MasterShots
Also known as: DJI MasterShots
A DJI intelligent flight mode where the drone flies a whole series of automated moves around a subject and the app can turn it into a short edited video.
Updated
What it means
MasterShots is an automated mode on several DJI camera drones, including models in the Air and Mini lines. You select a subject, set a distance range, and the drone runs through a sequence of moves on its own: close and wide orbits, fly-bys, rises and pull-backs. The whole program runs without any piloting from you.
Think of it as several QuickShots chained together with a built-in edit. After the flight, the DJI Fly app can assemble a short video from the recording, choosing segments and adding music, so you have something shareable straight from the phone.
How it works in practice
It works best on a clearly defined subject in open space: a person on a beach, a car on an empty road, a lighthouse, a cabin in a clearing. Before starting, picture the full circle the drone will need around and above the subject, and check it for trees, poles and cables. A static or slow subject gives the most reliable result.
The full-quality footage is saved to the drone's memory card, while the app edit is mainly a quick phone export. For anything you care about, copy the original raw footage from the card and work from that. Running the program in soft evening light, when long shadows add depth, makes the automated moves look far better than in flat midday sun.
What to watch out for
Depending on the model, the recording can include moments where the drone is simply repositioning for the next move. Those seconds are not real shots, just the aircraft in transit, so editing MasterShots by hand means cutting out a fair amount of dead time.
The app edit uses the same templates for everyone, so the result looks generic, and it is usually rendered at lower quality than the originals. Treat MasterShots as establishing shots and B-roll rather than the whole video. The drone is also flying a pattern by itself near you or your subject, so stay alert, keep a thumb ready to stop the program and check local rules about flying near people.
How RawClip handles it
Skip the app edit and upload the original MasterShots footage from the drone card together with the rest of your shoot. RawClip keeps the strongest moves, trims the repositioning and dull stretches, and mixes them with your action clips into one finished highlight cut to the beat, delivered in 4K and 1080p.