Make a first cut from drone footage
Turn a folder of drone footage into a first cut. Find clean movement, remove setup sections, choose varied shots and give the film a clear ending.
A flight recording contains the process of getting a shot as well as the shot itself. A first cut becomes easier when you stop treating every camera file as one finished scene. Work on a copy, keep your originals, and begin by finding sections that have a clear purpose.
Separate the setup from the shot
Watch a recording once without trying to polish it. Notice where the subject becomes readable, where movement settles, and where the useful action ends. A direction correction or a long pause can be necessary while flying without being necessary in the edit.
Mark a possible beginning and ending around the useful section. Leave a little room to refine later. Do not delete the source just because one section appears unhelpful: another part of the file may become useful when the sequence changes.
Give each selected section a job
Try a three-part sequence: establish the setting, show a different scale or detail, and finish with a moment that feels resolved. These are editorial roles, not a requirement to use exactly three clips.
Imagine an example with a wide approach to a shoreline, a closer movement along the edge, and a final view that reveals where the route ends. Each shot adds information. Three nearly identical approaches may look attractive individually but leave the sequence feeling repetitive.
Judge the joins before adding effects
Play the end of one shot directly into the start of the next. Ask whether the subject is easy to find, whether the movement changes abruptly, and whether the second shot adds something. Replace a weak choice before trying to hide it behind a transition.
A plain cut is a useful diagnostic. If the sequence only seems to work while a large effect covers the join, inspect the timing and selection again. Effects can be a creative choice, but they do not have to carry the entire edit.
Check the destination frame
A wide aerial view may not survive a vertical crop. Use the aspect-ratio calculator to see how much image area remains, then inspect the subject through the whole movement. The calculator does not decide which part of the view matters.
Finish one reviewable version
Choose a short target duration, assemble the sequence, then watch without pausing. Note only the changes that would materially improve it. Make those changes and export a review version rather than repeatedly restarting the entire edit.
In Stitch's editing workflow, a first draft is a starting point for those decisions. It is not a promise that the software understands the personal meaning of every shot. Keep the moment you care about and judge the finished file yourself.