Planning aid only — not certified flight-planning software or airspace clearance. Always verify results against your own aircraft's manual and check current regulations before flying. Full disclaimer.

Camera

Sensor width (mm)Sensor height (mm)Image width (px)Image height (px)Focal length (mm)

Flight altitude (m)Flight speed (m/s)

Front overlap (%)Shutter speed (1/x s)e.g. 1000 for 1/1000s

Fill in every camera field, altitude, speed and shutter speed to calculate.

The 1-pixel blur threshold is a common photogrammetry rule of thumb, not a hard requirement — some applications tolerate more, some (precision mapping) want less.

How it works

Capture interval comes from the same footprint math as the GSD and Coverage calculators: at your altitude and front-overlap target, the tool works out how far apart consecutive photos need to be on the ground, then divides by your flight speed for a time interval. Motion blur is simply the distance the drone travels during one exposure (speed × shutter time), expressed both in ground centimeters and image pixels using your GSD.

Limitations

This assumes constant speed and a fixed shutter speed — it doesn't account for camera trigger lag or your flight controller's own interval-timer precision, which vary by hardware.

There's no universal answer — faster shutter speeds reduce motion blur but need more light. As a starting point, aim to keep motion blur under about 1 pixel; the calculator flags when you've exceeded that.

Planning an actual flight?

Check current weather, wind, gusts and wind at altitude for your exact time and place with UAV Meteo.

Check Flight Window

Photo Interval / Motion Blur Calculator

How it works

Limitations