Xiaomi’s modern smartphones are no longer just communication devices, becoming powerful multimedia complexes, where the center of the system is artificial intelligence. Many users notice the mysterious inscription AI in the camera interface, but not everyone understands what complex algorithms are behind this acronym. In fact, it is not just a marketing ploy, but a full-fledged image processing engine that analyzes the scene in real time, doing thousands of calculations per second.
When you point your lens at an object, the neural network instantly determines the type of scene, whether it's sunset, portrait, macro or text, and automatically selects the optimal parameters of exposure, saturation and contrast. This allows you to get spectacular pictures even for those who do not understand the intricacies of photography and ISO settings or shutter speed. However, like any automation, the system has its own nuances that can both save the frame and spoil it with excessive processing.
In this article, we will examine in detail how AI Scene Detection works, find out how algorithms change colors and textures, and answer the main question: whether to use this feature constantly or better switch to manual mode for more natural photos.
The principle of artificial intelligence in the photomodule
The core of the system is the AI Scene Detection module, which is based on a database of millions of reference images. Unlike older algorithms that simply used filters, the modern Neural Engine in Snapdragon or Dimensity processors is able to segment an image, recognizing individual objects: the sky, grass, people's faces, food or pets. Each segment is processed independently, allowing, for example, to make the sky brighter without re-lighting the face of a person in the foreground.
It takes a few steps. First, the sensor reads raw data, then the image processor (ISP) does the primary noise reduction, and then the neural network comes in, which classifies the scene, and if the system sees you're filming greens, it increases the saturation of the green channel and adds sharpness to the details. In the case of food, the algorithm can slightly warm up the color temperature, making the dish more appetizing.
Technical details of processing
It is important to understand that AI-Processing doesn't always mean improvement, and algorithms are designed to create a beautiful image for social media, not photorealism. This can lead to artifacts when the skin texture becomes too smooth, plastic-like, or when the grass takes on an unnatural, poisonous green hue. That’s why professional photographers often choose to disable this feature to have full control over the final result.
How AI Affects Image Quality in Different Scenarios
The impact of AI varies dramatically depending on the conditions of the shooting, and in some situations, the help of algorithms is indispensable, in others, they only interfere. Let's consider the main scenarios where the AI Camera manifests itself differently so that you can predict the outcome.
When shooting landscapes and nature, the system seeks to maximize dynamic range, darkens the sky to make clouds appear, and illuminates shadows in the forest or mountains. This creates a spectacular but sometimes unnatural picture. In macro mode, Xiaomi often uses AI to simulate depth of field, blurring the background programmatically, which can lead to errors in the contouring of the object.
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To shoot documents, turn on Documents mode or turn off AI to avoid white background lighting and loss of readability due to aggressive contrast increase.
In low light, Night Mode relies on AI for complex noise reduction, and the algorithm can create details in dark areas that the sensor doesn't physically detect, allowing light images to be taken by hand, often by losing fine textures and creating a watercolor effect on homogeneous surfaces.
Below is a table showing how the camera behavior changes depending on the scene it recognizes:
| Type of scene | The action of AI | The result |
|---|---|---|
| Greens (Nature) | Increased saturation of green, increased sharpness | Bright grass, but a "acid" hue is possible |
| Sky (Sky) | Blue channel reinforcement, cloud drawing | Dramatic sky, the risk of halos in buildings |
| Food (Food) | Shifting white balance to warm zone, increasing saturation | Appetite look, but colors may be far from reality |
| Portrait (Portrait) | Smoothing of the skin, blurring of the background, dilation of the pupils | Perfect skin, but possible loss of facial texture |
| Text (Doc) | Maximum contrast, color binary | Clear text, but loss of background color information |
Advantages and Disadvantages of Automatic Processing
Using AI in the camera is always a trade-off between convenience and control. On the one hand, the technology allows you to instantly get snapshots ready to post on Instagram without the need for post-processing in third-party apps, which is especially valuable for users who want to just click a button and get a good result.
On the other hand, aggressive algorithmic processing often results in a loss of detail in shadows and lights. Sharping, the artificial sharpening that Xiaomi uses, can create visible halos around contrasting objects. In addition, algorithms sometimes misidentify the scene, for example, by mistaking yellow clothes for food and starting to incorrectly change the white balance.
⚠️ Attention: Aggressive noise cancellation in night mode can completely destroy small details, turning the texture of tissue or skin into a blurred spot.
Another downside is the shutter delay, which is that while the processor analyzes the scene and applies filters, it can take a fraction of a second, and in dynamic scenes, such as children playing or pets, this leads to blurred frames, because the moment of descent and the moment of actual capture of the image do not coincide.
But there's no denying the pros. AI Portrait is great at separating an object from the background even without a telephoto lens, using data from the main sensor and gyroscope. AI Helps in text recognition by automatically translating it or aligning perspective when shooting documents.
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AI-The camera is ideal for fast shooting in social networks, but for printing large formats or art photography it is better to use Pro mode or turn off script optimizations.
How to turn on and off the AI Camera feature
Managing AI in the standard Xiaomi camera app is as simple as possible, but users often lose this setting in the interface. By default, the function is usually activated, as evidenced by the AI icon in the upper corner of the viewfinder. To change the settings, you do not need to climb into deep menus.
To switch quickly, you just have to open the Camera app and look at the top interface bar, and you'll see an icon that says AI. You click on it changes the status of the function: if the icon is blue or orange, the mode is active. If the icon is gray or crossed out, the scene processing is turned off, and the camera operates in standard mode, relying only on the basic exposure settings.
If the AI icon is not on the home screen, check for additional settings:
- 📸 Click on the three bars in the upper right corner of the screen.
- ⚙️ Go to the Settings menu (cogs).
- 🔍 Find the item “Improving the scene” or «AI Camera».
- ✅ Activate or deactivate the switch.
Some versions of the MIUI or HyperOS shell may have slightly different layouts, but the logic remains the same, and turning this feature off is especially recommended when shooting in RAW format, as algorithmic intervention can spoil the original file, depriving you of the possibility of flexible retouching.
☑️ Checking camera settings
Comparison of modes: AI vs Manual Mode (Pro)
When to rely on automation, and when to take control? Pro mode gives you access to shutter speed, focal length, white balance and ISO sensitivity settings, which allows you to completely ignore the phone's smart prompts and build the exposure the way you see it.
In AI mode, the camera often “under-lights” bright objects to keep details in the lights, making the overall frame darker. In manual mode, you can overexpose the frame, knowing that when shooting in RAW, you will be able to pull out details in the editor without losing quality, which is impossible with a heavily compressed JPEG from AI.
⚠️ Attention: When switching to manual mode, focusing can also become manual.Make sure you control the focal length, otherwise the pictures may become blurry.
But manual mode takes time. You need to evaluate the lighting, select the settings, focus. AI-If you're shooting a story, children, or fast-paced events, the automatic scene will give you 80 percent of the best results in 5 percent of the time you've spent manually setting up, depending on your goal of speed or maximum quality.
Also worth mentioning is HDR. It works very efficiently with AI, taking multiple frames with different exposures and gluing them together. In manual mode, you would have to do it yourself and process it on a computer, which is not always convenient in mobile shooting.