How to take a picture of the panorama on the Xiaomi phone: the secrets of the perfect frame

Xiaomi smartphones (including the Redmi and POCO lines) have long proven to be devices with excellent cameras that can compete with other brands’ flagships. One of the most popular features remains panoramic photography, which allows you to capture wide landscapes, architectural ensembles or group photos that do not fit into a standard frame. However, many users face problems: stitched images are obtained in curves, with tears or uneven exposure.

In this article, we will not only look at the basic panoramic settings on Xiaomi, but also the professional techniques photographers use: how to hold your phone properly, what settings to choose for different lighting conditions, and how to fix typical post-processing errors, and also reveal the secrets of hidden MIUI features that are not written in the official instructions.

Why Xiaomi panoramas are curved: 5 main mistakes

Before you start shooting, it is important to understand what most often spoils panoramic photos on Xiaomi smartphones.-5 Causes of Failure:

• 📱 Incorrect speed, too fast or jerky motions cause gaps between the panorama fragments.
• 🌍 Even a slight tilt of the phone when shooting distorts perspective.
• ☀️ If you have a bit of lighting, and if you have a bit of shadow and a little bit of sun, the stitching algorithm can fail.
• 👤 Moving objects: People, cars or animals in the frame create ghost takes.
• 📲 Dirty lenses. Dust or fingerprints on the lens make the stitching worse.

Interestingly, the new Xiaomi 13/14 and Redmi Note 12 Pro+ models have made the stitching algorithms smarter: they automatically correct small user errors, but even with them, the right shooting technique remains the key to perfect panorama.

How to turn on panoramic mode on Xiaomi: step-by-step instructions

Depending on the Xiaomi model and the MIUI version, the location of the feature may vary slightly, but the overall algorithm is the same.

1. Open the Camera app.
2. Fly through the shooting modes to the left (or click on the caption PHOTO at the top of the screen).
3. Select Panorama mode (on some models it is called Wide or Panorama).
4. A guide line will appear on the screen and a hint to keep the phone vertical.
5. Press the shutter button and smoothly turn the phone in the specified direction (usually from left to right).
6. After the shooting, wait for the processing - the inscription Save will appear on the screen.

On models with MIUI 14 and newer in panoramic mode, additional settings are available:

• 🔄 Direction of shooting: you can choose from left-to-right, right-to-left, bottom-up or top-down.
• 📏 Viewing angle: some devices (for example, Xiaomi 13 Ultra) allow you to set the width of the panorama up to 180°.
• 🎯 Manual focus: tap the screen to fix the focus on the desired object.

Clean the camera lens of dust and prints

Make sure there is enough space on the phone (panoramas take 10-30MB)

Turn off HDR (it can worsen crosslinking)

Charge your phone at least 30% (shooting panoramas consumes a lot of energy)-->

Tip for owners of the POCO F5 and Redmi K60: in these models, panoramic mode is hidden in the menu More (three dots in the upper right corner). If you do not find a feature, update the Camera app through Google Play.

Camera settings for perfect panorama: what to turn off and what to turn on

By default, the Xiaomi camera uses automatic settings, but for panoramic shooting, you better adjust them.

A critical point for Xiaomi with multiple cameras: Before shooting a panorama, manually select the main module (usually 48 MP or 50 MP), not the ultra-wire. The stitching algorithm is optimized for the main camera, otherwise distortions at the edges may occur.

On models with Leica optics (for example, Xiaomi 13 Pro) in panoramic mode branded color profiles (Leica Authentic and Leica Vibrant) are available. For natural landscapes, it is better to choose Authentic - it keeps realistic colors without excessive saturation.

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If you shoot a panorama with moving objects (for example, a waterfall or a crowd), use the Professional mode with a shutter speed of 1/500c. This will “freeze” the movement and simplify stitching.

Shooting technique: how to rotate the phone for a flat panorama

Even with the perfect camera settings, you'll get a curve if you hold your phone wrong.

1. Vertical orientation. Hold the phone vertically (portrait mode). A level prompt will appear on the screen, make sure the line is green.
2. Turn the phone around the camera lens, not around the arm, and then put your arms forward and rotate the body of the phone, not the wrist.
3. Speed. Optimum speed is about 3-5 seconds per 90° turn. Too slow, there's going to be a jitter, too fast, there's going to be a tear.
4. Each next frame must overlap the previous one. 30-40%. The screen shows a transparent area - it shows the overlap zone.

For ultra-wide panoramas (180° or more), use a tripod. Even a slight tremor of the hands at large angles causes noticeable distortion. If you don't have a tripod, place your elbows against a hard surface.

On Xiaomi models with a gyroscope (all devices after 2019), the hardware stabilization works in panoramic mode. To activate it, turn on the camera settings option Improved Stabilization (Settings → Video Stabilization) in the camera settings. This will reduce the “steps” at the junctions of fragments.

How to correct the panorama curve: post-processing on the phone

Even if the panorama isn't perfect, you can tweak it right on your phone. Here are the best tools and tricks.

• 📱 Built-in editor MIUI: Open the panorama in the Gallery → Edit. Use the Perspective tool to align the horizon. Correct distortions (available on the Internet) MIUI 13+) smooths out joints automatically.
• 🖼️ Google Photos: Open the photo → Edit → Tools → Perspective. Use Turn and Trim to framing.
• 🎨 Snapseed (for advanced correction): Tool Perspective → Line the horizon in the grid. → locally lighten the dark areas at the joints.

For panoramas with extreme distortions, like wavy skyscrapers, use desktop software like PTGui or Hugin, which lets you manually set crosslinking checkpoints, but for most tasks, mobile tools will do.

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If the panorama is broken, try to remove it again with the Grid option turned on in the camera settings. The grid helps to keep the frames flat.

On Xiaomi models with AI-Camera (for example, Redmi Note 11 Pro) is available in the gallery AI-It automatically increases the sharpness and color balance of panoramas, but sometimes it overdoes the noise -- use it carefully.

The secret features of panoramic shooting on Xiaomi, which you did not know

Xiaomi cameras have hidden features that are not advertised in the official instructions.

• 🔍 The “Panorama” regime 3D» (available 12S Ultra and newer: Allows you to create a three-dimensional panorama that can be scrolled in the gallery as in the VR-To activate, hold your finger on the screen in panoramic mode for 2 seconds, and a hint will appear.
• 🌃 Night panorama: On models with Night Mode 2.0 (for example, POCO F4 GT) You can shoot panoramas in the dark, and then you can turn on Night Mode, then you can go to Panorama, and it takes longer, but it's brighter.
• 📏 Manually adjusting the angle of view: In the camera's engineering menu (##4636##) You can change the parameter. panorama_angle_limit. It's the default. 120°, But you can increase it to 180° (at risk!).
• 🔄 Auto-stitching without processing: If you keep the shutter button clamped, the camera will save the raw panorama fragments in a separate folder (DCIM/PanoRaw). They can be hand-stitched in Photoshop or Lightroom for better quality.

Attention! Using the engineering menu can cause the camera to crash. Before changing the settings, back up the settings via Settings → System → Backup.

On the Xiaomi 13T Pro and Redmi K70 Pro, Dynamic Panorama is available in panoramic mode, which allows you to add movement to a static frame, for example, to revive a waterfall or clouds. To activate, tap the panoramas after shooting and select Add Effect.

Best Apps for Shooting Panoramas on Xiaomi (if the Standard Camera is Not Good)

If Xiaomi’s built-in panoramic mode doesn’t suit you, try third-party apps that offer more control over the stitching and post-processing process:

To install GCam on Xiaomi, you will need:

1. Download a version compatible with your CPU (e.g. for Snapdragon) 8 Gen 2 fit GCam_8.7).
2. Install APK-File (Allow installation from unknown sources in Settings) → Annexes → Special access).
3. Import a config for your model (for example, Xiaomi_13_Ultra_V3.xml).

Attention! Some versions of the GCam may conflict with Xiaomi's standard camera, causing startup errors. Before installing, back up your camera data via Settings → Memory → Backup.

FAQ: Answers to Frequent Questions About Xiaomi Panoramic Shooting