Taking beautiful drone shots can be challenging in difficult lighting conditions. Luckily there is AEB (Auto Exposure Bracketing). AEB offers a solution by taking multiple exposures. These different exposures can be layered on top of each other using a photo editing program, creating a dynamic drone photo.
In this blog you will learn how to use AEB for your drone photos.
Why use AEB?
Here are some benefits of AEB:
- Optimization of exposure
- More options in post-processing
- Consistency in changing lighting conditions
- Reduction of noise
AEB gives you more control over (the post-processing of) your drone photos. By taking multiple exposures, you can select the perfect photo or later combine multiple photos into one image with the ideal exposure.
What is the difference between an AEB photo and an HDR photo?
AEB takes three to five separate photos at different exposure settings. One photo will be underexposed and one photo will be overexposed. The remaining photos are in between in terms of exposure. You can then select the photo with the best exposure yourself or combine all the photos using a post-processing program.
With HDR the different recordings automatically merged into one photo. Please note: HDR does not allow you to select different exposures and manually stitch them together afterwards.
How to set AEB on your drone
Follow these steps in the DJI device’s Flight app:
- Go to Settings
- Select the camera icon
- Open the Photos setting
- Select AEB
- Choose the number of exposures (photos)
Stitching AEB photos together in post-production
If you selected AEB, the photos will be taken at different exposures. You can stitch these photos together for an optimal result. You will need a post-processing program such as Lightroom CC, LR Enfuse or Aurora HDR.
We use Adobe Lightroom to post-process our drone photos. To stitch together the different exposure photos taken with AEB, you can follow the steps below:
- Import the photos you want to stitch together into Lightroom
- Go to “Develop”
- Select the photos you want to stitch together
- Go to the “Photo” option in the menu at the top
- Select the “Combine Photo” option and then “HDR”
- Select the following settings:
- ✅ Auto-align
- ✅ Match automatically
- Remove Ghosting -> Low
- ✅ Show overlay to remove ghost images
- Click “Merge”
You can then edit the photo you created with the software.
Taking photos with a drone in the Netherlands
When flying a drone, there are some drone rules you need to follow. Violating drone rules can result in a significant fine. We explain these in our blog about the most important drone rules.
Additionally, it is often necessary to obtain a certificate before you can fly a drone in the Netherlands. You can use our decision aid to quickly see which certificate you need to obtain in order to fly your drone in the Netherlands.
