How to Switch Video Modes on DJI Drone
Peter Leslie
22 May 2026
If you flew a DJI drone for the first time and wanted slow-motion footage but ended up with a regular-speed clip, the setting you missed sits one tap away on the camera view inside DJI Fly. Every current DJI drone runs the same general video mode with a sub-mode list one tap deeper, and the sub-mode is the bit that decides whether the next clip records flat at 30 fps or stretched at 240.
Drones this applies to
DJI Neo 2, DJI Mini 5 Pro, DJI Avata 2, DJI Air 3 Pro, DJI Mavic 4 Pro. The same procedure works on any drone running DJI Fly v1.21.2 or later — only the available sub-modes vary between models, listed in the per-drone table further down.
Quick guide
To switch video modes on DJI Drone, go to DJI Fly → Camera view → Shooting-mode icon → Video → Sub-mode list. Pick Normal for standard 4K, 2.7K, or 1080p recording, Slow Motion for high-frame-rate captures, or Hyperlapse and Timelapse for scripted time-lapse work on the drones that support them.
Step-by-step: How to Switch Video Modes on DJI Drone
Follow these top to bottom the first time, and you will know the path off by heart the second time. The labels and order are identical on every drone in the callout above — the screenshots are taken on a DJI Neo 2.
Open DJI Fly to the camera view with the drone connected
Power the drone on, wait for DJI Fly to connect, and tap into the camera view. The live feed from the drone fills the centre of the screen and the shooting-mode controls run down the right-hand edge.
Enter the general video mode from the shooting-mode icon
Tap the shooting-mode icon directly above the shutter button on the right-hand control column and select Video from the list that slides out. If you are flying with a remote controller that has a dedicated video button, a single press of that button does the same job.
Find the video-mode label on the camera view
With the drone in the general video mode, the current sub-mode reads as a small label on the camera view — Normal by default, the first time you fly. This is the control that opens the sub-mode list when you tap it, and the reason most first flights record regular-speed when the pilot wanted slow motion.
Tap the mode label to open the sub-mode list
Tap the mode label once and the sub-mode list slides out. The rows you see depend on the drone — every current body shows Normal and Slow Motion, while the larger ones also add Hyperlapse and Timelapse. The currently-selected row is highlighted in the brand yellow so you can see the active mode at a glance.
Pick Normal for standard-speed recording
Tap Normal for regular-speed recording at the frame rate set in the resolution chip. The sub-mode pairs with the chip for the full resolution range the drone supports — 4K up to 100 frames per second on the smaller bodies, 4K up to 120 frames per second on the larger ones, with 2.7K and 1080p options below that.
Pick Slow Motion for high-frame-rate captures
Tap Slow Motion for the high-frame-rate sub-mode. The drone locks into 1080p at the top frame rate it supports — 240 fps on the smaller bodies, 120 fps on some of the larger ones — and the clip plays back at 25 or 30 fps in your edit. Resolution is fixed in this sub-mode; the resolution chip greys out the moment Slow Motion is selected.
Pick Hyperlapse or Timelapse when the drone supports them
Tap Hyperlapse for a moving-camera time-lapse or Timelapse for a static one. Both bake the finished clip in-camera, so no editing software is required to deliver the sped-up sequence. These rows only appear on the larger DJI drones — Mini 5 Pro, Air 3 Pro, Mavic 4 Pro — and not on the smaller bodies like the Neo 2 or the Avata 2.
Confirm the camera view shows the new sub-mode
The list closes the moment you tap, and the mode label on the camera view updates to read the sub-mode you just picked. The selection is sticky — every current DJI drone remembers the value across power cycles, so the next flight starts in the same sub-mode unless you change it.
Peter's tip
I leave every drone I own on Normal for ninety percent of flights and flip to Slow Motion deliberately when I see a moment worth stretching out — a car driving through a wide shot, leaves blowing in a gust, a dog running. Hyperlapse on the Mini 5 Pro is the one I have to remember to use for client work; the in-camera bake saves an hour of editing per shoot, and the result reads more cinematic than the post-process equivalent.
Normal vs Slow Motion vs Hyperlapse vs Timelapse
Four sub-modes, four very different uses. Use this table to pick before the flight, not during one.
| Video sub-mode | When it works | Where it bites |
|---|---|---|
| Normal | Client work, landscape edits, hover shots, dialogue-driven footage. Full resolution range — 4K, 2.7K, or 1080p — and audio captured by the connected phone stays in sync with the picture. | Fast-moving subjects — a runner, a car, a wave breaking — read motion-blurred at 30 frames per second and look amateur next to a Slow Motion grab of the same action. |
| Slow Motion | High-frame-rate captures of fast subjects, transition ramps, and any moment that benefits from being stretched four to ten times slower in the edit. 1080p through a 25 or 30 fps timeline is genuinely cinematic. | Locked at 1080p — the resolution chip greys out, so you cannot pair Slow Motion with 4K. Audio is disabled, file sizes are larger per second of usable footage, and the high frame rate needs more light than Normal to avoid noise. |
| Hyperlapse | Moving-camera time-lapse work — traffic flowing across a bridge, clouds drifting over a coastline, a slow flight along a road. The drone bakes the finished clip in-camera, so no editing software is needed to deliver the sped-up sequence. | Not on every DJI drone — the Neo 2 and the Avata 2 skip it. Burns a full battery for what plays back as a ten-second clip, and the slow flight path is fixed once recording starts; no chance to recover from a framing mistake. |
| Timelapse | Static time-lapse from a hover — sunsets, building shadows, crowd flow through a square. Lower battery cost than Hyperlapse because the motors only need to hold position, not fly a path. | Only on the larger DJI drones. Wind that moves the drone in the hover shows up as judder in the final clip, so a still day reads better than a gusty one. |
Which DJI drones support which video sub-modes
Normal and Slow Motion are on every current DJI body. Hyperlapse and Timelapse are camera-system features that need a larger sensor and a gimbal with the headroom to fly a path, so they sit on the heavier drones only.
| Drone | Normal | Slow Motion | Hyperlapse | Timelapse |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| DJI Neo 2 | Yes | Yes (1080p 240 fps) | No | No |
| DJI Avata 2 | Yes | Yes (1080p 120 fps) | No | No |
| DJI Mini 5 Pro | Yes | Yes (1080p 120 fps) | Yes | Yes |
| DJI Air 3 Pro | Yes | Yes (1080p 120 fps) | Yes | Yes |
| DJI Mavic 4 Pro | Yes | Yes (4K 120 fps) | Yes | Yes |
Frequently asked questions
What video sub-modes do current DJI drones actually carry?
At least Normal and Slow Motion on every current DJI drone in the DJI Fly line-up. Hyperlapse and Timelapse appear on the larger drones — Mini 5 Pro, Air 3 Pro, Mavic 4 Pro — and not on the smaller ones like the Neo 2 or the Avata 2, which are tuned for live recording rather than scripted moves. The exact sub-mode list for the drone in your hand is whatever sits in the camera-view mode label once the drone is connected to DJI Fly.
Does a DJI drone start in Normal video mode by default?
Yes. Every current DJI drone boots into the general video mode with Normal selected as the sub-mode, ready to record at 1080p in Auto. You have to enter Slow Motion or any of the time-lapse modes deliberately the first time you want them. The selection is sticky after that, so the drone stays in whichever sub-mode you last picked until you change it again.
What is the difference between Normal and Slow Motion on a DJI drone?
Normal records at the frame rate you set in the resolution chip — 30, 60, or 100 frames per second on most drones. The clip plays back at that same rate and looks like real time. Slow Motion locks the drone into 1080p at the highest frame rate it supports — 120, 240, or even higher on some bodies — and plays back at 25 or 30 frames per second in your edit, which stretches the motion four to ten times slower than real time.
When should I switch to Slow Motion on a DJI drone?
Three situations. First, fast-moving subjects — a car driving through frame, a runner, a wave breaking — where motion blurs at 30 frames per second but reads clean at 240. Second, transition shots that ramp from regular speed into slow motion in the edit. Third, anything where you want to add weight or drama to a moment that would normally pass in half a second. Skip Slow Motion for landscape pans, hover shots, and dialogue-driven footage; the high frame rate just adds file size with no payoff.
Can I switch video modes on a DJI drone while it is in the air?
Yes, but only between clips. The mode list is greyed out while the drone is actively recording — you have to stop the clip, switch sub-modes, and start a new one. Switching mid-flight is fine; just expect a tiny pause as the drone reconfigures the camera before the next clip rolls.
Why is Slow Motion or Hyperlapse missing from the sub-mode list?
Two checks. First, make sure the drone is actually connected to DJI Fly and the camera view is loaded — the sub-mode list does not render until the live feed is up. Second, confirm the drone in your hand even supports that sub-mode. Hyperlapse and Timelapse are not on every body, and the smaller drones only carry Normal and Slow Motion. If both checks pass and the option is still missing, force-quit DJI Fly and relaunch — a stale app session sometimes hides the sub-mode controls.
Does Slow Motion record audio on a DJI drone?
No usable audio. DJI drones do not have an onboard microphone, so audio is captured by the phone connected to DJI Fly — and audio capture is disabled in Slow Motion because the playback frame rate breaks sync. Plan for music or ambient overlay in post for any Slow Motion clip; Normal is the only sub-mode where the phone-captured audio is usable.
What is the difference between Hyperlapse and Timelapse?
Hyperlapse is a moving-camera time-lapse — the drone flies a path while it bakes the frames into a sped-up clip. Useful for traffic-on-a-bridge, clouds-over-a-cityscape, or a slow flight along a coastline. Timelapse is a static one — the drone hovers in place and bakes the frames from a fixed position. Useful for sunsets, building shadows, or any subject where motion in the frame is the point. Both deliver the finished clip in-camera, no editing required.
Video mode is the setting that separates a flat 30 fps clip from a stretched, weighty slow-motion grab of the same moment — and most DJI drone owners never know the sub-mode list exists until they go looking for slow motion in the wrong menu. Pick the right sub-mode deliberately for the shot, not once and forgotten.
If you want a second opinion on which sub-mode to pick for a specific shoot, drop the details to peter@hiredronepilot.uk and I will come back to you directly. The video version of this walkthrough is on YouTube and the comments are open.
References
Primary source material for this article is the official DJI user documentation for each drone in the callout and DJI Fly. External links open in a new tab.
- DJI Fly — App download and release notes · The app where the shooting-mode icon and the video sub-mode list live across every current DJI drone. Release notes record any menu reshuffles between versions.
- DJI — UK consumer drone product line-up · Per-drone product pages list the available video sub-modes, the resolution range, and the maximum frame rate under §Camera Specifications.
- UK Civil Aviation Authority — The Drone and Model Aircraft Code (CAP2320) · The visual-line-of-sight rule that frames why a long Hyperlapse flight path needs to stay within the pilot's eye-line throughout.
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.
Connect on LinkedIn