Owners of Xiaomi, Redmi and Poco smartphones often face the need to send a high-quality image through the messenger, but get the error of “too big file”. Modern cameras generate images with huge resolution, which is ideal for printing, but creates problems when transferring over the network.
Fortunately, MIUI and Android provide a lot of tools to do this without having to install any software, you don't have to be a professional photographer or pixel savvy to optimize your image, you just have to know where the sliders and menus are in a standard gallery or cloud service.
In this article, we will take a look at all the methods available, from built-in system functions to specialized applications, learn how to maintain the original quality while reducing resolution, understand the difference between compression and cropping, and also touch on the topic of batch processing, when you need to change the parameters for a dozen shots at once.
Why You Should Reduce Photo Resolution
The main reason why users are looking for a way to resize photos is a restriction on the size of the file in various services. Many government portals, websites for submitting resumes or feedback forms on forums have a strict limit, for example, no more than 2-5 MB. The camera of the flagship Xiaomi can take pictures weighing 10-15 MB, which makes it impossible to download without preprocessing.
The second important aspect is saving traffic and memory space, and if you're planning to send an album out of your vacation to friends, you'd better reduce the weight of your photos in advance, which will speed up data transfer and save megabytes if you're not connected to Wi-Fi. In addition, miniature copies can be stored in the cloud as a backup without taking up gigabytes on the server.
A third factor is the specific requirements of social networks. Instagram, VK or Telegram can compress images themselves, often in poor quality, with artifacts and loss of colors. Self-reducing the resolution to target values (for example, 1080 pixels on the wide side) often gives a visually better result than automatic compression by social network algorithms.
It's important to understand the difference between changing physical sizes (framework) and changing resolution (pixel counts). In the first case, you cut the extra edges, in the second case, you reduce the detail of the entire picture, while preserving the composition.
Use of the built-in MIUI Gallery
The fastest way to get started without having to connect to the Internet or install apps is to use the standard MIUI gallery. In the latest versions of the shell, the editor's functionality has been significantly expanded. To get started, open the desired picture and click the "Change" button (the icon of a pencil or slider).
In the menu that opens, scroll down the bottom toolbar to the right to the "More" tab or look for the "Tear and Turn" icon. This often hides the sizing feature. However, in some versions of MIUI, this option is taken separately. Click on three dots in the corner or find the "Resize" button.
The system will offer you several presets (pre-set options):
- 📏 Small – for fast sending in messengers (about) 20-30% original).
- 📐 Medium – optimal for social networks and viewing on the phone screen.
- 🖼️ Large – maintains high quality but reduces file weight.
- 📝 User-generated – allows you to enter exact values in pixels.
When you select the option, remember to click Save. The system may suggest you save a copy so you don't lose the original, or overwrite the file. Be careful: if you overwrite the source, you won't be able to restore the full resolution.
☑️ Pre-conservation checks
Editing through the Google Photos app
Most Xiaomi smartphones have Google Photos preinstalled, a powerful tool that can also resize, although the interface is slightly different here: Open the image, click Change and select Settings (three dots or gears).
Unlike MIUI, the term "Copy to..." or "Save a copy" is more commonly used here, where you can choose format and quality. However, to accurately change the resolution in pixels, you better use the "Cast" function, but it trims the edges. For pure resize (change the resolution without cropping) in Google Photos, you sometimes need to use the "Export" function or third-party plugins, if they are connected.
However, for most users, the compression feature when submitting is enough. If you choose to share directly from Google Photos, the system often suggests reducing the size if the file is too large for the chosen recipient application.
⚠️ Note: When using Google Photos cloud features, make sure you have a stable internet connection. Full-resolution originals can only be stored in the cloud, and you will have to upload them to your device first to edit.
Package resizing of several photos
If you need to process not one photo, but an entire album, it is difficult to do this with Xiaomi’s built-in tools. The standard gallery usually only works with one file at a time. Here come specialized applications from Google Play, such as Image Size, Photo & Picture Resizer or Batch Resize.
The way these programs work is simple: you select an image folder, you set a target resolution (e.g., 1920x1080) or percentage reduction, and the application processes all the files automatically, and that saves you a lot of time.
When choosing an application, pay attention to permissions. Good programs don't require access to contacts or location, only requesting access to files, and the ability to customize the compression quality of JPEG to avoid losing details in the shadows is also important.
Some advanced utilities allow you to add watermarks when batch processing or rename files according to a template. This is useful for photographers who prepare previews for clients directly from their phone.
Why did the photo get worse after the photo was cut?
Table of optimal solutions for different tasks
To avoid guessing which numbers to enter into your settings, use a helpsheet to help you balance quality and file size for specific purposes.
| Purpose of use | Recommended Permit (px) | Approximate weight of file | Format |
|---|---|---|---|
| Avatar in the messenger | 512 × 512 | less than 100 kb | JPEG |
| Instagram post (feed) | 1080 × 1080 (or 1080 × 1350) | 300 - 500 Kb | JPEG |
| Upload to the website (documents) | 1200 × 1600 | 1 - 2 MB | JPEG/PNG |
| 10x15 cm printing | 1200 × 1800 (minimum) | 2 - 4 MB | JPEG (max quality) |
| Archival storage | Original (e.g., original, 4000 × 3000) | 5 - 15 MB | HEIC/RAW/JPEG |
Using the right settings can save up to 90% of disk space without any visible loss of quality for the smartphone screen, for example, to view on a Full HD monitor does not need a 48 MP matrix, just 2 MP.
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For social networks and smartphone screens, the resolution above 1080 pixels on the short side is excessive and only increases the weight of the file.
Setup Xiaomi camera to shoot in the desired format
You can solve the problem on the go by setting up your Xiaomi camera to shoot in a less heavy format. Open the Camera app, go to the menu (three bars) and select Settings. Find Size Photo.
You can choose aspect ratio and resolution here. Instead of maximum (e.g. 50MP or 64MP), choose 12MP or 8MP. For social media and normal browsing, this is more than enough. You can also turn off HEIF (High Performance Format) mode if your devices don't support it correctly and switch to standard JPEG.
In professional mode (Pro), you can configure the save format to RAW, but remember that such files weigh a lot (20-30 MB) and require mandatory post-processing.
⚠️ Attention: Ultra-high resolution mode (50MP/64MP/108MP) is often turned on with a separate button in the camera interface or through zoom. Make sure you don't shoot randomly in this mode unless you need maximum detail to print later on in large formats.
Frequent questions and problems with size change
Even following the instructions, users may encounter nuances, such as a photo that becomes blurry if it is reduced and then stretched back, or the color reproduction may change when converted from HEIC to JPEG.
If the text in the photo becomes unreadable after the size change, then the compression ratio is too high, in such cases it is better to reduce the physical dimensions (pixels), but keep the compression quality at 80-90%.
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Save the original photos in the cloud or on your computer before mass processing. Size reduction is irreversible, lost pixels cannot be recovered software.
Use the MIUI file manager to quickly check the weight of the file before and after processing. Just press the file with your finger, and the properties menu will specify the exact size in Kb or MB.