Xiaomi’s modern smartphones have long since ceased to be just call devices and have become powerful tools for mobile photography. However, the standard automatic camera mode often does not allow you to unleash the full potential of the matrix, especially in difficult lighting conditions. This is where the Pro mode comes to the scene, which gives the user full control over exposure and focus.
Many Redmi and Xiaomi owners ignore this feature, considering it the lot of professional photographers with expensive equipment. In fact, you can master the basic settings in 15 minutes, and the result will exceed the expectations of even the most demanding viewer. In this article, we will examine each parameter in detail and learn how to take photos of studio quality.
Before you start to do any complex manipulation, you need to understand that MIUI and HyperOS offer a lot of flexibility to create, you don't have to install third-party applications, all the software you need is already built into the system, and the key is to interpret the settings correctly and know what each slider in the interface is responsible for.
Activation of the Profi mode in the standard application
The first step to getting creative is to find the mode in the interface. On most models, whether it's the flagship Xiaomi 13 or the budget Redmi Note, the algorithm of actions is almost identical. Open the standard Camera app and swipe your finger on the bottom panel, where the shooting modes are listed, left or right.
You need to find a section called “More” or see the Pro icon (often marked with PROs) immediately. If you don’t see this mode in quick access, click on the “More” button and select “Profi” in the menu that opens. In some versions of the shell, this mode can be hidden in additional tabs, so check all available options carefully.
Once activated, you'll see an interface with a set of acronyms: WB, AF, S, ISO, EV. These are your main tools. The interface may seem overloaded, but every element here is functional. Don't be afraid to experiment with sliders, because in digital format you don't lose anything except a few megabytes of memory.
⚠️ Warning: In Pro mode, autofocus and auto exposure are turned off. If you just point the camera and press the down button, the picture can turn black or blurry if the settings are not set up in advance.
Customize white balance (WB) for accurate colors
The WB (White Balance) setting is responsible for the color temperature of the frame. The camera's automatic mode is often mistaken, making the shots too "warm" (yellow) in artificial lighting or "cold" (blue) in cloudy weather. In manual mode, you can choose to preset or adjust the temperature accurately on the Kelvin scale.
For shooting in daylight, the optimal value will be a range of about 5000-5500 K: If you're shooting a sunset, lowering the temperature will add drama, and raising it will make the frame softer. 2800-3200 K to remove the yellowness.
Incorrect settings can spoil the skinton of a model or distort the colors of products when shooting a subject. Always check the screen of your smartphone, as it transmits colors more accurately than the viewfinder.
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Use the preset Lamp or Cloud for quick correction if you don’t have time to fine-tune the temperature slider.
Some users prefer to leave white balance in automatic mode (AWB) relying on post-processing. However, if you shoot in JPEG format, the correct setting of WB on-site will save you hours of work in photo editors. For RAW format, this option is less critical, since it can be changed without loss later.
Focus Control (AF) and macro photography
Auto Focus (AF) allows you to switch between automatic and manual focusing. In automatic mode, the camera detects and focuses on the object itself, which is convenient for reporting. However, in manual mode (MF), you get full control of the focus plane.
If you put the slider in the MF position, you'll see how the distance to the focus object changes, and it's an indispensable macro-shooting tool when the automatons blink and can't catch sharpness on the finer details, and if you move the slider smoothly, you can achieve perfect sharpness on the flower petal or the fabric texture.
And manual focusing is also useful when shooting through glass or in low contrast, where autofocus can walk. By fixing the focus, you ensure that the camera doesn't start looking for an object at the most inopportune moment. This is especially important when shooting video to avoid the effect of "breathing" the focus.
| Parameter | Meaning | The effect |
|---|---|---|
| AF (Auto) | Systemic | The camera chooses its own focal point. |
| MF (Macro) | Close. | Sharpness on objects in 2-5 cm |
| MF (Landscape) | Far-off | Sharpness on objects in infinity |
The secret of macro shooting on Xiaomi
Shutter speed (S) and work with light
The S (Shutter) setting, or shutter speed, determines how long the matrix will be open to light. It is one of the most important tools in the arsenal of a mobile photographer. A short shutter speed (for example, 1/1000) allows you to “freeze” movement by capturing splashes of water or a running person without lubrication.
Long exposure (1/10, 1 second or more) provides opportunities for night photography and artistic effects, which can turn the flow of cars into light tracks and water into a smooth milk canvas, but with long exposure, it is critical to use a tripod, otherwise the whole frame will be blurred.
On Xiaomi smartphones, shutter speeds can vary depending on the model. Flagships allow you to set shutter speeds up to 32 seconds or more, turning the phone into a full-fledged astrophotography tool. Budget models can have limitations, but even 2-4 seconds is enough for most night scenes.
⚠️ Note: When installing shutter speeds longer 1/60 Handheld photography is almost impossible without lubrication. Always use a tripod or wrap your phone around a stationary object.
Shutter speed control has a direct impact on exposure, and by increasing exposure time, you make the frame lighter, you make it darker, and it's the main lever for controlling brightness when ISO is already at a minimum.
ISO sensitivity and noise control
ISO is a matrix sensitivity parameter to light. Unlike shutter speed, which controls time, ISO controls signal amplification. Low values (ISO 50-100) give the most clean picture without digital noise, but require a lot of light.
When you raise your ISO to 800, 1600 and above, the camera artificially brightens the frame, but with it there are colored dots and “grain”. On modern sensors Sony and Samsung used in Xiaomi, noise reduction algorithms work well, but physics is physics: high ISO always degrades detail.
The strategy is simple: always try to keep the ISO as low as possible for a given scene. If the frame is dark, try to increase the shutter speed first, and only if that is impossible (object moving or not tripod), raise the ISO. The critical threshold for most Xiaomi smartphones is the ISO 800 value, after which the quality drops sharply.
☑️ Checking settings before shooting
Exposure Compensation (EV) and Histogram
EV (Exposure Value) allows you to quickly adjust the brightness of the frame set by the automatic or your manual settings. It is a convenient tool for quick adjustment when there is no time to spin the shutter speed and ISO separately. Shift in plus will brighten the scene, in minus - darken.
In Pro mode, a histogram is also often available, a pixel brightness graph that helps you objectively assess exposure without trusting the bright screen of your smartphone. If you press the graph to the left edge, there are many black dips (underlight) in the frame, if there are lights (overlight) on the right.
The ideal exposure is when the graph is evenly distributed, without sharp peaks at the edges. But in art photography, you can break the rules: for silhouettes, you need a peak on the left, for snowy landscapes, you need a shift to the right, the main thing is that important details are not lost in pure black or white.
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Histogram is the only objective way to evaluate exposure, as the screen of the smartphone always shows the picture brighter than it really is.
Photography in RAW format for professional processing
To get the best quality, you need to activate the RAW format. Unlike JPEG, which the camera processes, compresses and “improves” algorithms, RAW stores raw data from the matrix. The files weigh more (20-30 MB), but contain a huge amount of information for editing.
Shooting in RAW, you can pull details from the shadows in the editor, fix the white balance without loss of quality and remove noise more efficiently than the built-in processor. Lightroom Mobile, Snapseed or Xiaomi’s built-in editor (in Pro mode) are suitable for working with such files.
To turn on this mode, click on the three bars in the corner of the screen and select "Format", then "RAW+JPEG" or just "RAW". Now your shots will be saved in two formats or only in the original. This is the best way to learn photography, as it forgives many exposure errors.