The DJI Mini 4 Pro follows subjects with FocusTrack, which has three modes: Spotlight (you fly, the camera stays locked on), Point of Interest (it circles the subject) and ActiveTrack (it follows on its own). To start, take off, drag a box around a person, vehicle or boat on screen, switch to ActiveTrack, choose Auto, Manual or Parallel, and tap GO. Then press record, because FocusTrack doesn't start recording by itself.
The three FocusTrack modes
| Mode | What the drone does | Subjects |
|---|---|---|
| Spotlight | Doesn't fly by itself. You fly, camera stays on the subject | Still or moving |
| Point of Interest | Circles the subject at your set radius and speed, up to 12 m/s | Still or moving people, vehicles, boats |
| ActiveTrack | Keeps a set distance and height while following, up to 12 m/s | Moving people, vehicles, boats |
ActiveTrack sub-modes (ActiveTrack 360°)
- Auto: the drone plans its own path and moves around the subject. It only tracks people in Auto and ignores stick input.
- Manual: you pick one of eight directions on the trace wheel: front, back, left, right or the four diagonals. The drone follows from that side relative to the way the subject moves. Swipe on the wheel to change angle mid-shot, for orbits and reveal moves.
- Parallel: the drone keeps the same compass orientation to the subject, for example always on its east side, like a car filming alongside a cyclist.
How to set up follow-me
- Take off and hover. FocusTrack doesn't work on the ground.
- Use Normal or Cine mode. Sport mode turns off obstacle sensing.
- Drag a box around the subject in the camera view. Or turn on Subject Scanning in Control settings and tap a detected subject.
- The drone enters Spotlight. Tap the bar at the bottom to switch to Point of Interest or ActiveTrack.
- Pick a sub-mode and tap GO.
- Press the record button.
- To stop, press Flight Pause once or tap Stop to return to Spotlight. Press Flight Pause again to exit FocusTrack.
Follow distances
DJI's supported ranges for ActiveTrack:
| Subject | Distance | Height |
|---|---|---|
| People | 4 to 20 m (best 4 to 15 m) | 0.5 to 20 m (best 2 to 15 m) |
| Vehicles and boats | 6 to 100 m (best 20 to 50 m) | 6 to 100 m (best 10 to 50 m) |
Adjust the inner and outer circle radius and height under Settings > Control > FocusTrack Settings. You can also turn on Near-Ground Flight to track a person below 2 m, which DJI warns raises collision risk.
Limits to know
- Obstacles: in ActiveTrack and POI it bypasses obstacles when its vision sensors work, but it can't avoid moving things like people, animals or cars.
- No thin branches, wires, water or glass. DJI says not to use FocusTrack around small, transparent or plain featureless surfaces.
- Light: ActiveTrack is unavailable when it's too dark for the vision systems. DJI also urges caution below 300 lux or above 10,000 lux.
- Night mode and photos: FocusTrack isn't available in Night video mode. In Photo mode it only works with Single shots.
- Zoom: tracking works up to the zoom limit of each mode (2x for 12 MP photos, 3x in 4K, 4x in 1080p).
- Lost subject: the drone keeps its current speed and heading for 8 seconds while it searches, and exits ActiveTrack if it can't re-detect the subject within 10 seconds.
- No children, no RC cars. DJI recommends tracking adults, vehicles and boats only.
Legal reminders
Keep the drone within your own visual line of sight while it follows you, even if you're the subject. A spotter helps when you're busy riding or skiing. Don't fly directly over people or moving vehicles, including the one you're following. See the TRUST test and Part 107 rules.
For more on tracking across DJI drones, read the DJI ActiveTrack guide. Ready to film? Shop the DJI Mini 4 Pro, or see Mini 4 Pro QuickShots for automatic cinematic moves.
Related guides
- DJI Mini 5 Pro 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
- Does the DJI Mini 3 have ActiveTrack or follow me?
- DJI Air 3 ActiveTrack and follow-me modes explained
- DJI Air 3S ActiveTrack and follow-me modes explained
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