• Back to Homepage
  • Newsletter

Christine Lozada

Helping you travel smarter, learn to fly drones and be a badass

  • Travel
  • Virgin Voyages
  • Drones
  • Courses
  • Lifestyle and Badassery
  • Pickleball

September 4, 2023

How to Safely and Creatively Fly Your Drone from Inside a Building

Surprise your audience with a sudden “WOW” factor of both flying a drone and realizing it’s moving from inside to outside.

Transitioning a drone’s flight from indoors to outdoors isn’t merely about flaunting a skill; it’s a cinematographic art. This technique offers a storytelling arc.

Read on for a tutorial to help both novices and seasoned drone enthusiasts capture shots safely and effectively.

As with any skill, practice is key. Familiarize yourself with your drone’s features, understand its behavior in different environments, and always prioritize safety.


Table of Contents
  • 1. Prioritizing GPS Stability
  • 2. Horizontal Takeoff: The Safety Checkpoint
  • 3. Sport Mode: Your Best Bet Indoors
  • Become a PRO at flying your drone
  • 4. For Once, Record Everything
  • 5. Gentle and Extensive: The Flight Mantra
  • 6. Crafting the Perfect Shot with Final Cut Pro
  • Bottom Line

1. Prioritizing GPS Stability

Before your drone takes off, it’s imperative to secure a solid GPS connection. Buildings, particularly those with thick walls or brick structures, can seriously interfere with GPS signals. This interference can cause an unexpected drift in your drone’s position, potentially leading it to collide with indoor objects. To avoid this:

  • Switch on your drone and the controller
  • Allow it to sit for a few minutes to establish a connection, preferably near a window or open space
  • Always keep an eye on the GPS signal strength on your controller

Even if your drone has established a solid connection, it will still act differently indoors. Interference can kick in at any time causing your drone to drift. The key? Take it slow.

Even after a strong connection, sometimes the notification for "No GPS" still comes up


2. Horizontal Takeoff: The Safety Checkpoint

Even if your envisioned shot will be taken vertically for Instagram or Tik Tok, it’s recommended to start horizontally to get your bearings.

This approach grants a wider field of view, enabling you to gauge potential obstructions or risks in the drone’s path. After ensuring a safe surrounding, you can then shift to the desired orientation for your shot.

Want to SEE why this is the case? See the full video tutorial here or by clicking below.


3. Sport Mode: Your Best Bet Indoors

When navigating through tight spaces, your drone sensors that are meant to protect you, can actually do the exact opposite.

Flying in tight spaces confuses the sensors (also known as “obstacle avoidance”). For example, it might “avoid” one wall and JUMP into the wall next to it.

This is why turning them off – or enabling the sport mode is highly recommended.

In standard modes, your drone might react unpredictably to close-proximity objects due to its sensors. This might not only ruin your shot but also risk the drone’s safety. Sport mode, in most drones, deactivates these sensors, giving you a smoother flight experience.


Become a PRO at flying your drone

MASTER your drone and gain the confidence to EASILY fly!

Whether you’re just getting started, or trying to become an advanced pilot selling your drone photography and videography, consider checking out the drone courses!

See the drone courses!

4. For Once, Record Everything

Writing this one makes me cringe.

I like to START the flight (further back than I need), then while in motion, hit record. This minimizes the editing, but in this instance, sometimes you need to keep “re-setting up the shot” and there simply isn’t time to make all the adjustments.

Continuous recording might sound like a storage-consuming tactic, but for this style of shot, it makes sense to do it.

Drone photo of surfer in the waves in California
Drone photo of surfer in the waves in California

Want more drone tips like this? Consider checking out all the helpful blog posts by clicking here, or the entire playlist of helping drone tips for those who are looking to move past beginner and into intermediate/advanced drone shots.

See all the drone blog posts
See the playlist

5. Gentle and Extensive: The Flight Mantra

Avoid rushing your drone, especially during the initial moments. A slow, controlled flight ensures safety and captures details more elaborately. Literally. Fly under 5mph. Too often people like to CRANK THE STICKS and it literally hurts my eyeballs (or ear balls) when this happens.

Also, when transitioning outdoors:

  • Fly farther than you believe is necessary. This gives you ample footage to choose from during editing.
  • It’s less challenging to speed up footage later than to artificially slow it down without causing jitter.
  • Extensive footage allows for seamless transitions and offers room for creativity during edits.

6. Crafting the Perfect Shot with Final Cut Pro

For those keen on refining their footage, Christine’s method in Final Cut Pro offers a detailed roadmap:

  • Trim to Perfection: Start with eliminating redundant sections, focusing on the essence of the shot.

  • Frame Alignment: Adjust your footage for optimal framing. Ensure your subject, possibly yourself, remains the center of attention throughout.

  • Dynamic Speed Ramping: Add layers of intrigue by playing with the speed. Quick actions within the first two seconds, especially for platforms like Instagram or TikTok, are essential to retain viewer attention.

  • Art of Color Grading: Enhance your visuals through color corrections. Create a preset and re-use it over and over.

  • Render, Review, Repeat: I like to send it to my phone for a quick look, then edit it. Practice like you play.

Bottom Line

Creative shots are really fun, but can be really stressful to get. As a recap – after ensuring that permissions are gained, it’s important when flying close to things to first look at your drone both literally and through the controller while flying horizontally to understand the boundaries.

To prevent hitting something, fly in sport mode – then record the entire time and trim it, and fly slower than you think is necessary.

Additionally, because flying indoors can cause drifting, ensure that the drone has a good GPS signal and go slow.

Ultimately, this is a great way to incorporate the drone into a project or to create a unique perspective on video footage.

See the video version of this tutorial
See More Drone Tips and Tutorials
Preview the step-by-step drone courses

Posted In: Drones · Tagged: Drones

I’m stoked you’re here!

HEYYY! I’m an award winning creator, Youtuber, drone speaker and educator and podcast host helping you travel smarter, learn to fly drones and be a badass

Categories

  • Creating
  • Drones
  • Lifestyle and Badassery
  • Pickleball
  • Travel

Popular Posts

Christine Lozada on Virgin Voyages

Let’s Set Sail TOGETHER on Virgin Voyages!

Christine Lozada Virgin Voyages

How I Book My Virgin Voyages Sailing with the Best Deal

Virgin Voyages shot by Christine Lozada on Mavic Air 2S Drone

*ALL* of Christine Lozada’s Helpful Virgin Voyages Travel Tips

Christine Lozada pickleball

Pickleball Deals on Paddles, Clothing and More!

Flying drones in NYC

Flying a Drone in NYC

Camp Indie 2023

An Adult Summer Camp for Travelers with Camp Indie

On the Blog

  • Creating
  • Drones
  • Lifestyle and Badassery
  • Pickleball
  • Travel

Don't miss a thing!

Contact me

Work with me

Email me

Copyright © 2025 Christine Lozada · Theme by 17th Avenue