Xiaomi’s Redmi 9 series of smartphones have excellent cameras that allow high-resolution images to be taken at any time of the day. However, even experienced users often encounter situations where the shot is incorrectly orientation, this can be due to a failure of the position sensor, accidental rotation of the device at the time of shooting or the peculiarities of third-party applications.
Fortunately, the MIUI operating system on which the smartphone interface is based provides a wide range of tools for working with media files. The built-in image editor allows you to perform basic manipulations with frames in seconds. You do not need to download heavy applications or have the skills of a professional retoucher to correct the orientation of the shot.
In this detailed guide, we’ll take a look at all the ways you can change the angle of a photo, look at standard system tools, Google’s cloud services, and customized utilities, and learn how to fix a problem with automatically rotating the screen if the device’s sensor isn’t working properly.
Standard tools of the MIUI editor
The fastest and most effective way to fix the image orientation is to use the built-in Gallery app. Xiaomi has integrated a powerful editor directly into the photo viewing interface, which eliminates the need to open additional programs. The functionality of this tool is constantly updated and includes not only rotation, but also framing and filtering.
To get started, open the Gallery app and find the image you want. Once the photo opens on the full screen, you'll see a toolbar at the bottom of the interface. We're interested in a button with the caption "More" or a three-point icon where additional editing options are hidden. Click on it to expand the menu.
In the menu that opens, select Edit, and you'll see a set of tools that you'll need to look for an icon that looks like two triangles or arrows that form a circle, and that's the rotation function. When you press that icon, you'll turn the image 90 degrees clockwise in sequence, and it usually takes one or three taps to get the image upright.
Once you've achieved the desired result, it's important to remember to save the changes. The MIUI editor has a Save button that can offer two options: save as a copy or rewrite the original. Be careful: if you choose to rewrite, the original image will be replaced. It's recommended that you save the edited version as a copy so you can roll back.
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Always select the option “Save as a copy” when you first edit an important photo so you don’t lose the original file with the full metadata.
Using Google Photos to Correct
Most Redmi 9 devices have Google Photos installed by default, a cloud-based service that syncs your photos to your Google account, but also has a great built-in editor, and the advantage of this is that changes are often saved as a separate edit history, without affecting the original file until the time of final saving.
Launch the app and open the target image. In the bottom menu, find the Change button. The interface of the Google editor is minimalistic and intuitive. The Frame and Rotate tab contains all the necessary tools to change the geometry of the frame. Here you can not only rotate the photo, but also align the horizon if the line is blocked.
The automatic alignment function in Google Photos is based on artificial intelligence algorithms. It analyzes the content of the frame itself and suggests that you correct the skew. If the automation is wrong, you can manually slider the angle of inclination to the degree, which is especially useful for architectural photography, where straight lines are important.
⚠️ Note: When using cloud editing, make sure you have a stable internet connection if the original is only stored in the cloud and not yet loaded into the device’s memory.
After you have made all the edits, click Save a copy. The original photo will remain on the album, and the corrected version will appear next to or in the folder "Recently added", which allows you to store the history of changes and at any time return to the original version through the file information menu.
Package processing and third-party applications
If you have to rotate multiple photos at once, the built-in MIUI is more difficult to do because it's piece-oriented, and in these cases, third-party apps from the Google Play store come to the rescue, and programs like Photo & Picture Resizer or Bulk Image Resize let you pick out entire albums and turn them around.
Installing third-party software gives you access to more subtle settings. You can set a specific angle of rotation, such as 180 degrees to flip the image upside down, or mirror the photo. Mirror reflection is often required for selfies taken on the front camera, where the text on the clothes or background is inverted.
When working with batch processing, it is important to monitor the quality of compression. Some free applications can reduce the resolution of the source files. Always check the export settings and choose the maximum quality or format of PNG if detail is important. For social networks such as Instagram or TikTok, there are also specialized editors that automatically crop and rotate photos to the format of stories.
- 📸 Photo Editor Pro – a powerful tool with support for layers and batch processing.
- 🔄 Rotate & Flip is a minimalist app that is focused solely on changing orientation.
- 🖼️ Snapseed – Google’s professional editor with precise geometry settings.
- 📐 Image Resizer – allows you to change the size and orientation for dozens of files.
Why do some apps require access to all photos?
Problem with position sensor (G-sensor)
A common cause of misorientation is not user error, but a failure of the accelerometer or gyroscope. These sensors are responsible for determining the position of the smartphone in space. If the G-sensor on Redmi 9 is not working correctly, the camera may “think” that the phone is in a horizontal position when you hold it upright, and vice versa.
You can check the sensor by turning the screen autorotate and spinning the smartphone in different directions. If the screen is not responding or is late, you need to calibrate. There is a hidden engineering menu in the MIUI shell to test the equipment. To get there, open the Phone application and type in the code ##6484#.
In the CIT (Customer Integration Test) menu, find the Accelerometer or G-sensor test. Follow the instructions on the screen: usually put the phone on a flat surface and press the calibration button. Once the procedure is completed successfully, the sensor should start working correctly, and the problem with the orientation of the photo will disappear.
⚠️ Warning: Do not leave the engineering menu by changing other settings unless you are sure of their purpose.
If calibration through the engineering menu doesn't help, it's possible that the sensor is physically damaged or the train has moved away. In such cases, the software methods are powerless and you need to go to the service center. However, even with a faulty sensor, you can always rotate the photo manually using the methods described in the previous sections.
Table: Comparison of editing methods
To make it easier for you to choose the right way to correct your orientation, we have prepared a comparison table that will help you assess the pros and cons of each method depending on your goals and the number of files you process.
| Method | Speed of operation | Quality of conservation | Package processing |
|---|---|---|---|
| MIUI Gallery | Tall. | No loss. | No. |
| Google Photo | Medium | No loss (original) | No. |
| Third-party annexes | Depends on the software. | Perhaps compression | Yes. |
| Online services | Low (we need internet) | Depends on the service. | Partially. |
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For one-time editing of one photo, the built-in gallery is best suited, since it does not require the installation of excess software and guarantees the preservation of the quality of the original.
Frequent mistakes and their solution
Sometimes users are faced with a situation where after turning and saving the photo is displayed correctly only in the gallery, and in other applications (for example, in messengers or when sending by mail), it again looks inverted. This is due to the fact that some programs ignore the EXIF metadata, which recorded the information about the turn, and display the pixel matrix “as is”.
In this case, it helps to re-save the image with a full recount of pixels. In the MIUI editor, you can try to change the frame size a little (literally 1%), and then return it back and save it. This action forcibly rewrites the structure of the file, and all applications will see the image correctly.
Another common problem is loss of quality when you edit multiple times. Every time you save a raster image (JPEG), there is recoding that can lead to artifacts. Avoid cyclical editing of the same file. Always work with a copy or source.