Orbit shot
Also known as: orbit, circle shot, point of interest shot
A shot where the camera circles a subject at a steady distance while staying locked on it, creating strong parallax between the subject and the background.
Updated
What it means
In an orbit the camera travels around a subject in a circle, or part of one, and keeps it centered the whole time. Because the background slides past much faster than the subject, the shot gives a strong sense of depth. It is the go-to move for a lone climber on a summit, a car on a salt flat or a surfer waiting in the lineup.
On a drone you can fly it by hand or let automation do it. DJI offers it as Point of Interest and as the Circle QuickShot, and ActiveTrack can orbit a moving subject on recent models. Manually it means rolling sideways while yawing in the opposite direction, a coordination skill that takes real practice to make smooth.
How it works in practice
The key settings are radius and speed. A tight orbit at 10 to 20 meters exaggerates parallax and feels dramatic; a wide one at 50 meters or more is calmer and suits landscapes. Keep altitude constant, or add a slow climb for a spiral. Slow orbits read better on screen than fast ones, so a full circle taking around a minute is a sensible starting point.
Shoot at 4K so you can crop slightly if the subject drifts off center, and lock white balance so colors do not shift as the drone turns toward and away from the sun. Even a quarter of an orbit is useful in the edit, especially as a Transition between two scenes.
What to watch out for
Changes in radius make the subject grow and shrink, and a wandering center point makes the whole shot wobble. Automated modes fix this, but they fly a perfect circle whether or not something is in the way. Check the full circle for trees and poles before starting, since the far side may be hard to judge from where you stand.
Light is the other trap. Circling moves the sun from behind you to in front of you, so exposure swings and flare appears halfway round. Shoot in softer light or keep only the arc that looks good. Fast orbits with a very fast shutter can look stuttery; an ND filter helps keep motion blur natural.
How RawClip handles it
Orbit clips are often long because the drone circles more than once. Upload the whole clip; RawClip picks the strongest portion, drops the repetitive laps and cuts it into your highlight on the beat of the music, together with footage from your other cameras and brands in the same order.