Over the past few weeks I have been looking at various apps that add benefits to the joy of flying drones. While there is a lot of satisfaction and fun in the simple act of flying, or of course rewards from using drones in a commercial way, having an insight into the data gathered during the flight(s) and having different ways of displaying any imagery captured adds a lot to the experience.
Panovolo
The first program I looked at, Panovolo, takes individual images shot by the camera and allows you stitch them into a single panoramic image, with plenty of parameters available to fine tune the final image to your satisfaction.
I have reviewed Panovolo a couple of times as the app has evolved, and there is now a new version available that will take footage shot on an Insta360 X6 camera. Of course, Panovolo is not restricted to drones or the X6; any sequence of digital images from any camera can be used.
You can get the latest version from here.
OSMO Overlay
OSMO Overlay Full Timeline
Another interesting app is OSMO Overlay that in its initial form allowed users of DJI OSMO Action 5 and 6 cameras to have meta data interpreted from the GPS chip and other sensors overlayed on top of the shot video.
You also have the option of exporting the data as a green screen video for later overlaying on other footage.
Recently, a beta version of OSMO Overlay has been released letting you do the same thing with data from DJI drones. Currently it has only been tested with an Air 2S, but I am in discussion with the developer and as of this morning he has data he can also use from a DJI Flip, AVATA 360 and MAVIC 4 Pro to make sure it is backward compatible.
To download the beta, click here.
Open Drone Log
More recently, I came across a program called Open Drone Log, an open-source application to interrogate DJI flight logs and graph and map the embedded data thus giving you valuable insight into each flight.
The app uses data stored in your RC 2 or other controller (including Litchi) to create very comprehensive telemetry graphs and maps. You simply import a flight log (eg FlightRecord_2026-03-24_[15-08-36].txt) into the program and then use the program’s menus to build whatever data or map you are after.
The screen shots show way better what it is capable of than simply my putting it into words!
I admit I am only just coming to grips with this program myself and just scratching the surface at this time.
To download Open Drone Log yourself, click here.
I am on the lookout for any other apps / programs / plugins that may be of use to drone pilots and “action camera” users and will keep you posted as to what I find.
Main Image: Wellington Dam near Collie in WA shot from a DJI Mini 4 Pro
