I can't import MP4 from DJI

[mwgarden]

Hello, I recently did an update to my DJI Mavic Pro 3 and I cannot import my mp4 files into lightroom.  There seems to be some new files that come from the new DJI update?  I attached some screenshots and a photo of  the error warning on LR.

[JohanElzenga]

Are you importing directly from the DJI Mini 3 Pro or its memory card, or do you use some utility to first copy the files to your hard disk? I'm surprised seeing these long file names (so far the files were named as almost all cameras do) and I have never seen the other two files, so I wonder if the update did that, or some utility.  .lrf files seem to be Sony files: https://docs.fileformat.com/ebook/lrf/ and .srt files are probably also not created by the drone: https://www.lifewire.com/srt-file-4135479

[mwgarden]

Hi Johan, Thanks for responding. The .lrf and.srt files seemed to have shown up after the update, but I deleted those files leaving only the mp4 files, and LR still could not import them. I always take the memory card from the drone and insert it into the side of my Mac. It has worked that way for years. The only Utility I use is disk utility to format my cards after I have succefully imported my files. I format in EXFAT which has been working perfectly for years a well. For now I am saving my mp4 files that get rejected by LR and into a folder on my desktop. Unfortunately LR will not import the mp4 files from the desktop folder either.

Matt

[JohanElzenga]

How strange. I did update my Mini 3 Pro, but I haven't used it yet since the update. I would not use Disk Utility to format the memory card however. Format it in the drone! The update may have changed the required formatting.

[mwgarden]

Thanks for the tip. I will do that.

Matt

[JohanElzenga]

BTW, there is a free app that can convert all kinds of movie formats. I sometimes get an .mp4 file that QuickTime can't read, and simply 'converting' it to a new .mp4 file with this app always solves that problem. This may very well work on these movies too. The app is called 'Handbrake'.

[JohanElzenga]

I hope I can test my own drone later today, but here's another thought. Use H.264 encoding, not H.265 encoding. I have experienced problems with H.265 a few times in Lightroom Classic. H.265 is supposed to be supported, but it seems some cameras do things that Lightroom does not like.

[mwgarden]

Thank you I will try that as well.

[johnrellis]

Here are explanations of DJI .srt and .lrf files:

https://forum.dji.com/thread-312881-1-1.html#:~:text=27%2010%3A47-,The%20LRF%20files%20are%20Low%20R....

https://forum.dji.com/thread-292033-1-1.html 

[johnrellis]

Attach a couple problem MP4s here (max size 47 MB each), and we can determine if the issue is inherent in the videos or is specific to your LR installation.  The error "Connecting to Dynamic Link server failed" often indicates an installation-specific problem.

[JF2881159952ho]

Following up on this report: I encounter exactly the same issue. Did anyone find a solution so far? Lightroom fails to import pictures (.dng, .jpg) and videos (.mp4) captured by a DJI Mini3 Pro on SD card. And the culprit seems to be Lightroom Classic - all other tools that I've tested so far (including standard viewing/processing on Windows and Mac, processing using HandBrake) work flawlessly. 

I tried the following:

- Import from the micro SDHC card: as soon as at least one DJI .mp4 video is in the selected import folder or one of its subfolders, the Lightroom import menu does not detect any file. I deleted the subtitle .srt and other files - they seem to not make any difference, the .mp4 is the reason for import failure.

- If I remove all .mp4 video files from the import folder or select a subfolder that contains only .dng and .jpg images, the import works fine.

- The same two observations apply if I copy files to the internal disk and attempt to import from there.

- Final test: when I move one DJI .mp4 video to the existing Lightroom folder hierarchy and do "synchronize folder", Lightroom detects/reports that there is one new picture. However, on pressing "import" it displays "importing one file" but blocks indefinitely without progress - until I stop the process. Lightroom then reports that it could not find a file to import.

[johnrellis]

This is definitely a bug. While LR doesn't support all possible variants of the MP4 format, it should give an appropriate error message rather than hanging. Please attach here a short, unedited clip straight from the camera (less than 47 MB) -- that will form the start of an actionable bug report.