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User Guide v2.3 

 

published on December 12, 2018

 

5

 

If the prompt does not appear on your screen when you connect your device to your Parrot 
Skycontroller 3, launch FreeFlight 6 manually, as any other app. 

 

iOS FreeFlight 6 homepage 

3.

 

Tap the green “FLY” box

 on the homepage of FreeFlight 6 to launch the initial 

updates. FreeFlight 6 automatically updates the Parrot Skycontroller 3 first, and 

 second. 

 

 

Android FreeFlight 6 homepage

 

4.

 

Parrot Skycontroller 3 update: t

ap the green “CONTINUE” box

 to proceed. FreeFlight 6 

displays an animation and a progress circle on a screen lab

elled “Preparing your 

controller

”.

 

When the update is finished, the screen displays “Your controller is ready”. 

Tap “CONTINUE” to access the update of 

 (screenshots below are Android). 

 

  

 

 

Summary of Contents for ANAFI

Page 1: ......

Page 2: ......

Page 3: ... date with the latest features As you discover the world of possibilities that opens to you you will find out that carefully planning your flights is exciting and only adds to the fun of flying them Have a great read and many outstanding hours flying Read entirely at least once it answers most questions that most users encounter when they discover Keep it for reference and stay alert for updates t...

Page 4: ...your iOS or Android smartphone requires FreeFlight 6 to fly The app will enable you to update your Parrot Skycontroller 3 and when you power them on for the first time Android FreeFlight 6 QR code iOS FreeFlight 6 QR code When you have downloaded and installed FreeFlight 6 unfold the central arm of Parrot Skycontroller 3 to power it on Use your device s USB cable to connect it to Parrot Skycontrol...

Page 5: ...f FreeFlight 6 to launch the initial updates FreeFlight 6 automatically updates the Parrot Skycontroller 3 first and second Android FreeFlight 6 homepage 4 Parrot Skycontroller 3 update tap the green CONTINUE box to proceed FreeFlight 6 displays an animation and a progress circle on a screen labelled Preparing your controller When the update is finished the screen displays Your controller is ready...

Page 6: ...mation and a progress circle on a screen labelled Preparing your drone When the update is finished the screen displays Your drone is ready and a CONTINUE box Tap this CONTINUE box to come back to FreeFlight 6 homepage screenshots below are iOS 6 All systems are ready for flight ...

Page 7: ... About the smart battery 11 About auto RTH return home 11 About devices 12 About My Parrot accounts 12 13 14 15 15 Work 16 Extended 17 18 Ready to store or carry 18 Ready to fly 18 19 Ready to store or carry 19 Ready to pilot 19 Camera and gimbal controls 20 LED status indicator color codes 20 ...

Page 8: ...ry installation 28 Battery charging 28 Battery care and safety 29 31 Extracting the microSD card 31 Retrieving photos and videos 31 Installing the microSD card 31 Compatible microSD cards 32 Direct media retrieval drone to computer 32 FreeFlight 6 Gallery 32 33 Presentation of the iOS HUD video mode view 34 Presentation of the Android HUD photo mode view 36 ...

Page 9: ...ng Panoramas 45 48 Gimbal tilt control 48 Zoom control 48 Camera Calibration Correct horizon exceptional procedure 51 Camera Calibration Gimbal calibration 53 54 Exposure value EV 54 Shutter speed s 54 ISO value ISO 55 White balance WB 55 HDR 57 NATURAL Style 57 P LOG Style 57 INTENSE Style 57 PASTEL Style 58 ADJUSTMENT 58 Lock AE 59 Lock AE Touch 60 ...

Page 10: ...10 61 360 61 Reveal 61 Spiral 62 Epic 62 63 Manual flight 63 Cameraman 63 Follow Me in app purchase 64 Smartdronies 67 Touch Fly Waypoint 67 Touch Fly POI 68 Flight Plan in app purchase 69 ...

Page 11: ...t the smart battery s smart battery is preinstalled on your drone Always install it the same way and never attempt to install it upside down as it could expose your battery and your drone to irrecoverable electrical damage As you will find out by reading this guide s battery is smart enough to enter a wintering mode when you are not using it for ten days in a row This also means you need to wake i...

Page 12: ...arrot accounts Parrot strongly recommends that you use your My Parrot account or create one if is your first Parrot drone to let Parrot store your flight data Sharing your data even anonymously benefits the community as it enables us to improve our products It also directly benefits all identifiable users in case they need to contact Parrot support teams ...

Page 13: ...Regulations C REMEMBER that may expose others and yourself to EQUIPMENT DAMAGE PERSONAL INJURY OR BOTH which could result in serious harm or death 3 Be aware that videos and photos that are promoted and advertised by Parrot Drones SAS and its affiliates have been made by and with experienced professionals and drone pilots IN CASE OF DOUBT RELATING TO THE USE OF YOUR DRONE AND ITS ACCESSORIES ALWAY...

Page 14: ...0 Battery capacity 2 500mAh 3 6V Supported mobile devices screen size up to 6 2 USB ports USB C charge USB A connection IMAGING SYSTEM Sensor 1 2 4 CMOS LD ASPH low dispersion aspherical lens Aperture f 2 4 35mm format equ focal length 23mm Depth of field 1 5m to Electronic shutter speed 1 to 1 10000s ISO range 100 to 3200 Video resolutions DCI 4K cinema 4096x2160 24fps 2160p 4K UHD 3840x2160 24 2...

Page 15: ... battery preinstalled on a carrying case a lens cap a USB A to USB C charging cable a 16GB microSD card preinstalled in a microSD to SD card adapter a Parrot Skycontroller 3 8 spare propeller blades a mounting tool a Flight Safety Guide a Super Quick Start Guide SQSG a Wi Fi settings card ...

Page 16: ... access to Pix4Dmodel a shoulder bag a lens cap 5 USB A to USB C charging cables a multiport USB charger a 16GB microSD card preinstalled in a microSD to SD card adapter a Parrot Skycontroller 3 8 spare propeller blades a mounting tool a Flight Safety Guide a Super Quick Start Guide SQSG a Wi Fi settings card ...

Page 17: ...ttery preinstalled on 2 additional batteries a shoulder bag a lens cap 3 USB A to USB C charging cables a 16GB microSD card preinstalled in a microSD to SD card adapter a Parrot Skycontroller 3 8 spare propeller blades a mounting tool a Flight Safety Guide a Super Quick Start Guide SQSG a Wi Fi settings card ...

Page 18: ...18 Ready to store or carry Foldable arms and propellers Ready to fly Smart battery Battery extraction button Charge level LED indicators 180 tilt 4K camera gimbal USB C charging port Power button ...

Page 19: ...ed on December 12 2018 19 Ready to store or carry Left control stick Right control stick Power on foldable arm and device holder Ready to pilot LED status indicator Wi Fi antenna RTH return home button Take off landing button ...

Page 20: ...LED status indicator color codes When the Parrot Skycontroller 3 is powered on its LED status indicator gives you an instant visual indication flashing green Skycontroller 3 update in progress alternating light blue and dark blue connecting to flashing light blue no drone configured or wrong WPA key steady dark blue connected to alternating purple and dark blue autonomous flight in progress altern...

Page 21: ... removed from s camera Make sure s lens is clean if you need to clean it hold the gimbal between two fingers so that you do not pressure its mechanism when you clean the lens and gently wipe the lens with a microfiber cloth Regulations Make sure the use of is allowed where you are intending to fly Check for potential restrictions regarding the use of Wi Fi frequencies in the area where you are int...

Page 22: ... to power it on wait for the steady dark blue light then plug your device to the controller using a USB cable Parrot recommends you always fly with Parrot Skycontroller 3 and a device for the best flight experience b If you do not wish to use the controller connect your device to the Wi Fi network of using the Wi Fi settings card located inside the drone s carrying case SSID format Anafi xxxxx 6 F...

Page 23: ...oundings Upon first opening of FreeFlight 6 from version 6 2 a hand launch tutorial reminds you the following procedure You can activate hand launch from this tutorial page You can also activate the hand launch option from the Interface menu of FreeFlight 6 PREFERENCES refer to the PREFERENCES Interface section of this guide for further information Power on and position the drone on your flat open...

Page 24: ...24 Left control stick default mode Right control stick default mode Rise Forward Descend Reverse Turn right Move to the right Turn left Move to the left ...

Page 25: ...ition of the pilot PRECISE HOME SETTING When flight conditions are optimal at take off can set a precise home for itself through its vertical camera In that case a pop up on the screen of FreeFlight 6 confirms a precise home has been set and the home icon of the mini map turns green Android Precise Home Set pop up features a Smart RTH capability considering its altitude and its distance from its t...

Page 26: ...26 Setting up for landing Android Fly directly over a flat even and clear surface then press the button or tap the orange LAND box on the screen of your device lands Precise Landing Android ...

Page 27: ...ion of this guide for further information When handling you should never apply pressure and generally avoid touching the drone s camera and gimbal its most sensitive parts The following directions will help you handle your drone and battery safely Battery removal To remove the smart battery from the drone unfold the back arms of Set the drone on a flat and even surface such as a table and press th...

Page 28: ...ket through an AC adapter not included in the box except for Work o a tabletop or laptop computer s USB A port o a power bank s USB A port Indicative full charging times depending on power sources are as follows at 20 C AC adapter 5V 3A between 150 and 210 minutes a computer s or power bank s USB A port between 270 and 320 minutes s smart battery can also be recharged through a Power Delivery adap...

Page 29: ...less than 6 minutes flying time remaining 2 steady LEDs are lit up between 6 and 12 minutes flying time remaining 3 steady LEDs are lit up between 12 and 18 minutes flying time remaining 4 steady LEDs are lit up between 18 and 25 minutes flying time remaining Battery care and safety As you can see s smart LiPo battery is as high tech as any other element of your flying 4K HDR camera Its firmware c...

Page 30: ... case Finally note that s smart battery will only allow charge in ambient temperatures between 10 C and 45 C and that using in temperatures approaching 0 C will reduce its flying time To minimize this slight drop in the smart battery s capacity keep your battery as warm as possible before starting a flight in a cold environment If the behavior of your battery is not consistent with the elements co...

Page 31: ...h to your computer Slide the microSD card into the adapter and use the adapter how you would use any other SD card access your videos and photos through a card reader or the SD card slot of your computer Copy your videos and photos to the hard drive of your computer to edit store and manage your media The enclosed 16GB microSD card enables you to record just over 20 minutes of 4K video For this re...

Page 32: ...tself This means you must recharge your smart battery after you have retrieved your media even if it was fully charged when you began the procedure FreeFlight 6 Gallery Finally you can manage your media and download them directly from to your device with the Gallery of FreeFlight 6 Access the Gallery from the homepage of FreeFlight 6 either by tapping the microSD card box on the top bar of the int...

Page 33: ...all the outstanding features of from the screen of your device at the touch of your thumbs This section explores FreeFlight 6 functions starting with a presentation of the top and bottom bars of the HUD iOS and Android Access the HUD by taping FLY on the bottom right of the homepage of FreeFlight 6 iOS FreeFlight 6 homepage Android FreeFlight 6 homepage ...

Page 34: ... 6 are packed with features which are accessible from the HUD Before we present the PREFERENCES menu of FreeFlight 6 here is an overview of your drone s current piloting Cineshots Dronies and video modes Piloting modes Manual flight Cineshots 360 left right Cameraman Reveal 30 60m Follow Me in app purchase Spiral 30 60m Smartdronies Epic 30 60m Touch Fly Waypoint POI Flight Plan in app purchase Sm...

Page 35: ...at both GPS icons are green on both screen captures iOS and Android screen presentations This means that the drone s controller Skycontroller 3 or device and are both synchronized to enough GPS and Glonass satellites to optimize the stability of the drone especially at higher altitudes Parrot therefore recommends you always check both your FreeFlight 6 HUD s GPS icons are green and not red before ...

Page 36: ...eting mode a Timer mode and a five format Panorama mode The Android HUD of FreeFlight 6 displays strictly the same information buttons toggles and menus as the iOS HUD in the same way despite slight cosmetic differences Note that both GPS icons are green on both screen captures iOS and Android screen presentations This means that the drone s controller Skycontroller 3 or device and are both synchr...

Page 37: ...ROLLER ALWAYS Map type ROADMAD SATELLITE HYBRID Hand launch NO YES Show framing grid NO 3x3 6x6 Measurement system AUTO IMPERIAL METRIC Tap RESET ALL INTERFACE PREFERENCES on the bottom of the page to reset preferences Piloting Piloting preferences set the way behaves in each individual speed mode Tap FILM or SPORT to select the speed mode you want to set For each item move the slider to select a ...

Page 38: ... Minimum altitude when 20m to 100m DV 30m using RTH Tap RESET ALL SAFETY PREFERENCES on the bottom of the page to reset preferences Camera Camera preferences enable you to select camera options both in photo and video modes Camera calibration Tap CALIBRATE to access camera gimbal calibration Autorecord from take off NO YES video only Lossless zoom only NO YES selecting YES blocks zoom in JPEG RECT...

Page 39: ...references except for the Bracketing mode which is only managed manually Network Network preferences let you change your s Wi Fi network name password and band Network s name Tap the field to change your s network name Password Tap the box to change your network s password Wi Fi band ALL 2 4 GHz 5 GHz MANUAL Safety preferences iOS ...

Page 40: ...terally means all you have to do to start filming is to fly into the sky However depending on your filming objectives and FreeFlight 6 offer a wealth of settings from full auto to manual professional options for you to make the most of every situation If required tap the photo video toggle in the middle of the bottom bar of the HUD to circle the film camera right icon in white Main filming options...

Page 41: ... at 96 100 or 120fps automatically slowed down by a factor of 4 and exported at 24 25 or 30fps High Framerate 1080p filming at 48 50 or 60fps ideal for post processing and 720p filming at 96 100 or 120fps In the following screen capture Standard video mode is activated available video resolutions are 4K UHD 2 7K and 1080p FHD either in 24 25 or 30fps which you would find out by taping 24 fps on th...

Page 42: ...Bracketing mode opens three options 3 photos 1 EV 0 0 EV 1 EV 5 photos 2 EV to 2 EV and 7 photos 3 EV to 3 EV When one of these options has been selected the soft shutter button of the HUD displays the Bracketing icon inside a white circle Selecting the Timer mode opens three options 3 secs 5 secs and 10 secs When one of these options has been selected the soft shutter button of the HUD displays 3...

Page 43: ...PEG Panorama JPEG RECT only Tap a format JPEG RECT or JPEG WIDE if available or DNG JPEG if available to select it Tap the photo settings box again to close the sub boxes and confirm your choice Android photo formats JPEG RECT Android photo formats DNG JPEG When you are happy with your settings and your framing press the hard shutter button on the right of the Parrot Skycontroller 3 or tap the sof...

Page 44: ...f the soft button also countdowns then the screen flashes white and freezes briefly in black and white to confirm a picture has been taken The timer of the soft shutter button resets The number to the left of the soft shutter button of the HUD is increased by 1 For additional details on the Panorama mode refer to the next section Generating Panoramas Android photo modes About photo formats JPEG RE...

Page 45: ...sent in a 10 meters 30ft radius around Bear in mind locks the exposure refer to the AE Lock section of this guide for additional information on exposure locking of the frame with which you start your panorama For this reason Parrot recommends you always frame the main subject of the intended panorama before pressing the shutter button Bear in mind will not enable you to proceed with a panorama if ...

Page 46: ...ia present on your microSD card Like other media Panoramas are marked with their distinct icon and a green download box which shows the size of the corresponding series of pictures iOS microSD gallery downloading media to device Tap the green box of the Panorama you want to generate to start downloading the corresponding series of pictures to your device When the download is complete FreeFlight 6 ...

Page 47: ...e or two resolution options up to 32 MP Select the option you want to launch the generation The time this process takes also depends on your device s power For the highest quality 360 panorama 32 MP it can take several minutes iOS Creating Sphere When the panorama creation is complete FreeFlight 6 displays the panorama and gives you the option to delete the original files For each Vertical or Hori...

Page 48: ...ntrol s zoom control is activated through the right trigger of Parrot Skycontroller 3 It is available in all video modes and in JPEG RECT photo mode with an impact on the final resolution of your pictures WIDE photo modes imply the use and rendering of all 21MP delivered by s CMOS sensor zoom is deactivated in both WIDE photo modes To zoom in on a subject push the zoom trigger down To zoom out pul...

Page 49: ...s no lossless zoom capabilities for pictures the zoom is deactivated by design in WIDE formats JPEG and DNG JPEG and it has an impact on the resolution of the pictures in JPEG RECT format By contrast offers impressive lossless zoom capabilities for 4K UHD x1 4 2 7K x1 9 and 1080p X2 8 videos Android 1080p x1 zoom ...

Page 50: ...0 Android 1080p x2 8 zoom Android 1080p x3 zoom Note that in the video mode when you leave the lossless envelope of the zoom the zoom indicator on the middle left of the HUD turns orange instead of white ...

Page 51: ...nd photos and if this tilt is always on the same side access camera calibration to make your horizon perfectly straight again This feature is accessible from the box on the FreeFlight 6 homepage or from the box of the HUD and from the PREFERENCE Camera menu Before starting this procedure you need to position on a flat and perfectly level surface exactly perpendicular to any pattern containing stra...

Page 52: ...a menu Select the Correct horizon option from the following screen gimbal camera calibration Android The following screen appears except the top line label Gimbal calibration has been replaced with Horizon correction Gimbal camera calibration before Android Tap or until the artificial horizon of matches the horizon reference facing the drone Do not worry about vertical lines as you can see from th...

Page 53: ...droid When you have straightened the tilt of the camera tap the icon on the top left of the screen to confirm your setting and exit camera calibration Camera Calibration Gimbal calibration Use this option to perform a gimbal calibration similar to that which occurs after is powered on ...

Page 54: ... not too dark and not too light Tap the 0 0 EV box to activate the EV slider Slide your finger on the screen to adapt your EV toward negative values and darken your picture or video Use positive values to lighten your images This can be useful if you want to capture a backlit scene and to fade surroundings in light iOS 2 0 EV iOS 1 0 EV To activate further settings tap Auto on the far left of the ...

Page 55: ...gital grain Therefore under good lighting conditions such as sunny daylight outside shots low ISO values 100 or 200 should always be selected The sensitivity of the sensor increases as the ISO value goes up 3200 ISO can be used to capture low light interior scenes or exterior shots at dusk or dawn for example By default in Auto mode constantly adapts its ISO and shutter speed values to the scene i...

Page 56: ...g conditions your subject or both The display of the HUD reflects your settings and helps you make the best choice Android Auto WB Android Incandescent WB Android Fluo 1 WB Android Fluo 2 WB Android Sunny WB Android Cloudy WB Android Green WB Android Blue Sky WB ...

Page 57: ...to deactivate HDR The yellow HDR box disappears from the screen iOS HDR off iOS HDR on Note that activating or deactivating HDR stops any ongoing video recording NATURAL Style The Natural Style is the default Style it respects nature s colors and tones Activate the NATURAL Style from the Style box of the Video Photo settings menu P LOG Style One alternative Style to Natural looking images default ...

Page 58: ...nu ADJUSTMENT The ADJUSTMENT button next to the P LOG box provides three additional settings for your Normal Style still images and films Saturation sets the intensity of the colors from 2 to 2 Contrast sets the degree of difference between lighter and darker parts of the image from 2 to 2 Sharpness sets the distinction of the reproduction of details from 1 to 1 All settings at minimal values iOS ...

Page 59: ... icon appears to the left of the HDR icon it replaces the HDR icon in DNG JPEG photo format since HDR is not available with this setting Tap the Lock AE icon to lock the exposure value to that of the current view The icon turns to yellow A yellow Lock AE box appears under the Next available action box at the center of the top bar of the HUD Move around or tilt its gimbal to change the frame the ex...

Page 60: ...locked touch the part of the frame you want to base your exposure on A yellow square animates around this spot and the yellow Lock AE box is replaced by a yellow Lock AE Touch box Refer to the following screen captures for additional details on the logic of this great feature Exposure is locked on the top of the trees Android shutter speed is set at 1 240 s Exposure is locked on a building on the ...

Page 61: ...r a countdown on the HUD starts its rotation An animation flashes on the screen of your device and the 360 box progressively fills with green as the Cineshot unfolds Reveal The Reveal Cineshot is a classic motion picture opening shot when it is activated tilts its camera toward the ground and starts moving forward in a straight horizontal line Slowly over 30 or 60 meters the camera gimbal tilts up...

Page 62: ...e and the Spiral box progressively fills with green as the Cineshot unfolds Epic The Epic Cineshot offers another great way to dramatize any scene or location When it is activated moves away backward in a smooth ascending line keeping its subject in the center of its frame for 30 or 60 meters The Epic Cineshot gives best results when starts from a close up position relative to its subject Before y...

Page 63: ...e around the object or subject you want to follow or double tap this object or subject When your target is locked the blue rectangle turns to green and the orange LAND box at the center of the top bar of the HUD turns red and displays STOP s frame centers on your target inside the green box Drag the green box to the area of the frame where you want your target to remain at Fly around your target T...

Page 64: ...ogle Android or Apple iOS stores to be activated Fly at least 5 meters 15ft high and 10 meters 30ft in front of you facing you FreeFlight 6 will inform you with a red alert at the bottom of the HUD if you are too close from or if it is flying too low Frame yourself Tap the PILOTING MODE box in the bottom bar of the HUD to access the options Tap Follow Me to select this piloting mode Both a drone G...

Page 65: ...p the red STOP box at the center of the top bar of the HUD When no target is selected or when the tracking has been ended by the pilot s behavior is similar to that of the Manual flight mode In addition the Follow Me mode features a series of exclusive Dronies which can be activated as you move always keeping you in the center of the frame For each Dronie two options are available they are listed ...

Page 66: ...s retain visual contact with and always be ready to stop the following tap the STOP box of your HUD in case a danger or any sort of unexpected obstacle arises To optimize the drone s tracking always make sure you remain visible by do not let an obstacle obstruct the camera s view and do not hide in the shadows or could lose track of you ...

Page 67: ...rative to activate this mode upon first activation the same warning page appears as for the Follow Me mode Tick the box on the bottom left on the page if you do not want this warning to appear again when no prerequisite is missing Tap FLY to access the Smartdronies mode Tap the Dolly Zoom Dronie to open its three options try them all and enjoy the magic Touch Fly Waypoint Waypoint is the default T...

Page 68: ... the blue figure inside the square diamond through the slider on the right this effectively controls the tilt of the gimbal while you use the Parrot Skycontroller 3 to fly around your target remains focused on the POI iOS Touch Fly POI Tap STOP from the red box at the center of the top bar of your screen to halt or to reset a POI From the Dronies box next to the Type box of the lower bar of the HU...

Page 69: ...this section will teach you the basics of automated flight and shooting management with and Flight Plan Tap Flight Plan from the PILOTING MODE box menu The map of your surroundings opens full screen If you are not connected to the minimized live view is black as on the screen captures that follow Find your next dream flying spot on the map iOS Flight Plan Consider this pointy bit of land with a li...

Page 70: ...n circle represents the waypoint the white figure the altitude of the drone and the white arrow the direction of s camera iOS initial waypoint Tap the white arrow and hold it to move it around In this example we want to frame the lighthouse as it starts the flight iOS initial waypoint with the camera framing the lighthouse ...

Page 71: ...ude of the waypoint In this example will climb from 3 to 30 meters between the initial waypoint and the second waypoint iOS second waypoint Add waypoints to tour the area and end your Flight Plan where you intend to land iOS full Flight Plan The tip of the peninsula is a POI we want to focus on it while it flies around it Tap it and hold your finger on the screen to call choices POI Close iOS sett...

Page 72: ...n now be selected to be linked to the POI iOS open waypoints Tap waypoints to link them to the POI In this example we want to film the tip of the peninsula as it flies around it we have selected the three waypoints to the left of the peninsula The arrows of those waypoints have turned toward the POI and are colored in blue the last one which was selected has a blue border around the white arrow iO...

Page 73: ...to edit it use the slider on the right of the screen to modify its height tap and move its white arrow to set the direction of s camera For this example we had the drone point toward the land at most steps of the Flight Plan and toward the lighthouse at take off and landing with a descent from 30 to 3 meters between the last two waypoints iOS POI Flight Plan All you have to do now is to close Free...

Page 74: ...That is why for this section we have chosen to consider that s final waypoint is also its landing spot Activate and monitor every Flight Plan with extreme care always check your drone s route is clear from obstacles and safe always retain visual contact with and always be ready to stop the Flight Plan tap the STOP box of your HUD or reclaim commands of the drone in case a danger or any sort of une...

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