How to take photos on Xiaomi: from settings to a masterpiece

Xiaomi smartphones have long since ceased to be just budget devices and have become powerful tools for mobile photography. Many users buy flagship models with sensors Sony or Samsung, but do not even suspect that they use only 10% of the capabilities of embedded software. Standard processing algorithm often tries to “improve” the frame where it is not necessary, or vice versa, misses details in difficult conditions.

To unlock the potential of your Redmi or Poco, you need to delve deeper into the settings of the MIUI Camera interface. Understanding the principles of exposure, focus and working with software will allow you to get pictures that are not ashamed to print or submit to a competition. In this article, we will discuss all the steps of creating the perfect shot, avoiding the typical mistakes of beginners.

Before we go into complex manipulations, it's important to realize that the quality of a photo depends not only on the matrix, but also on the purity of the optics. Banal wiping the lens before shooting improves the result in 90% of cases, removing greasy glare and blur. Next, we will look at how to adjust the basic parameters for everyday shooting.

Basic setting of the camera interface

The camera interface in the MIUI shell may seem overloaded, but that's where the key controls are hidden. The first thing you need to do is activate the framing grid, which helps you follow the rule of thirds and keep your horizons flat, which is critical for architectural and landscape photography, and you can activate this feature in the settings menu by selecting the appropriate switch.

The second important aspect is resolution and aspect ratio management. By default, the camera often sets the 4:3 format, which corresponds to the physical size of the matrix. However, for social networks such as Instagram or TikTok, the 9:16 or 1:1 format will be more relevant. Changing this parameter does not crop the matrix programmatically in older models, but simply changes the preview area, but in new high-resolution flagships this can mean crop.

⚠️ Warning: Don't use digital zoom (two finger pinch) to zoom in if your smartphone doesn't have a telephoto lens. The digital zoom just stretches the pixels, turning a quality photo into a "porridge" with artifacts.

It’s also worth paying attention to HDR mode. In modern Xiaomi models, it often works automatically, but forced switching on can save the situation when shooting against light. The algorithm takes several frames with different exposures and glues them together, storing details in both light and dark areas.

💡

Turn on the “Save Originals” option in your camera settings if you plan to further process it in Lightroom or Snapseed, which will save your photo in RAW or maximum JPEG without aggressive noise cancellation.

Mastering Pro-mode for creative shooting

The real magic starts when you switch to Pro mode, where you have total exposure control, similar to the SLR settings, the main parameters being shutter speed (S), ISO (sensitivity), and white balance (WB), and understanding their interaction is key to night and art photography.

Shutter speed determines how long light hits the matrix. Short shutter speeds (like 1/1000 s) freeze motion, which is ideal for shooting children or sports. Long shutter speeds (1/4 s or longer) blur motion, creating the effect of water flow or light plumes from cars. Long exposures will require a tripod or a solid support.

• 📸 ISO: The lower value (50-100), The cleaner the picture, but the less light. ISO It’s only in the dark, but keep in mind the digital noise.
• ⏱ Shutter: Adjusts exposure time. Long exposure requires smartphone stability.
• ⚖️ White balance (WB): Allows you to adjust the color temperature, removing the yellowness of lamps or blue shadows.
• 🎯 Focus: Switch to Manual Mode (MF), focus on infinity or macro photography when autofocus is walking».

And the particular attention you're going to have is a histogram that you can put on the Pro screen, which shows the distribution of the pixels, and if you press it to the left, it's underexposed (too dark), and if you overexpose it to the right, it's overexposed (lights), and the perfect shot is evenly distributed without much distortion.

Secrets of portrait and night photography

Xiaomi's portrait mode uses artificial intelligence algorithms to create a bokeh effect. To make the result look natural, you need to keep a distance from the object — usually 0.5 to 2 meters. If you get too close, the algorithm can get wrong and blur part of the face or ears.

Night or Night comes into play at night, and it's basically a series of exposure shots that are then programmatically combined, and the main rule of nighttime photography on the phone is to be absolutely still for 2-4 seconds while you're shooting, and any shaking of your hands will lead to lubrication.

To enhance portraits, use external lighting or a reflector (even a sheet of white paper will do) to illuminate the shadows on your face. The built-in flash is the last option that almost always gives a hard, ugly light and a red-eye effect.

Hidden functions and gestures in MIUI Camera

Xiaomi has implemented many hidden features that are not written in the manual, and one of the most useful is voice command, so you can set the camera to respond to the words "Photograph," "Photo" or "Smile," which is indispensable for group photos, when you want to capture all participants, including the photographer.

Another handy feature is volume control, which allows you to set the volume buttons to play shutter, zoom, or switch between the front and rear cameras, making it much easier to shoot with one hand when your finger is reaching for the button on the screen with difficulty.

And also, the Documents mode, which automatically aligns the perspective of the paper you're taking, removes the shadows, and increases the contrast of the text, turns your smartphone camera into a pocket scanner, which is very convenient for work and study.

Video work: stabilization and frame rate

Shooting video on Xiaomi requires a separate approach, especially if you plan to upload videos on social networks. The most important parameter here is frame rate (FPS). For cinematic effect and space saving, choose 24 or 30 fps. For smoothness and post-processing slowdown — 60 fps.

Image stabilization is another critical point. Video settings often have a Stabilization or Anti-shake option. When it's turned on, the camera can crop the frame a little bit, but the picture will become much smoother when walking. However, if you're shooting from a tripod, it's best to turn off this feature to avoid the windy jelly effect.

⚠️ Note: When shooting in 4K 60fps Smartphone can heat up and automatically stop recording through 10-15 You'd better choose a long shot. 4K 30fps or 1080p 60fps.

Don't forget the sound. Built-in microphones only make your voice sound good up close. If you're shooting in a noisy place or from a distance, use an external loop microphone connected via a 3.5mm connector or USB-C.

Processing and Conservation: RAW vs. JPEG

JPEG is easy to publish instantly, but it compresses the image, losing some of the data. RAW (or DNG) format stores all the information from the matrix without processing. RAW files take up 5-10 times more space, but they provide tremendous editing opportunities: you can pull details out of the shadows, fix white balance without loss of quality and remove noise.

For processing RAW-Xiaomi files are great for mobile versions of Lightroom or Snapseed. Even if you are not a professional retoucher, simple correction of exposure and contrast in the mobile version of the device. RAW-The file will give a result that cannot be obtained from the usual JPEG.

It is important to clean the gallery regularly from unsuccessful takes, as RAW-Files fill up memory quickly. Use cloud services or migrate archives to your computer for long-term storage.

💡

RAW requires post-processing, and if you don’t plan on editing your photos, shoot high-quality JPEGs to save time and memory.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)