End-to-End Recipes

This guide provides complete, step-by-step workflows for the most common use cases with DJI Metadata Embedder.

📖 Recipe Index

Basic Processing - Process DJI footage with embedded metadata
Privacy-Safe Sharing - Remove location data for public sharing
GPS Track Analysis - Extract flight paths for mapping
Professional Workflow - Advanced processing with DAT logs
Map a Photo Archive - Plot geotagged photos on a shareable map

Recipe 1: Basic Processing

Goal: Process DJI videos with embedded telemetry for personal archive

What You Need

DJI drone footage (MP4 files)
Matching SRT subtitle files
DJI Metadata Embedder installed

Step-by-Step

1. Check Your Files

# Verify you have matching pairs
dji-embed check /path/to/drone/footage/

# Example output:
# DJI_0001.MP4: ✅ GPS metadata found
# DJI_0001.SRT: ✅ Telemetry data available

2. Run System Check

# Ensure all dependencies are working
dji-embed doctor

# Should show:
# ✅ FFmpeg: FOUND
# ✅ ExifTool: FOUND (if installed)

3. Process Your Videos

# Basic processing - creates 'processed' folder
dji-embed embed /path/to/drone/footage/

# With custom output location
dji-embed embed /path/to/drone/footage/ -o /archive/processed/

4. Verify Results

# Check the processed videos have metadata
dji-embed check /archive/processed/

# You should see files like:
# DJI_0001_metadata.MP4   (video with embedded telemetry)
# DJI_0001_telemetry.json (flight summary)

Expected Results

Videos play in any media player with subtitle telemetry track
GPS metadata searchable in photo management apps
JSON files contain flight statistics and camera settings
Original videos remain unchanged

Goal: Process videos for social media/YouTube while protecting location privacy

What You Need

DJI footage you want to share publicly
Need to remove or fuzz GPS coordinates
May want to keep altitude/camera data

Step-by-Step

1. Choose Privacy Level

# Option A: Remove ALL GPS data
dji-embed embed /drone/footage/ --redact drop -o /public/safe/

# Option B: Fuzz GPS to ~100m accuracy (city-level)
dji-embed embed /drone/footage/ --redact fuzz -o /public/safe/

# Option C: Keep telemetry overlay, remove GPS metadata
dji-embed embed /drone/footage/ --redact drop -o /public/safe/

2. Verify Privacy Protection

# Check that GPS is removed/fuzzed
dji-embed check /public/safe/

# Should show:
# DJI_0001_metadata.MP4: ⚠️ No GPS metadata (if using --redact drop)
# or
# DJI_0001_metadata.MP4: ✅ GPS metadata found (if using --redact fuzz)

3. Review JSON Summaries

# Check the telemetry JSON files
cat /public/safe/DJI_0001_telemetry.json

# Verify GPS coordinates are:
# - null (for --redact drop)
# - rounded (for --redact fuzz)

4. Upload Safely

Your processed videos now have: - ✅ Telemetry subtitle tracks (safe to share) - ✅ Camera settings and altitude data - ❌ No precise GPS coordinates - ❌ No identifying location information

Privacy Comparison

Method	GPS Metadata	Subtitle Track	Best For
`--redact none`	Full precision	Full telemetry	Private archive
`--redact fuzz`	~100m accuracy	Full telemetry	Regional sharing
`--redact drop`	Completely removed	Telemetry without GPS	Public sharing

Recipe 3: GPS Track Analysis

Goal: Extract flight paths for Google Earth, mapping software, or flight analysis

What You Need

DJI SRT files (MP4 files optional)
Google Earth, QGIS, or other GPS software
Interest in flight path analysis

Step-by-Step

1. Export Single Flight Path

# Create GPX file from one flight
dji-embed convert gpx /drone/footage/DJI_0001.SRT

# Creates: DJI_0001.gpx

2. Export Multiple Flights

# Batch convert entire session
dji-embed convert gpx /drone/session/ --batch

# Creates GPX file for each SRT found

3. Export as CSV for Analysis

# Get spreadsheet data with timestamps
dji-embed convert csv /drone/footage/DJI_0001.SRT -o flight_data.csv

# Batch export all flights
dji-embed convert csv /drone/session/ --batch

4. Open in Analysis Software

Google Earth: 1. Open Google Earth 2. File → Open → Select .gpx file 3. View your flight path with elevation profile

Excel/Sheets (CSV): 1. Open the CSV file 2. Columns include: timestamp, latitude, longitude, altitude, speed 3. Create charts, calculate statistics, analyze patterns

QGIS/Mapping Software: 1. Add Layer → Vector → GPX file 2. Analyze flight patterns, elevation changes, speed profiles

Data Formats Explained

GPX: Standard GPS exchange format, works with most mapping software
CSV: Spreadsheet format with raw telemetry data for analysis
JSON: Flight summary with statistics and camera settings

Recipe 4: Professional Workflow

Goal: Maximum data extraction with DAT flight logs and professional metadata

What You Need

DJI footage (MP4/SRT pairs)
DAT flight log files from drone
ExifTool installed
Professional video editing workflow

Step-by-Step

1. Install Full Dependencies

# Ensure you have ExifTool
dji-embed doctor

# Should show both:
# ✅ FFmpeg: FOUND  
# ✅ ExifTool: FOUND

2. Organize Your Files

/flight-session/
├── DJI_0001.MP4
├── DJI_0001.SRT  
├── DJI_0002.MP4
├── DJI_0002.SRT
└── DJI_FLY_20240301_142355_001_log.DAT

3. Process with Maximum Data

# Auto-detect DAT files + ExifTool metadata
dji-embed embed /flight-session/ \
  --dat-auto \
  --exiftool \
  -o /processed/professional/ \
  --verbose

4. Validate Quality

# Check for timing drift issues
dji-embed validate /flight-session/ --format json

# Review validation report

5. Review Enhanced Data

# Check all embedded metadata formats
dji-embed check /processed/professional/

# Review enhanced JSON telemetry
cat /processed/professional/DJI_0001_telemetry.json

Professional Results Include:

Video Files: Embedded GPS, altitude, camera settings via FFmpeg
EXIF Metadata: Professional GPS metadata via ExifTool
DAT Integration: Enhanced flight log data from drone
JSON Summaries: Complete flight statistics and analysis
Subtitle Tracks: Frame-accurate telemetry overlays
Quality Reports: Timing drift and sync validation

Professional Applications:

Insurance Claims: Comprehensive flight documentation
Surveying: Accurate GPS coordinates and elevation data
Film Production: Professional metadata workflow
Flight Training: Detailed performance analysis
Compliance: Complete audit trail with timing validation

Recipe 5: Map a Photo Archive

Goal: Turn a folder of geotagged photos (e.g. every church you photographed across Finland) into one shareable map

What You Need

A folder of JPG/JPEG/DNG photos with GPS EXIF data
ExifTool installed (dji-embed doctor checks it)

Step-by-Step

1. Check Your Files

dji-embed doctor

# Should show:
# ✅ ExifTool: FOUND

2. Build the Map

# Recurse into subfolders and give the map a title
dji-embed photomap /photos/finland-churches -r --title "Churches of Finland"

# Creates: /photos/finland-churches/photomap.html
# Should show:
# Mapped 412 of 430 photos; 18 had no GPS data (use -v to list them)

3. Export for Google Earth Too

# Write HTML + KML + GeoJSON in one pass
dji-embed photomap /photos/finland-churches -r --title "Churches of Finland" -f all

# Creates: photomap.html, photomap.kml, photomap.geojson

Expected Results

Only photos carrying GPS EXIF data appear on the map; the rest are counted in the summary (-v lists them by filename)
The HTML file is self-contained (photo thumbnails are embedded) but still needs an internet connection to load Leaflet and the OpenStreetMap basemap tiles
KML opens in Google Earth Pro with thumbnails intact; Google My Maps import may drop the images but keeps the placemarks
GeoJSON carries name/timestamp/alt/camera properties with no thumbnails, for use in GIS tools

A Note on Privacy

Publishing a photo map publishes your shooting locations — share it deliberately, the same way you would a flight path.

🔧 Troubleshooting Recipes

Recipe Failed? Try These Steps:

1. "No MP4/SRT pairs found"

# Check file naming
ls /drone/footage/
# Ensure files like: DJI_0001.MP4 + DJI_0001.SRT

# Check file detection
dji-embed check /drone/footage/

2. "FFmpeg not found"

# Install dependencies first
dji-embed doctor

# On Windows, try the bootstrap installer
# On macOS: brew install ffmpeg  
# On Linux: apt install ffmpeg

3. "Timing drift detected"

# Validate your files
dji-embed validate /drone/footage/

# Review drift report for sync issues

4. "Processing very slow"

# Use quiet mode to reduce output
dji-embed embed /drone/footage/ --quiet

# Process to faster storage location
dji-embed embed /drone/footage/ -o /local/ssd/output/

📊 Quick Reference

File Naming Requirements

Videos: DJI_####.MP4 (case insensitive)
Subtitles: DJI_####.SRT (case insensitive)
DAT logs: DJI_FLY_*.DAT (auto-detected)

Output Files Created

*_metadata.MP4 - Processed video with embedded metadata
*_telemetry.json - Flight summary and statistics
*.gpx - GPS track (convert command only)
*.csv - Raw telemetry data (convert command only)

Storage Requirements

Processing: ~2x original video size (temporary)
Final output: ~Same size as original videos
JSON files: ~1-50KB per flight
GPX/CSV files: ~10-100KB per flight

Need more specific help? Check the decision table or troubleshooting guide.

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End-to-End Recipes

📖 Recipe Index

Recipe 1: Basic Processing

What You Need

Step-by-Step

1. Check Your Files

2. Run System Check

3. Process Your Videos

4. Verify Results

Expected Results

Recipe 2: Privacy-Safe Sharing

What You Need

Step-by-Step

1. Choose Privacy Level

2. Verify Privacy Protection

3. Review JSON Summaries

4. Upload Safely

Privacy Comparison

Recipe 3: GPS Track Analysis

What You Need

Step-by-Step

1. Export Single Flight Path

2. Export Multiple Flights

3. Export as CSV for Analysis

4. Open in Analysis Software

Data Formats Explained

Recipe 4: Professional Workflow

What You Need

Step-by-Step

1. Install Full Dependencies

2. Organize Your Files

3. Process with Maximum Data

4. Validate Quality

5. Review Enhanced Data

Professional Results Include:

Professional Applications:

Recipe 5: Map a Photo Archive

What You Need

Step-by-Step

1. Check Your Files

2. Build the Map

3. Export for Google Earth Too

Expected Results

A Note on Privacy

🔧 Troubleshooting Recipes

Recipe Failed? Try These Steps:

1. "No MP4/SRT pairs found"

2. "FFmpeg not found"

3. "Timing drift detected"

4. "Processing very slow"

📊 Quick Reference

File Naming Requirements

Output Files Created

Storage Requirements