The DJI Air 3 follows you with ActiveTrack, part of DJI's FocusTrack suite (ActiveTrack, Spotlight and Point of Interest). Drag a box around a person, car or boat in DJI Fly, switch to ActiveTrack, choose a mode and tap GO. The Air 3 tracks at up to 12 m/s (about 27 mph) and steers around obstacles while its vision sensors can see.
The three FocusTrack modes
| Mode | What the drone does | Good for |
|---|---|---|
| Spotlight | Stays where you fly it, camera locked on the subject | Manual shots with perfect framing |
| Point of Interest | Circles the subject at a set radius and speed (up to 12 m/s) | Orbits around a person, car or building |
| ActiveTrack | Follows the subject at a set distance and height (up to 12 m/s) | Hiking, biking, driving, boating |
None of these modes record on their own. Press the record button after you start.
ActiveTrack sub-modes
- Auto: the drone plans its own path and camera moves. It only tracks people in Auto, and it ignores the sticks.
- Manual: pick one of eight directions (front, back, left, right or the four diagonals) on the trace wheel. The drone holds that angle relative to where the subject is heading. You can change the angle mid-track.
- Parallel: the drone keeps the same compass direction from the subject, for example always east of it.
You can nudge distance with the pitch stick and height with the throttle while tracking.
Follow distances
From DJI's Air 3 manual:
| Subject | Distance (wide camera) | Height |
|---|---|---|
| People | 4 to 20 m (best 5 to 10 m) | 2 to 20 m (best 2 to 10 m) |
| Vehicles and boats | 6 to 100 m (best 20 to 50 m) | 6 to 100 m (best 10 to 50 m) |
With the 70 mm camera, the minimum distance for people is 7 m. ActiveTrack works up to 3x zoom. If you start outside the range, the drone moves into it.
Settings worth knowing
Go to Settings > Control > FocusTrack Settings to set the inner and outer circle radius and height (for people), Camera Motion (Normal or Fast) and Near-Ground Flight, which lets the drone track below 2 m. Near-Ground Flight raises the crash risk, so use it only over open, flat ground.
Set Settings > Safety > Obstacle Avoidance Action to Bypass or Brake before you track. During Point of Interest and ActiveTrack, the drone bypasses obstacles whenever the vision sensors are working.
ActiveTrack not working? Check these
- Light. Tracking needs good light. DJI warns about scenes darker than 300 lux or brighter than 10,000 lux, and ActiveTrack is unavailable when the vision sensors can't see.
- Night video mode. FocusTrack is not available in Night mode. Switch back to Normal video.
- Zoom. ActiveTrack only works up to 3x.
- On the ground. The drone must be flying.
- Wrong subject. It tracks people, cars and small to medium boats, not pets or RC cars. Subjects that blend into the background, move on snow, or pass close to other people can be lost or swapped.
- Limits and GEO zones. Tracking may misbehave near your max altitude or distance limit or inside a GEO zone.
- Lost subject. If the subject is hidden, the drone keeps going for 8 seconds to find it, then exits ActiveTrack.
- Firmware. Update the aircraft, controller and DJI Fly. See Air 3 firmware updates.
If tracking still fails in good light, or obstacle sensing shows errors, read Air 3 obstacle avoidance not working or contact our repair team.
Stay legal while tracking
Under FAA rules you must keep the drone in visual line of sight and not fly over moving vehicles or people. Tracking a car from behind on a public road can put you over traffic. Plan the route first. Our ActiveTrack guide covers more tracking tips across DJI drones.
Want faster tracking (up to 15 m/s) and forward LiDAR? Compare the DJI Air 3 with the Air 3S.
Related guides
- DJI Air 3S ActiveTrack and follow-me modes explained
- DJI Flip ActiveTrack and follow-me modes explained
- DJI Mavic 3 Classic ActiveTrack and follow-me modes explained
- DJI Mavic 3 Pro ActiveTrack and follow-me modes explained
- DJI Mavic 4 Pro ActiveTrack and follow-me modes explained
- DJI Mini 4 Pro ActiveTrack and follow-me modes explained
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