Parrot ANAFI Thermal User manual

User Guide v3.0– published on May 14, 2019 3
With Thermal, you have chosen the finest, quietest, and most portable flying 4K HDR
and thermography camera, you can use everywhere on the go, anytime.
We strongly recommend you read the following information and instructions thoroughly
before you get Thermal in the air, to make the most of your first 26-minute flight.
The indispensable prerequisites, on the next pages, will not occupy more than 5 minutes of
your time: Thermal requires the FreeFlight 6 v6.5 (or a more recent release) app to fly,
and to make sure your drone and controller are fully up-to-date with the latest features.
As you discover the world of possibilities that Thermal opens to you, you will fully
understand the importance of mission planning in your workflow.
Have a great read, and many productive hours flying Thermal.
-Read entirely at least once: it answers most questions that most users encounter
when they discover Thermal.
-Keep it for reference and stay alert for updates: they will be advertised on all Parrot
websites and social media.
-The Table of contents, on page 7, is active. Click a title to access the corresponding
section.
-This online user guide has no index: use [ctrl]-F (Windows) or [command]-F (Mac) to
browse all occurrences of any keyword ( flight , preferences , gimbal , thermography
photo , EV , ISO , and so on).

4
You want Thermal up in the air as soon as possible, so do we. Refer to the enclosed
Super Quick Start Guide (SQSG) if you need illustrated guidance to get these quick
prerequisites out of the way.
1. Wake your Thermal’s smart battery up. Charge the battery using the enclosed
USB-A to USB-C cable and a USB-A power adapter. The battery’s LEDs start flashing:
it is awake. Let it charge while you read. Parrot recommends you always run a full
charge of your smart battery before flying Thermal
2. Download FreeFlight 6 on your iOS or Android smartphone: Thermal requires
FreeFlight 6 to fly. The app will enable you to update your Parrot Skycontroller 3 and
Thermal when you power them on for the first time.
Android FreeFlight 6 QR code iOS FreeFlight 6 QR code
When you have downloaded and installed FreeFlight 6, unfold the central arm of
Parrot Skycontroller 3 to power it on.
Use your device’s USB cable to connect it to Parrot Skycontroller 3 USB-A port, and
install it on the device holder, as shown in the enclosed SQSG.
A prompt appears on your screen, which invites you to allow the communication
between your device and the controller.
Tap “Allow” (iOS) or “OK” (Android): FreeFlight 6 runs. After your device displays the
app’s splash screen, you get to FreeFlight 6 homepage.

User Guide v3.0– published on May 14, 2019 5
If the prompt does not appear on your screen when you connect your device to your Parrot
Skycontroller 3, launch FreeFlight 6 manually, as any other app.
iOS FreeFlight 6 homepage
3. Tap the green “FLY” box on the homepage of FreeFlight 6 to launch the initial
updates. FreeFlight 6 automatically updates the Parrot Skycontroller 3 first, and
Thermal second.
4. Parrot Skycontroller 3 update: tap the green “CONTINUE” box to proceed. FreeFlight 6
displays an animation and a progress circle on a screen labelled “Preparing your
controller”. When the update is finished, the screen displays “Your controller is ready”.
Tap “CONTINUE” to access the update of Thermal (screenshots below are
Android).

6
5. Thermal update: tap the green “CONTINUE” box to proceed. FreeFlight 6
displays an animation and a progress circle on a screen labelled “Preparing your
drone”. When the update is finished, the screen displays “Your drone is ready” and a
“CONTINUE” box. Tap this “CONTINUE” box to come back to FreeFlight 6 homepage
(screenshots below are iOS).
6. All systems are ready for flight.

User Guide v3.0– published on May 14, 2019 7
............................................................................................................. 3
........................................................................................................................................... 3
.............................................................................................................................................. 4
......................................................................................................................................... 7
................................................................................................................................................. 10
About Thermal........................................................................................................................ 10
About lens cap and camera calibration ............................................................................................. 10
About Wi-Fi ........................................................................................................................................ 10
About 4K video formats..................................................................................................................... 10
About the smart battery ................................................................................................................... 10
About auto-RTH (return home) .......................................................................................................... 11
About devices .................................................................................................................................... 11
About My.Parrot accounts.................................................................................................................. 11
................................................................................................................................................ 12
.............................................................................................................................. 13
...................................................................................................................................... 14
................................................................................................................... 15
Ready to store or carry...................................................................................................................... 15
Ready to fly ....................................................................................................................................... 15
....................................................................................................... 16
Ready to store or carry...................................................................................................................... 16
Ready to pilot .................................................................................................................................... 16
Camera and gimbal controls.............................................................................................................. 17
LED status indicator color codes........................................................................................................ 17
.................................................................................................................................... 18
Equipment.......................................................................................................................................... 18
Regulations........................................................................................................................................ 18
Flight conditions ................................................................................................................................ 18
.......................................................................................................................................... 19
................................................................................................................................................. 20
Ground take-off.................................................................................................................................. 20
Hand launch....................................................................................................................................... 20
...................................................................................................................................................... 21

8
........................................................................................................................................ 22
Precise Home Setting ........................................................................................................................ 22
................................................................................................................................................ 22
.................................................................................................................................................... 23
..................................................................................................................................... 24
Battery removal ................................................................................................................................. 24
Battery installation............................................................................................................................ 25
Battery charging ................................................................................................................................ 25
Battery care and safety..................................................................................................................... 26
......................................................................................................................................... 28
Extracting the microSD card .............................................................................................................. 28
Retrieving photos and videos ............................................................................................................ 28
Installing the microSD card................................................................................................................ 28
Compatible microSD cards................................................................................................................. 29
Direct media retrieval (drone to computer) ....................................................................................... 29
FreeFlight 6 Gallery............................................................................................................................ 29
............................................................................................................................ 30
Presentation of the iOS HUD (video mode view) ............................................................................... 31
Presentation of the Android HUD (photo mode view) ....................................................................... 33
.............................................................................................................................................. 34
Interface............................................................................................................................................. 34
Thermal .............................................................................................................................................. 34
Piloting............................................................................................................................................... 35
Safety ................................................................................................................................................ 36
Camera .............................................................................................................................................. 36
Network ............................................................................................................................................. 36
............................................................................................................. 38
Making videos .................................................................................................................................... 38
Taking photos .................................................................................................................................... 40
Creating Panoramas.......................................................................................................................... 43
..................................................................................................................... 47
Gimbal tilt control .............................................................................................................................. 47
Zoom control...................................................................................................................................... 47
Camera Calibration: Correct horizon (exceptional procedure) ........................................................... 50
Camera Calibration: Gimbal calibration ............................................................................................. 52

User Guide v3.0– published on May 14, 2019 9
.................................................................................................................................. 53
Exposure value (EV) ........................................................................................................................... 53
Shutter speed (s)............................................................................................................................... 53
ISO value (ISO) ................................................................................................................................... 54
White balance (WB) ........................................................................................................................... 54
HDR .................................................................................................................................................... 56
NATURAL Style ................................................................................................................................... 56
P-LOG Style ........................................................................................................................................ 56
INTENSE Style .................................................................................................................................... 56
PASTEL Style...................................................................................................................................... 57
ADJUSTMENT...................................................................................................................................... 57
Lock AE............................................................................................................................................... 58
Lock AE Touch .................................................................................................................................... 59
........................................................................................................................................ 60
About Thermal Imaging ..................................................................................................................... 60
Presentation of the Thermal HUD...................................................................................................... 60
Relative Thermal mode ...................................................................................................................... 61
Spot Thermal mode ........................................................................................................................... 63
Absolute Thermal mode..................................................................................................................... 64
................................................................................................................. 66
................................................................................................................................................. 69
360°.................................................................................................................................................... 69
Reveal ................................................................................................................................................ 69
Spiral.................................................................................................................................................. 70
Epic .................................................................................................................................................... 70
.......................................................................................................................................... 71
Manual flight...................................................................................................................................... 71
Cameraman ....................................................................................................................................... 71
Follow Me........................................................................................................................................... 72
Smartdronies ..................................................................................................................................... 74
Touch & Fly: Waypoint ....................................................................................................................... 74
Touch & Fly: POI ................................................................................................................................. 75
Flight Plan.......................................................................................................................................... 76

10
About Thermal
Thermal was designed and optimized to fly as is. Parrot therefore strongly
discourages the use of any add-on or accessory which could be mounted on, or attached to
Thermal (motor covers, feet extensions, buoys, hulls, etc.). In addition to the
overweight they carry for the drone and its motors, they can indeed magnetically disturb
Thermal and impair its communications.
About lens cap and camera calibration
Always remove Thermal’s lens cap before you power the drone on. The calibration of
the camera cannot be achieved with the lens cap on, and furthermore, leaving the lens cap
on the camera for the calibration can damage the mechanism of the gimbal.
About Wi-Fi
Parrot asks you to switch off your smartphone’s Wi-Fi connection when flying Thermal
with both the Parrot Skycontroller 3 and your phone: with this configuration, the drone and
the controller communicate through Thermal’s Wi-Fi network and activating your
phone’s Wi-Fi can only result in interferences.
Therefore, your phone’s Wi-Fi should only be activated –and connected to Thermal’s
Wi-Fi network –when you want to fly the drone using your smartphone as its sole controller.
About 4K video formats
4K video formats are professional grade media which may not be read natively by slower
computers. Shoot in 1080p or use a video converter to turn your Thermal’s 4K videos
into a more manageable format (like 1080p) if they do not read properly on your equipment.
This is especially true for Parrot’s 4K Cinema format, which can only be handled by
professional editing equipment.
About the smart battery
Thermal’s smart battery is preinstalled on your drone. Always install it the same way
and never attempt to install it upside down as it could expose your battery and your drone
to irrecoverable electrical damage. As you will find out by reading this guide, Thermal’s
battery is smart enough to enter a wintering mode when you are not using it for ten days in
a row. This also means you need to wake it up and charge it completely before you fly
Thermal for the first time.