How to use Xiaomi camera: from beginner to pro

Xiaomi’s current smartphones are equipped with photo modules that often outperform budget compact cameras in terms of performance. However, to get really impressive shots, it’s not enough to just point the lens and press a button. Many users miss the potential of their device, relying solely on automatic algorithms that do not always understand the creative intent of the author.

In this detailed guide, we’ll take you through how to use your Xiaomi camera as efficiently as possible, reveal hidden settings, and learn how to manually manage exposure, and learn which features to activate immediately after you buy, and which ones to disable to get a more natural picture.

Once you understand the interface of the standard Camera app, you will stop getting blurred images in low light and learn to take quality portraits with the right background blur. Understanding the logic of how the software works is the first step to professional mobile photography.

Interface and basic application management

When you launch an app, you're taken to the viewfinder, where the default mode is "Photo." The interface is designed to keep the basic functions at hand, but some important tools are hidden in the additional menus. On top are usually flash switches, HDR and timer, and also the settings button, indicated by three horizontal lines or a gear.

Swipe left or right in the viewfinder area allows you to quickly switch between the main shooting modes: Video, Portrait, Night, Pro and others. Vertical swipe on the right side of the screen (where the zoom slider is located) opens an extended menu with additional modes such as Long Shutter, Panorama or Documents.

Central to the button is the shutter button. A short tap takes a picture, a hold usually starts a video recording (unless the video mode is selected), and a swipe up or down from the button opens the gallery or changes the mode (photo/video) respectively. To quickly adjust focus and exposure, just touch any point on the screen.

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Set the volume button in the camera settings section: it can serve as a shutter release, zoom or switch between photos and videos, which is more convenient for shooting with one hand.

Importantly, some elements may differ slightly from MIUI to HyperOS, but the logic remains the same, and the focus is on the settings hidden in the top corner where you can change the resolution of the images, turn on the framing grid, and configure geodata storage.

Survey modes and their practical application

The standard set of modes offers solutions for most scenarios. Photo mode uses artificial intelligence algorithms to automatically adjust parameters, which is ideal for everyday shooting. However, switching to specialized modes allows you to achieve artistic effects that are not available in automation.

Portrait mode creates a bokeh effect by blurring the background and focusing on the object. The camera uses telephoto data or algorithmic blurring. For best results, the distance to the object should be 0.5 to 2 meters, and the lighting should be sufficient to correctly determine the boundaries.

• 🌙 Night: Takes multiple frames with different exposures and glues them together, drastically reducing digital noise in low light.
• 🎥 Video: Allows you to select permission (up to) 8K on flagships) and frame rate, as well as activate stabilization.
• 🎨 Pro: Gives full manual control over the ISO, shutter speed, white balance and focus, turning the smartphone into an analogue of a SLR camera.

Special attention deserves the mode "long exposure", which allows you to remove light traces from cars or "silk" flow of water without using a tripod, although with it the result will be more stable.

Experimenting with these modes can help you understand how processing algorithms affect the final image. For example, in Night mode, you shouldn't hold the camera completely still if you're shooting a static object, but slight hand shaking sometimes helps algorithms to remove noise better, although it's better to keep your elbows against a hard surface.

Configuring the quality and format parameters

Before you start serious shooting, you need to go to the settings of the application and check the quality parameters. By default, the smartphone can save space by setting the average quality of JPEG. For maximum detail, you should select the option “High” or “Maximum” quality in the corresponding menu.

Owners of models with high-resolution matrices (50, 108, 200 MP) should be aware of the technology of binning pixels. By default, the camera shoots in 4-in-1 or 9-in-1 mode, giving pictures of 12 or 25 MP respectively, which provides better sensitivity. To enable full resolution, you need to activate a separate “50 MP” mode (or similar) in the additional functions menu.

⚠️ Note: Full resolution (High Res) images are taken in 3-5 It's not recommended to use this mode for serial shooting or fast-changing scenes.

You can also choose a save format from the settings. Standard JPEG is compatible with all devices, but the HEIF (or HEIC) format allows you to save more detail with a smaller file size. However, if you plan to send photos to older devices or some social networks right away, you better stay on JPEG to avoid compatibility issues.

Remember to enable the saving of shooting data (EXIF) if you like to analyze your frame parameters later.This information includes shutter speed, aperture, ISO and device model, which is useful for learning photography.

Manual settings in Pro Pro mode

Pro mode gives you access to the physical parameters of the matrix, where you control light sensitivity (ISO) and exposure time (S). It's a key tool for shooting in difficult conditions where automation is wrong.

ISO is responsible for sensor sensitivity to light. Low values (50-100) give a clean picture without noise, but require a lot of light. High values (1600-3200 and above) allow shooting in the dark, but introduce digital noise and reduce dynamic range.

Shutter speed (S) determines how long the shutter is open. Short shutter speed (1/1000 s) freezes the movement, long (1/4 s or more) blurs it. When shooting with hands, try not to lower the shutter speed below 1/50 s, otherwise there is a risk of lubrication due to hand tremors.

White balance (WB) allows you to adjust the color temperature. In automatic mode, the camera can make mistakes in mixed lighting, making the frame too yellow or blue. In manual mode, you can fine-tune the shade using the Kelvin scale or presets (lamp, sun, cloudy).

Focus in Pro mode switches to manual mode (MF). By moving the slider from the flower sign (macro) to the mountain (infinity), you can focus exactly where you need to, ignoring contrasting objects in the foreground, which often happens in autofocus.

Secrets of focusing and exposing

Exposure control is the key to getting the frame right. When you touch the focus screen, you get a slider (sunshine) next to the focus square, and you move it up or down, you can artificially brighten or darken the frame without changing the shooting mode.

Often, automation tries to illuminate shadows, making the sky white and lifeless, so to keep the details in the clouds or at sunset, you have to touch the brightest part of the frame and lower the slider of the exposure down, which will make the frame darker, but retain the colors and contrast.

AE/AF Lock (Locking Exposure and Focus) allows you to capture the settings after you touch the screen. If you hold your finger on the focus point for a couple of seconds, you will see "AE/AF Fixing." This is useful when the subject is moving and the background changes, and you don't want to, the camera is constantly reconfigured.

The use of zoom also affects exposure. When digitally zooming, the camera often automatically raises the ISO, which leads to a drop in quality. Optical zoom (switching between 0.6x, 1x, 2x, 5x lenses) maintains quality, as it uses different physical lenses.

Video: Stabilization and Codec

Xiaomi smartphones offer powerful video tools. In the video settings, you can choose 4K resolution and 60 frames per second for maximum smoothness. However, it is worth remembering that 4K 60fps is not available on all lenses and takes up a lot of space.

The critical function is stabilization. There's electronic stabilization (EIS) that cuts the edges of the frame to compensate for shaking, and optical (OIS) that works by shifting the lens. There's often a "Stabilization" switch in the video settings menu that you should turn on when shooting with your hands while you're moving.

⚠️ Attention: When maximum stabilization is included (EIS) mode 4K The angle of view can narrow significantly as the camera uses a crop factor to compensate for movement.

To create spectacular slowed time, use Slow-mo. It is available in 720p resolutions at 960 fps or 1080p at 240/120 fps. High frame rates allow you to see fast movements in detail, but require very good lighting, since short shutter speeds let little light through.

Audio recording is also customizable: you can choose the direction of recording sound (voice amplification, surround sound) or turn off the microphone altogether, if only the visual range is important.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

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The main secret of high-quality photos on Xiaomi is regular wiping of the lens and the ability to control the exposure manually through the slider on the screen.