How to Switch Between Video and Photo Modes on DJI Drone
Peter Leslie
22 May 2026
If a DJI drone is sat in the camera view in DJI Fly and you cannot remember which way to jump between video and stills, there are two routes — a dedicated hardware button on the remote controller, and a tap-and-pick dial on the touch screen. Both swap shooting mode in a single action, and both leave the drone in the air doing whatever the sticks tell it.
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 inside the Shooting Mode dial (Slow Motion, Hyperlapse, panorama options) vary slightly between models.
Quick guide
To switch shooting mode on DJI Drone, press the Photo/Video button on the remote controller (right of the right joystick), or tap DJI Fly → Camera View → top icon on the right (Shooting Mode dial) → Photo / Video. The hardware button is a one-press toggle; the touch dial also exposes QuickShots.
Step-by-step: How to Switch Between Video and Photo Modes on DJI Drone
Follow these top to bottom the first time, and the path is muscle memory 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 and drop into the camera view on DJI Drone
With the drone powered on and the remote controller connected, launch DJI Fly and tap Go Fly to enter the camera view. The live feed fills the screen and the column of shooting controls runs down the right-hand edge of the display.
Find the Photo/Video button on the remote controller
Look at the front face of the remote, just to the right of the right joystick. The small round button sat between the right stick and the Shutter/Record button is the Photo/Video button — it is the fastest route between the two shooting modes on any current DJI drone.
Press the Photo/Video button once to toggle the shooting mode
A single press swaps the mode. If the drone was in Video it switches to Photo, and if it was in Photo it switches to Video. The right-hand column on the screen updates the instant the press registers, so you can confirm the swap without looking down at the remote.
Find the Shooting Mode dial at the top of the right-hand column in DJI Fly
If you would rather use the touch screen, look at the stack of icons running down the right of the camera view. The icon at the very top of that column is the Shooting Mode dial — it shows whichever mode the drone is sat in right now.
Tap the Shooting Mode dial and pick Video or Photo from the wheel
A single tap opens the Shooting Mode dial with Photo, Video, and QuickShots arranged around it. Swipe to the option you want and release — the camera view commits to the new mode straight away, with no confirm step.
Confirm the camera view has switched to the new shooting mode on DJI Drone
Check the right-hand column. In Video the rows expose resolution and frame rate; in Photo they expose aspect ratio and the photo shooting style. The Shutter/Record button at the bottom right of the screen also redraws between a red record dot and a white camera dot, which is the fastest visual confirm that the mode flipped.
Peter's tip
I almost never use the touch dial mid-flight. The hardware Photo/Video button on the remote is one press and the thumb is already on the right grip, which keeps both hands on the sticks. The only time the touch dial wins is when I need QuickShots — that family lives in the dial, so the screen tap is unavoidable for things like Dronie or Boomerang.
Video vs Photo on DJI Drone
Two modes, two very different deliverables. Pick before take-off and only swap when the shot calls for it.
| Mode | What the right-hand column shows | When to pick it |
|---|---|---|
| Video | Resolution and frame rate rows are exposed, the Shutter/Record button draws as a red record dot, and the Video Mode dial sits in the column for cropping and slow-motion sub-options. | Moving subjects, cinematic flights, anything where the shot needs to be continuous, and any session where you plan to grab still frames out of the footage in post. |
| Photo | Aspect ratio and photo shooting style rows are exposed, the Shutter/Record button redraws as a white camera dot, and the timer option becomes selectable for delayed self-shots from a hover. | Static scenes, mapping a single composition, group shots from a hover, and any time the final deliverable is a stills frame rather than a clip — Photo commits the full sensor to one frame. |
Frequently asked questions
What is the fastest way to switch between Video and Photo on DJI Drone?
The dedicated Photo/Video button on the remote controller. It sits to the right of the right joystick, one press swaps the mode, and you keep both thumbs on the sticks while you do it. Going through DJI Fly works too, but it is a touch-screen tap that takes your eyes off the live feed for a second longer.
Which shooting mode does DJI Drone default to on power-up?
Video. Every current DJI drone running DJI Fly fires up the camera view in Video mode and stays there until you press the Photo/Video button on the remote or tap the Shooting Mode dial in DJI Fly. A fresh power-cycle resets the camera view back to Video.
Can I switch between Video and Photo mid-flight on DJI Drone?
Yes. The Photo/Video button on the remote works in flight, and so does the Shooting Mode dial in DJI Fly. The drone keeps holding position from the sticks while the mode changes. Stop recording before you swap if you are mid-clip, otherwise the cut from video to a frozen photo frame looks jarring in the final footage.
Why is QuickShots greyed out when I tap the Shooting Mode dial?
QuickShots only becomes available once the drone is airborne. With the drone on the ground the option sits in the dial but cannot be selected — take off, hover for a moment, and the QuickShots tile lights up. Photo and Video are both selectable on the ground and in the air.
Does DJI Drone remember the last shooting mode after I land?
Only within the same session. Land, leave the drone powered on, and the next take-off returns to whichever mode you finished in. Power-cycle the drone and the camera view resets to Video — the default shooting mode on every current DJI drone after a cold start.
What if the Photo/Video button on the remote does not respond?
Two usual causes — the remote is paused on a sub-screen that hijacks the button, or DJI Fly is on an outdated build. Tap back out of any open menu in DJI Fly to return to the standard camera view and try the button again. If it still does nothing, update DJI Fly, re-launch, and re-pair the remote if needed.
Can I switch shooting modes on DJI Drone without the remote controller?
Yes — when using Mobile App Control on the phone alone, tap the Shooting Mode dial at the top of the right-hand column in the DJI Fly camera view and pick Photo or Video. The dial behaves the same way it does with the remote connected, so the touch route is the fallback whenever the controller is not in the loop.
Does the photo resolution match the video resolution on DJI Drone?
No. Photo mode commits the full sensor to a single frame at the highest still resolution the drone supports, while Video mode is constrained by the selected resolution and frame rate combination. Grabbing a still out of recorded footage in post will always be lower resolution than a dedicated photo taken from a hover.
Video is the safe default for moving subjects; Photo is the one to flip into when the deliverable is a single frame from a hover. The Photo/Video button on the remote is the route most drone pilots end up using once the layout is muscle memory.
If you are not sure which mode suits the kind of flying you are doing, 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 dial lives across every current DJI drone. Release notes record any camera-view layout changes between versions.
- DJI — UK consumer drone product line-up · Per-drone user documentation carries the Photo/Video button position on each remote controller and the shooting modes the camera supports.
- UK Civil Aviation Authority — The Drone and Model Aircraft Code (CAP2320) · The visual-line-of-sight rule that frames why glancing away from the live feed to swap shooting mode through a touch dial is the slower of the two routes.
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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