MC Tech Solutions

Tag: litchi

  • Litchi: the app that makes older DJI drones better

    I recently bought Litchi, and it’s one of the best upgrades you can give an older DJI drone. It’s a third-party flight app that replaces DJI GO 4 and adds proper waypoint missions plus a set of autonomous flight modes, and it works with both my DJI Spark and Mavic Pro.

    What it does

    • Waypoint missions: Litchi’s headline feature. Plot a route of waypoints, set the height, speed and camera angle at each one, add points of interest for the camera to track, and add actions like taking a photo or starting video. The drone then flies the route smoothly, as many times as you like.
    • Orbit: circles a subject at a set radius and speed, for the classic reveal shot.
    • Focus: Litchi handles the yaw and gimbal to keep a subject in frame, so you only steer the drone’s position.
    • Track and Follow: keep a moving subject in shot, using computer vision or your phone’s GPS.
    • Panorama: automatically shoots the set of photos needed for a panorama.
    • VR mode: a split-screen view for phone VR goggles.
    • Flight logs: readable logs that can be uploaded to Airdata UAV to review flights and battery health.

    Plan missions on a big screen

    The best part is the Litchi Hub mission planner, which runs in a web browser on your PC or Mac. Plan the whole route at your desk with a satellite map, preview it, and save it to your Litchi account. Then open the app in the field and the mission is already there. You can also browse missions other pilots have shared.

    Diagram: plan a waypoint mission in Litchi Hub on a PC or Mac, sync it through your Litchi account, open it in the Litchi app on your phone with the DJI controller, then fly and film while keeping the drone in sight.
    Plan at your desk, fly in the field.

    Before your first mission

    • Check how heights are measured. Waypoint heights are relative to where you take off unless you set them to follow the ground. Over hills or valleys, that can put the drone far closer to the terrain, or far higher, than you expect.
    • Set what happens if the signal drops. Set missions to return home if the controller signal is lost, rather than carrying on without you.
    • The rules still apply. An autonomous mission is still your flight: stay under 120 m, keep the drone in sight the whole time, and keep away from people and restricted areas. See my post on the IAA’s rules for drone operators.
    • Start small. Fly a short, simple mission over open ground first, with your thumbs ready on the sticks to take over.

    Compatibility and price

    Litchi for DJI Drones is on Android and iOS and supports most of DJI’s older range, including the Spark, Mavic Pro, Mavic Air and many Phantoms. It does not support DJI’s newest drones, such as the Mini 3, Mini 4 and Mavic 3 Enterprise, so check the compatibility list before buying. It’s a one-off purchase with no subscription: around $25 on the App Store at the time of writing, with prices varying by region.

    Verdict

    For anyone flying an older DJI drone, Litchi is one of the best value upgrades going. It gives the Spark and Mavic Pro repeatable cinematic shots, and planning on a computer makes missions far easier to get right.