Skip to main content

Flight Director for Bebop drones lets you create cool videos in a few taps

FLIGHT DIRECTOR LAUNCH V2 1

Anyone with a Parrot Bebop quadcopter now has an easy way to automatically create short and snappy videos with their drone footage.

Recommended Videos

For most drone pilots, the kicks come from taking the machine out, launching it into the air, and firing up the camera for some dramatic aerial shots of wherever you happen to be. What’s less fun is fiddling about with the footage in post, hunched over a PC as you try in vain to come to grips with the editing software. That’s where Flight Director comes in.

It’s available as part of the latest update for Parrot’s FreeFlight Pro app for Android and iOS. The good news is you can try Flight Director for free for 15 days. The bad news is you’ll have to pay $20 if you want to continue using the full version. If you don’t fancy forking out $20 for Flight Director, there’s a free tier that lets you create short, 15-second snippets, which sounds good enough if you’re planning on sharing the movies with friends and family on social media.

Compatible with the Parrot’s Bebop 1, 2, and Power drones, the entire editing process takes place within your mobile device so there’s no time wasted transferring the content to a computer.

Using advanced algorithms developed by Muvee, a company that’s been in the business of automatic video editing for the last 17 years, the software “analyzes the drone’s behavior and automatically identifies the optimal sequences of each flight, synchronizing the clips into a montage,” according to Parrot.

Parrot
Parrot

You do have to make some choices, including selecting the duration of the final sequence (up to 180 seconds), the style of the movie (chronological, trailer, cinematic), its soundtrack, and most importantly, the clips you want to include. It’s then a simple case of tapping the preview button to let the app perform its magic.

In a demonstration showing how you might want to use Flight Director (above), Parrot released a video starring a rather clumsy skier called Greg, a guy who loves to use his drone to shoot his piste-based adventures. As you might expect, Greg uses Flight Director to eliminate all of his inelegant tumbles and falls to create a video sequence that makes him look like an absolute pro. Well, sort of.

Trevor Mogg
Contributing Editor
Not so many moons ago, Trevor moved from one tea-loving island nation that drives on the left (Britain) to another (Japan)…
Sebastian Stan lays out Bucky’s future after Thunderbolts
Sebastian Stan in Thunderbolts.

There are some spoilers ahead for the ending of Marvel's Thunderbolts. Stop reading now if you don't want to be spoiled.

Earlier this year, Captain America: Brave New World briefly introduced a new direction for James "Bucky" Barnes, a character Sebastian Stan has been playing since 2011 in Captain America: The First Avenger. In Brave New World, the former Winter Soldier apparently retired from being a reformed hero and went into politics by running for Congress. Thunderbolts reveals that Bucky won his election to the House of Representatives. But his stay in Congress was short.

Read more
Jeep Compass EV breaks cover—but will it come to the U.S.?
jeep compass ev us newjeepcompassfirsteditionhawaii  4

Jeep just pulled the wraps off the all-new Compass EV, and while it’s an exciting leap into the electric future, there's a catch—it might not make it to the U.S. anytime soon.
This is a brand new electric version of the Jeep Compass, and being built on Stellantis' STLA platform—the same architecture underpinning models like the Peugeot E-3008 and E-5008—it looks much slicker and packs a lot more inside than previous versions of the Compass.
Let’s start with what’s cool: the new Compass EV is packing up to 404 miles of range on a single charge, a 74 kWh battery, and fast-charging that gets you from 20% to 80% in about 30 minutes. Not bad for a compact SUV with Jeep's badge on the nose.
There are two versions: a front-wheel-drive model with 213 horsepower and a beefier all-wheel-drive version with 375 horsepower. That AWD setup isn’t just for looks—it can handle 20% inclines even without front traction, and comes with extra ground clearance and better off-road angles. In short, it’s still a Jeep.
The design's been refreshed too, and inside you’ll find the kind of tech and comfort you’d expect in a modern EV—sleek, smart, and ready for both city streets and dirt trails.
But here’s the thing: even though production starts soon in Italy, Jeep hasn’t said whether the Compass EV is coming to America. And the signs aren’t promising.
Plans to build it in Canada were recently put on hold, with production now delayed until at least early 2026. Some of that might have to do with possible U.S. tariffs on Canadian and Mexican vehicles—adding a layer of uncertainty to the whole rollout.
According to Kelley Blue Book, a Stellantis spokesperson confirmed that the company has “temporarily paused work on the next-generation Jeep Compass, including activities at” the Canadian plant that was originally meant to build the model. They added that Stellantis is “reassessing its product strategy in North America” to better match customer needs and demand for different powertrain options.
So while Europe and other markets are gearing up to get the Compass EV soon, American drivers might be left waiting—or miss out entirely.
That’s a shame, because on paper, this electric Jeep hits a lot of sweet spots. Let’s just hope it finds a way over here.

Read more
Charlie Cox singles out his least favorite Daredevil: Born Again episode
Charlie Cox in Daredevil: Born Again.

Daredevil: Born Again season 1 was largely reconceived after the 2023 actor and writer strikes. Dario Scardapane -- a veteran of The Punisher series on Netflix -- was brought in to be the new showrunner and he made a lot of changes to the series that were well-received. However, there's one episode that Scardapane didn't really change at all, and it happens to be the least favorite episode of Daredevil: Born Again's leading man, Charlie Cox.

During an appearance on The Playlist, Cox noted that he wasn't very fond of the season's fifth episode, "With Interest," which was a largely standalone episode that featured his character, Matt Murdock, in a bank during a hostage crisis.

Read more