True Level: The REAL Way to Fix that Tilted Horizon

Whether the picture from your camera is sloped at a dangerous angle or sitting just crooked enough to bother you, a tilted horizon can ruin the entire flying experience.

While a quick gimbal recalibration will likely make the world appear right side up again, many pilots don’t realize that the gimbal isn’t the only component that needs to be adjusted.

To experience true level, you must recalibrate three components: The Inertial Measurement Unit (IMU), the compass, and then the gimbal. In that specific order. Because the order is incredibly important.

Data from the IMU helps the gimbal understand how the aircraft is oriented — whether it’s banking to the left or tilting to the right — and the gimbal uses that data to adjust the camera so the picture always appears level and steady.

The compass, on the other hand, helps the gimbal understand where the drone is relative to the world so it can always find its heading, preventing images from appearing slightly off-center. 

All three parts must be working in tandem to help you obtain the best picture possible. To find out how to recalibrate each component, check out these quick tutorial videos (conveniently placed in order!).

IMU CALIBRATION

COMPASS CALIBRATION

GIMBAL CALIBRATION