Best Dronelapse Videos

This epic video by top contributor Majestic shows two things: (1) the skyline of Chicago is tough to beat and (2) the new DJI Mavic Pro 2 drone is one amazing aerial video platform, with video quality that holds up well against much more expensive models.  Majestic uses some of the built in hyperlapse functionality of the Mavic 2 to produce some of the best 4k footage of the Chicago skyline anywhere.  The video includes spectacular footage of  the city's skyscrapers, the Lake Michigan waterfront, and more.

Lanzerote is part of the Canary Islands, a Spanish administered archipelago that lies off the coast of North Africa near Morrocco.  It is one of the more remote islands, situated to the northeast of better known Fuerteventura.  In this stunning video, former Drone Video of the Week Finalist Zdronu flies his DJI Phantom drone over the island, the closest of the Canaries to the African coast, giving us incredible aerial views of volcanos, black and white beaches, national parks and many more scenic vistas.

The imposing yet perfectly arranged cityscape of Dubai enjoys a whole new look when captured via dronelapse, and top content creator Bachir Photo Factory knew just to pull this edit, which was nominated for Drone Video of the Week in October 2018 - together.  The glow of pulsing traffic at night, as well as the stunning night shots perfectly illustrate the busy, vibrant feel of modern Dubai. This video was also chosen as a Finalist in the Cities category for the second annual AirVuz Drone Video Awards.

Built in the 1960s to replace Karachi as the capital of Pakistan, Islamabad is a prominent example of a planned capital city, in the vein of Brasilia or (from earlier in the century) Canberra.  Currently, the city is home to about a million residents (closer to 4 million in the Islamabad-rawalpindi metro area) who enjoy a high-standard of living and plenty of green space.  In this aerial video, drone pilot Mustafaalinafai employs the popular hyperlapse editing technique to showcase the orderly beauty of Islamabad. 

As a modern, sophisticated metropolis that literally connects East and West, the great Turkish city of Istanbul stands as a transcontinental melting pot that proudly reflects its range of influences from its dramatic history.  Top contributor Tieychen - Taha AKIN flew his drone and captured many of the many renowned sights, including Bosphorus and the Galata Tower from the best vantage point - above. A Drone Video of the Week nominee, this film provides a beautiful whirlwind tour of this popular destination.

Content creator and pilot Thedronetrip used a DJI Mavic Pro drone and some very creative post-production editing to create this stunning aerial view of the great sinking city of Venice, Italy.  The aerial views of the city's canals will show you why this UNESCO World Heritage Cultural site has been used as the shooting location for numerous feature-length movies.  Notably, Venice was used as a shooting location for the 2006 James Bond film Casino Royale as well as the 1979 installment Moonraker.

This quick but intense dronelapse footage in the epic landscape of the Dolomite Mountains in Italy's Trentino Alto Adige region will knock your socks off.  Content creator and pilot backpackpassion shot this aerial boomerang with a DJI Mavic 2 during that magical time of day when bright beams of sunlight give the shifting clouds a warm glow. Their chaotic grace amongst the mountain peaks make for some epic viewing, a testament to the beauty of these mountains and the power of the newest Mavic.

For a two minute aerial tour of downtown Los Angeles, it's hard to beat this video by top content creator and drone pilot Matt Dutcher.   He combined some phenomenal drone footage with some extremely impressive timelapses and other editing techniques to make this amazing drone video of America's second largest city.  This instant classic was selected by the AirVuz editorial staff as a Drone Video of the Week Nominee in August of 2018 and also a Drone Video of the Month Staff Pick in the same month. 

Aerial cinematographer Mauro Pagliai says he has an obsession with time that leads him to create videos like this - lucky us! Shot entirely on a DJI Mavic 2 drone (other than the intro and closing shots of his pup, Logan) the Drone Video Award winner gives a master class in Waypoint flying and hyper-lapses. The magnificent sunsets and sunrises of the countryside of Central Italy, busy streets of Rome surrounding the Coliseum, and more make this Drone Video of the Week Winner quite the treat. 

While Berati (Berat) is only the ninth largest city in Albania, it punches well above its weight in terms of cultural influence as well as a tourist destination.  The city is situated on the Ostrum River in the south central part of the country.  Like much of Albania, it's mountainous terrain which has been occupied for millennia.  With its unique architecture, it's designated as a UNESCO World Heritage site.  In this video by DronAlb, you'll get a bird's eye view of this ancient city in the mountains of Albania.  

If you want to know why Chile's Vina del Mar is becoming THE up and coming beach destination in South America, check out this unbelievable drone hyperlapse by contributor Tricapture.  It begins with a beautiful descent through the clouds to this city on the country's Pacific coast, north of Valparaiso.  Vina del Mar appears in the top spot amongst most rankings of Chile's beaches, and is increasingly showing up on worldwide top beach lists. The city lies just north of Valpraiso, Chile's #2 city.

Top contributor Mauro Paglia used a DJI Mavic Pro 2 drone to create this stunning aerial view of L'Aquila, an important city in the Abruzzo region of Italy.   L'Aquila is situated in the eponymously named province, in the Apennine Mountains which run down the country's "spine".  With a population of about 75,000, it's the provincial and regional capital.  The video captures the city when it was lit up in pink for the Giro d'Italia 2019, the Italian version of the Tour de France. This video won DVOW in May 2019.

Top contributor Majestic has mastered the art of the dronelapse - ie, timelapse sequences captured via drone.  In this video, he put together a stunning dronelapse collage of three of the Hawaiian islands.   On the island of Oahu, he picks up some stunning sequences from Honolulu as well as from its North Shore.  From Maui, you'll see some beautiful footage from Kaanapali, on the island's western coast.  Finally, from Kauai, the video features some epic sequences from its famed Napali Coast. This video won DVOW in June 2019.

Prepare to be amazed by this aerial tour of the USA state of Utah, compliments of top content creator and drone pilot RobSkyHigh.  The video was shot with a combination of the DJI Mavic Pro and Mavic Pro 2 drones, and contains some excellent timelapse footage.  Most of the video was shot in the portion of the state covered by the Rocky Mountains, with some footage of its desert portions as well.   This magnificent piece was chosen as a Finalist for the Drone Video of the Week contest in April, 2019.

Check out this stunning nighttime dronelapse of Kuwait City, compliments of contributor mungkey.  Situated near the middle of the country's Persian Gulf coastline, Kuwait City is home to about half the country's population.  The video includes some epic shots of the ball-shaped Kuwait Towers as well as Al Hamra Tower, the 80 floor architectural masterpiece which is the country's tallest skyscraper, standing 414 meters (about 1.35k ft.).  This video was picked as a DVOW winner in July, 2019.  

What do you get when you put one of the world's top practitioners of the art of dronelapse in some of the world's most beautiful alpine scenery? What you get is this stunning piece from award-winning contributor Majestic, which captures some of the most visually appealing spots in Switzerland and northern Italy, including: Zermatt, Matter Horn, Seceda, St. Magdalena. Cortina D’Ampezzo, Lucern, Lauterbrunnen, Staubbach Falls, Grindelwald, Oeschinen Lake, Tre Cime, and Lago Antorno. This video won DVOW in October, 2019.

Contributor and pilot nobody_is_perfect put the hyperlapse functionality of the DJI Mavic Pro 2 drone to good use in this amazing nighttime video of Sochi, Russia.  The video runs along the Black Sea waterfront of this port city in the Krasnodar Krai oblast (province) of Southern Russia.   You'll be able to see the high rise resorts which form the beating heart of this city near the foothills of the Caucasus Mountains, which was the host city for the Winter Olympic Games played here in February, 2014.  

Top AirVuz contributor and Drone Video of the Week Finalist Victor Metron has made a name for himself with stunning dronelapse shots and other types of aerial footage from the western United States.  In this stunning piece, he combined over 20 dronelapse shots with about a dozen conventional aerial clips to create a beautiful aerial collage of the (broadly-defined) American West. The video features magnificent footage of the mountains of Utah, the Washington State coastline, Hawaii, and more.  

Top contributor and former DVOW winner Makhorov brings us this stunning wintertime video of one of the most important cities in Asian Russia: Krasnoyarsk.  Capital of its namesake oblast, it's the third-largest city in Siberia after Novosibirsk and Omsk.  Founded as a border town on the banks of the Yenisei River in the early 17th century, it went on to become one of the most important junctions for the Trans-Siberian Railroad.   The video features some stunning dronelapses from the vapors visible in the frigid temperatures.  

Novosibirsk is the facto business capital of Siberia, and Russia's third-largest city after Moscow and St. Petersburg.  A comparative infant by Russian standards, Novosibirsk was founded in 1893 as the crossing-point for the Trans-Siberian Railroad over the Ob River.   During Soviet times, the city became a major industrial center, with many factories relocated here following the Nazi invasion of the USSR in 1941.  In this fantastic dronelapse by Makharov, you'll be treated to some stunning aerial views of this very modern city.

Prepare to be blown away by this spectacular dronelapse of Mexico City, the largest urban center of the Western Hemisphere.  Award-winning contributor Postandfly used a DJI Mavic Pro 2 to create an unforgettable time-lapsed aerial view of this massive city on the plateau known as the Mexican Valley.  Originally the great Aztec 14th century city called Tenochtitlan, it went on to became the de facto capital of Spain's once-vast overseas empire and today is the financial capital of Latin America.  

Using a DJI Mavic 2 Pro, alaska42 shows us the amazing views he sees right in his own backyard - Wasilla, Alaska. Located northeast of Anchorage, it is the sixth-largest city in the USA's 49th state. The town has recent political currency; former Vice Presidential nominee Sarah Palin served as Mayor here before becoming Governor. The area is absolutely majestic with its fall colors, frozen rivers, and snow-capped mountains that are featured throughout this Drone Video of the Week nominee. 

Multiple Drone Video of the Week Winner FrameworkFilms is a pioneer in the dronelapse technique, in which thousands of aerial photos are stitched together to create a "fast forward" view of the world.  In this outstanding reel, you'll see the highlights of their work in 2020, almost all of which was shot in the USA.  Notable locations include San Francisco; Nashville; Santa Barbara, California; Los Angeles; Denver; Minneapolis; Laguna Beach, California; the Colorado Rockies; Chicago; Paris (France); Seattle; and Atlanta. This video was a DVOY finalist in 2021. 

By most measures, Hong Kong is the world's most "vertical" city, and its towering skyscrapers are immensely appealing to aerial videographers.  If you want to see why, check out this fantastic 2020 drone reel by AirVuz contributor andyyeung.  The video features outstanding timelapse sequences from this semi-autonomous Chinese city on the Pearl River Delta; in addition to some spectacular hyperlapse shots of some of the city's hundreds of skyscrapers, sweeping views of Victoria Harbor and even some very impressive FPV footage.  

To shoot a well-done, shake-free hyperlapse is no small task.  Award-winning contributor and pilot Majestic is a master at them, particularly within the niche of filming the world's greatest cities.  This edit of downtown Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania is no exception. The epic aerial video includes shots of some of the most well-known landmarks of the Steel City, including the US Steel Tower (the city's tallest skyscraper), Fifth Avenue Place, Grant Building, One PPG Place, Heinz Stadium (home of the Pittsburgh Steelers) and more. 

Top AirVuz contributor and pilot dronefate put his DJI Mavic Air 2 and Mavic Mini 2 drones to good use creating this very impressive "dronelapse" mini-reel.  The shooting and editing method - in which thousands of still pictures are taken and stiched together showing the universe in a "speed up" mode - is made possible with drones that can remain in the air for a half hour or more.  Shot over the skyscrapers of Dubai as well as across the expanse of Canada, this video was picked as a Drone Video of the Week Finalist in March of 2021.  

Check out this awesome hyperlapse of the city of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, compliments of top AirVuz contributor and drone pilot ChrisDantonio.  The video was shot looking east, with City Hall in the center.  Completed in 1901, this landmark reaches a height of 167 meters (just under 550 ft.).  Until the 1980's, a "gentlemen's agreement" restricted developments which would be taller than City Hall; all the skyscrapers you see in the video were built subsequent to that agreement being allowed to lapse.  

Top content creator and pilot iDrone Aerials put his new DJI Mavic Pro 2 drone to good use with this epic dronelapse of the great Czech capital city of Prague.  Using the built-in hyperlapse functionality of DJI's newest Mavic model, he was able to create an amazing perspective on one of the best-preserved cities in Europe.  You will be treated to epic bird's-eye views of Prague highlights such as the Charles River, the iconic Charles Bridge, Prague Castle, and other spots around the city's fabled Old Town.  

Check out this dronelapse reel from Mexico, compliments of top contributor and pilot c13studio.  The video features footage from four locations across the giant country: Mexico City, Tulum, Cancun, and Playa del Carmen.  Somne of the highlights include a series of epic shots of the skyscrapers of Mexico City starting at around the :45 mark (including a great shot of the city's tallest buildings, at 1:10), the legendary beaches of Playa del Carmen (1:20), giant resorts of the Mayan Riviera (1:25), the Cancun Hotel Zone (1:40), and more. 

Former DVOW Winner FrameworkFilms brings us this magnificent drone video from downtown Chicago, Illinois.  Shot largely in timlapse, most of the footage was shot in and around the Loop, the city's central business district (named from the "loop" of commuter train tracks which surround it).  The video opens with a shot of the Willis Tower, the world's tallest building for 25 years.  Other highlights include the Cloud Gate ("bean") sculpture in Millennium Park at the :35 mark ,the Trump Hotel and Tower (1:40), Navy Pier (3:10), and more.  

Brand-new AirVuz contributor matin2252 brings us this stunning dronelapse video of the great city of Stockholm, Sweden.  The video begins with a shot looking across the water towards the iconic Riddarholmen Church on its namesake islet.  At about the :20 mark, you'll get a nighttime view of Gröna Lund, Stockholm's famous amusement park.  At around the :40 mark, you'll see the Ericsson Globe arena in the Johanneshov District.  Mixed in with these highlights include some incredible timelapse shots of the city's busy streets and freeways.

Check out this stunning hyperlapse of two of America's greatest cities, compliments of top contributor pilot Majestic.  The video opens with some great shots looking toward Lower Manhattan in New York City from the perspective of Jersey City, across the Hudson River.  Then you'll head west to Chicago, where you'll see the city's skyline from the perspective of Lake Michigan.  The video continues to alternate between the two cities, with some great shots of Chicago's Wrigley Building, New York's World Trade Center, and more.  

In this segment of the Drone Dish, host Tyler Mason catches up with Noel Thomas aka Majestic.  Winner of one of the first Drone Video of the Week awards, Thomas is known for his epic hyperlapses and timelapses of cities and landscapes around the world. His work is featured extensively in the New York City, Miami, Hawaii, Toronto, Hong Kong, and numerous other City and Country collections on AirVuz.  He'll share what it takes to create  one of those videos, cities that are on his "hit list', and more.