Point of interest orbit
Also known as: POI orbit, circle me, orbit mode
An automated flight that circles a selected subject at a set radius and height, keeping it centred while the aircraft does the flying.
Updated
What it means
The pilot marks a subject, sets a radius and a height, and the aircraft flies a circle around it. Yaw and Gimbal pitch are handled automatically so the subject stays centred.
It is the automated form of an Orbit shot, and the automation is what makes it usable. Flying a smooth circle by hand takes practice; the aircraft does it identically every time, which is why the mode survived while manual circles stayed a party trick.
A Point of Interest (POI) can be anything with a position. A rider at a lineup, a lighthouse, a parked van at the end of a trail. The subject does not have to be moving.
How it works in practice
Radius and height set the character. Tight and low reads as energetic, while wide and high turns the same subject into part of a landscape. Both are valid; mixing them inside one clip is not.
One revolution is usually plenty. A full circle gives an editor a choice of in and out points, and a second lap produces material that Duplicate shot detection will discard.
Direction and light are worth a thought. Orbiting through the sun means an exposure swing and Lens flare down one side, which is either the shot or a ruined take.
What to watch out for
The circle is only as clear as the subject. Orbiting a rider who then moves leaves the aircraft circling empty ground, since the centre was fixed when the mode started and the aircraft has no opinion about where the subject went.
Automated speed is also constant, which sounds helpful and complicates music. A clip at one unchanging rate resists a Beat grid unless the editor retimes it.
Obstacles along the circle are the real hazard. The aircraft will fly the path it was given, and a tree on the far side of the orbit is discovered by Obstacle avoidance or by impact.
How RawClip handles it
Orbits are useful openers and closers because the subject stays centred while the frame keeps changing, which analysis reads as deliberate camera work. Multiple laps of the same subject are reduced to one, usually the pass with the cleanest light.