your Smartphone or Tablet. We'll be working with DJI Go4 and Litchi, and we'll walk you through each app and how you can make manual adjustments to get the right exposure every time!

From the initial setups we'll be ready to take a quick flight and work with our photo settings while in the air. Both the DJI Go4 app and the Litchi app will be covered in depth in order to help you feel familiar with the interfaces while you're in the air.

Moving on from app setup and practicing shooting while flying, the next few sections of the course will cover an actual shoot with each app. We'll cover HDR and AEB setups (to produce HDR photos), we'll talk about single still images, and we'll address some additional features from the apps, like 360 panoramas in the Litchi App.

The class should prepare pilots new to still photography to take better images off the bat, and also how to catalog and edit the images after the shoot is over.

Finally, in a bonus section of this course students will find a "Lightroom Workflow" set of lessons that used to be used in my "in person" classes. The workflow class covers Lightroom 4, but everything in the course is relevant to today's Lightroom as well. This bonus section will show students how to create their own image processing workflow, and should add to their knowledge of how to handle their drone images after a large shoot is over.

Who this course is for:

Anyone interested in creating interesting drone photography.
Anyone interested in improving their images taken from their drones.
Anyone interested in improving their drone photography workflow.

Drone Photography and Image Editing with Lightroom & More!

What you'll learn

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Course content

Introduciton to Drone Photography and Editing - Including Adobe Lightroom7 lectures • 59min

Introduction to drone camera settings with DJI Go4 and Litchi6 lectures • 44min

Introduction to Lightroom. A great editing and catalog for drone photography!7 lectures • 1hr 15min

Litchi Flight, Bracketed Photos, HDR Edits, and Panoramas5 lectures • 1hr 3min

4 quick edits for your review - Lightroom, Luminar, Aurora, and Photoshop4 lectures • 38min

A quick overview of Luminar, Aurora HDR, and Photoshop - 3 Powerful Editors3 lectures • 41min

DJI Go4 Flight - Single exposures with the Mavic 2 Pro3 lectures • 26min

Outdoor Photography Rules - Learn from them or don't, it's all up to you!1 lecture • 15min

Years Later, Lightroom stands the test of time. Our original Workflow!7 lectures • 2hr 2min

Requirements

Description

Who this course is for: