How to Adjust Gain and Expo Tuning on the DJI Neo 2
Peter Leslie
21 May 2026
If your DJI Neo 2 feels too twitchy on the sticks for cinematic shots, too soft to react when you fly Sport, or you want different stick feel for the gimbal than for the airframe, the screen you are looking for is Gain and Expo Tuning inside DJI Fly.
Gain and Expo Tuning is a per-flight-mode tuning screen with independent sliders for Cine, Normal, and Sport. You set maximum speeds, brake sensitivity, angular velocity, the expo curve on each axis, and gimbal tilt behaviour — and a Reset button at the bottom rolls a mode back to factory if a tune goes wrong. Most drone pilots who get burned by this screen do it by tuning blind before they have flown stock; fly the defaults first, then come back and refine.
Quick guide
To adjust gain and expo on the DJI Neo 2, go to DJI Fly → Settings → Control → Gain and Expo Tuning. Pick the Cine, Normal, or Sport tab, then nudge the speed, brake, angular velocity, expo, and gimbal sliders for that mode. Reset at the bottom rolls the mode you are on back to factory.
Step-by-step: How to Adjust Gain and Expo Tuning on the DJI Neo 2
Follow these top to bottom the first time, and you will know the path off by heart the second time.
Open the DJI Fly Settings menu from the camera view
With the DJI Neo 2 powered on and connected to the remote controller, tap the Settings icon in the top right of the camera view. The settings panel slides in from the right with the category tabs down the left edge.
Tap the Control category in the Settings panel
Control is the first tab down the left of the settings panel, above Safety. Tap it and the right-hand pane updates to show the gimbal, stick, and remote controller options for the DJI Neo 2.
Scroll down inside Control until the Gain and Expo Tuning row appears
Scroll past the gimbal mode block, the stick mode block, and the gimbal calibration row. The Gain and Expo Tuning row sits a little further down, and opens a full tuning screen when you tap the row.
Pick the flight mode tab you want to tune at the top of the screen
Cine, Normal, and Sport sit as three tabs across the top of the Gain and Expo Tuning screen. Each tab stores an independent set of slider values, so tap the tab for the mode you fly most before you touch any of the sliders below it.
Set the maximum horizontal, ascent, and descent speed sliders
The first three sliders cap how fast the drone is allowed to travel sideways, up, and down in the selected mode. Pull them back to slow the drone for cinematic motion, or push them forward for sharper response when you fly Sport.
Set the brake sensitivity slider for that flight mode
Brake sensitivity controls how aggressively the DJI Neo 2 stops when you centre the sticks. Lower values give a soft, drifting halt for video work; higher values lock the drone in place faster for tracking shots and Sport flying.
Set the maximum angular velocity sliders for pitch, roll, yaw, and the up and down axis
Maximum angular velocity is the rotation cap on each axis — how fast the drone is allowed to nose down, bank, yaw round, or climb under full stick. Each axis has its own slider, so you can stiffen yaw for tracking shots while keeping pitch and roll relaxed.
Set the expo sliders for pitch, roll, yaw, and the up and down axis
The expo block is the next set of sliders down, with one curve per axis. A higher expo value softens the area around stick centre so small wrist movements barely move the drone; a lower value gives near-linear response and feels twitchier in the middle.
Set the maximum gimbal tilt speed and tilt smoothness sliders
The last block on the screen tunes the gimbal rather than the airframe. Maximum gimbal tilt speed caps how fast the camera can tilt under the wheel, and tilt smoothness controls how gently the tilt eases in and out at each end of a move.
Fly a short test hover before tuning the next flight mode tab
Take off in the mode you just tuned and fly a slow figure-of-eight at head height for a minute. Feel each axis under the sticks before you go back into the menu and tune the next tab — a tune that reads well on the slider often feels wrong in the air.
Tap Reset at the bottom of the tab to roll a mode back to factory
Each flight mode tab carries its own Reset option at the bottom of the slider list. Tap it and every slider on that tab snaps back to its factory value, leaving the other two tabs untouched — the safety net for a tune that goes wrong mid-session.
Peter's tip
I tune one mode per session and one axis at a time. Cine first, two sliders maximum, then a five-minute hover to feel the change. Trying to dial in three modes and a dozen sliders in one sitting is how you end up forgetting which change caused the twitchy yaw — and reaching for Reset more than you should.
Frequently asked questions
What does Gain and Expo Tuning actually change on the DJI Neo 2?
Gain sets the upper limit and rate of response on each control channel, and expo curves how that response builds around the centre of the stick. Together they decide how aggressive the drone feels when you give it a stick input — whether a half-stick yaw is a slow pan or a brisk turn, whether the brake locks the drone in place or eases it to a hover, and how fast the gimbal tilts when you spin the wheel.
Are the Cine, Normal, and Sport sliders separate on the DJI Neo 2?
Yes — every slider on the Gain and Expo Tuning screen is stored independently for Cine, Normal, and Sport. A change you make on the Cine tab does not carry across to Normal or Sport, so you can keep one mode dialled in for smooth video work and another set up for sharper response without one tune overwriting the other.
What are sensible starting values for cinematic footage on the DJI Neo 2?
On the Cine tab, pull maximum horizontal speed and maximum angular velocity back to around half their default, drop brake sensitivity a notch so the drone eases to a stop instead of jolting, and lift the expo on pitch, roll, and yaw a touch so the area around stick centre is less twitchy. Lower the gimbal tilt speed and lift the tilt smoothness for clean tilt reveals.
Can I tune one axis without touching the others on the DJI Neo 2?
Yes. The angular velocity and expo blocks both expose separate sliders for pitch, roll, yaw, and the up and down channel. You can stiffen yaw response for tracking shots while leaving pitch and roll cinematic, or soften the up and down channel for slow reveals without slowing the horizontal stick at all.
How do I undo a Gain and Expo Tuning change on the DJI Neo 2?
Open the flight mode tab you want to revert and tap the Reset option at the bottom of the tuning screen. Reset only affects the mode tab you are currently on, so a reset on Sport leaves your Cine and Normal tunes alone. There is no per-slider undo — Reset is the all-or-nothing roll back to factory.
Should I tune Gain and Expo before my first flight on the DJI Neo 2?
No — fly the factory defaults for the first few batteries so you know what stock feels like. Tuning is a refinement step that only makes sense once you can feel which channel is too sharp or too soft for the shots you want. Drone pilots who tune blind end up undoing changes the next session.
Do Gain and Expo Tuning changes affect FocusTrack and QuickShots on the DJI Neo 2?
No. Intelligent flight modes such as FocusTrack, QuickShots, and the Hover and Record routine use their own internal speed profiles and ignore the gain and expo sliders you set. Your tune only takes effect when you are flying the drone yourself on the sticks in Cine, Normal, or Sport.
Why does my DJI Neo 2 feel twitchy after a Gain and Expo Tuning change?
Twitchy stick feel almost always traces back to expo set too low on pitch, roll, or yaw — a low expo number gives a near-linear curve, so a small wrist movement at stick centre throws a big control input. Raise expo on the offending axis by a few notches, fly another short hover, and the centre region softens. If it still feels off, hit Reset and start from factory.
Gain and Expo Tuning is the screen that turns the DJI Neo 2 from a competent stock drone into a drone that flies the way you want for the shots you are taking. Tune one mode at a time, fly a real hover between changes, and lean on Reset whenever a session goes sideways.
Got a slider combination that feels great on Cine but breaks Sport, or a yaw axis that refuses to feel right at any expo value? Drop a note to peter@hiredronepilot.uk with your numbers and I will come back to you directly. If you prefer the video version of this walkthrough, the comments are open on YouTube.
References
Primary source material for this article is the official DJI Neo 2 documentation and DJI Fly. External links open in a new tab.
- DJI Neo 2 — Downloads (User Manual, Quick Start Guide, firmware notes) · Flight Modes section covering Cine, Normal, and Sport, plus the Remote Controller chapter that describes the stick and gimbal inputs the Gain and Expo Tuning screen acts on.
- DJI Neo 2 — Product page (UK) · Drone hardware overview, flight mode list, and gimbal specification including the tilt range that the gimbal tilt speed and smoothness sliders shape.
- DJI Fly — App download and release notes · The app where the Gain and Expo Tuning row, the Cine, Normal, and Sport tabs, and the Reset action all live. Release notes record any menu reshuffles between versions.
Peter Leslie
Founder & GVC Drone Pilot
Peter is the founder of HireDronePilot. With thousands of logged commercial flight hours, he writes about drone technology, commercial surveying tactics, and UK aviation compliance.
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