The Best DJI Camera Settings for Real-Estate Drone Photos

Great real-estate photos start in-camera. Get these settings right and editing is easy. Get them wrong and no amount of post-processing fully saves the shot. Here's the checklist.

1. Shoot RAW (or RAW + JPEG)

RAW keeps far more detail in the bright sky and dark shadows. That gives you the latitude to deliver a bright, believable image. Shoot RAW whenever you'll edit. For paid work, that's always.

2. Bracket high-contrast scenes (AEB)

Exteriors have a huge range between a bright sky and shaded walls. Use Auto Exposure Bracketing (AEB): 3 or 5 shots at different exposures. Blend a clean HDR later. This is the single biggest quality upgrade for real-estate exteriors.

3. Low ISO, protect the highlights

Keep ISO 100 for clean images. Expose to protect the highlights so you don't blow out the sky. Recovering a slightly dark shadow is easy. Recovering a pure-white sky is not.

4. Keep the horizon level and verticals straight

A tilted horizon or leaning walls instantly reads "amateur." Level the horizon in-flight and fix verticals in editing.

5. For video: ND filter + the shutter rule

For listing video, use an ND filter so you can keep a cinematic shutter (~2× your frame rate) without overexposing. (See our ND filter guide.)

6. Highest resolution you'll deliver

Shoot full resolution so you have room to crop and to deliver MLS and print sizes.

Quick recipe

Stills: RAW · ISO 100 · AEB on for exteriors · expose for the sky · level horizon. Video: ND filter · shutter ≈ 2× frame rate · smooth, slow moves.

Take it further

Settings are step one. The full workflow is in our Real-Estate Drone Mastery course: the shot list, twilight, editing, and delivery. And to nail the color fast, grab the DroneWorthy LUT pack.

General information. Exact settings vary by drone model, light, and intent.