How to take a photo on a Xiaomi phone: from basic settings to professional techniques

Xiaomi smartphones are no longer a “budget compromise” — even the Redmi Note series now features 50MP cameras, optical stabilization, and a night mode that is not inferior to flagships. But even the most advanced technology does not guarantee perfect shots without the right settings and shooting techniques. This article is not about abstract “photo tips,” but about specific techniques for Xiaomi cameras — from Poco X5 to Mi 13 Ultra, given their unique image processing algorithms.

We'll break down not only the basic rules of composition, but also the hidden features of the MIUI Camera that 90% of users don't use: how to turn off aggressive skin smoothing, why HDR works better in manual mode, and how to get around the limitations of budget models with third-party apps. And also a table comparing the capabilities of cameras in different Xiaomi series, so you know exactly what your smartphone is capable of.

1.Phone Preparation: Camera Settings That You Need to Change Immediately

Before you take the first shot, check the 5 critical settings in the Xiaomi camera settings. They affect the quality of the shots more than any filter:

• 📸 Photo resolution: go to Camera Settings → Photo resolution and select the maximum value (for example, 50MP For the Redmi Note 12 Pro+). Budget models are often removed by default in 12MP with pixel binning – this worsens the detail.
• 🌙 Night mode: In the same settings, enable Auto-Night mode. Unlike many brands, Xiaomi can automatically switch to night shooting even during the day in shady places.
• 🔄 Save settings: Turn off Settings Reset after exit so your manual settings (white balance, exposure) don't reset.
• 🎯 Focus: Activate Continuous Autofocus for dynamic scenes (children, animals). 11/12/13 Laser autofocus is also available – it is more accurate in the dark.
• 🔍 Watermark: Remove the tick opposite Watermark in Settings → It spoils the frame and prevents further processing.

Attention! The Poco F4/F5 and Redmi K50 models have artificial background blur mode on by default. It eats the details and adds artifacts — turn it off in Settings → Photo Style → Mode if you're not shooting the video.

2. Shooting modes: which to choose for different scenes

Xiaomi’s camera offers up to 20 modes, but 80% of them are marketing dummy.

⚠️ Attention: Regime AI-Xiaomi's camera often misbalances white (e.g., makes the sky green at sunset). If you care about natural color, turn it off. AI In the settings or use Pro-mode.

Set ISO at 100-400 (day) or 800-1600 (night)

Record white balance (click on the gray object in the frame)

Turn off digital zoom (use legs or telephoto lens)

Enable the grid (rule of thirds) in the settings-->

3. Lighting: How to avoid overlights and shadows

The main problem with Xiaomi cameras is that they are overexposed in automatic mode, and the smartphone tries to brighten dark areas, but it burns light areas (for example, the sky or faces against the sun).

• ☀️ Shooting against the sun: tap the screen in the brightest area (sky, window) to reduce the exposure. The Mi 13 Pro works better thanks to dual pixels.
• 🌑 Dark scenes: don't turn on the flashlight, it creates hard shadows. Instead, use Night mode with manual shutter speed of 1-3 seconds (fix your phone!).
• 💡 Artificial light: Incandescent lights turn yellow. In Pro mode, set white balance to yellow. 3500K–4000K.
• 🌈 High contrast: if both dark and light objects are in the frame (for example, a person in the background of a window), shoot in the frame. HDR and edit shadows in Google Photos.

On Xiaomi models with Sony IMX766 sensor (Mi 11 Ultra, Poco F4 GT, Redmi K50 Pro) manually available setting "Dual Native ISO" - it allows you to reduce noise in the dark without losing details. To activate it, go to Pro mode → Settings (cog) → Dual Native ISO.

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If the filming in the room gives a green hue (because of the LED-lamps), switch to fluorescent white balance in Pro mode.

4. Composition and perspectives: the rules that work for Xiaomi

Even with the technically perfect settings, the boring shot will remain boring. Here are 3 composition techniques that are easy to implement on a smartphone:

1. Rule of thirds: Turn on the grid in the camera settings (Settings → Grid). Place key objects at the intersection of lines (such as a person's eyes or horizon).
2. Leading lines: Use roads, fences or shadows to guide the viewer's gaze to the main object. Xiaomi's wide-angle module (e.g. on the Mi 11 Lite) is ideal for this.
3. Hand angle: Take a shot slightly from the top (for portraits) or from the bottom (for architecture). Avoid shooting from eye level, which is the most boring angle.

⚠️ Attention: Wide-angle modules (0.6x) Xiaomi has a lot of distortion in the edges of the frame (especially the face). Don't use them for group photos - you better step back and take a shot on the main camera (1x).

For dynamic scenes (sports, children), use Serial Shooting (hold down the down button). Poco X5 Pro and later available at 60 frames / sec, then you can choose the best shot.

5. Post-processing secrets: how to save a failed frame

Even professionals edit photos — and this is especially true on Xiaomi because of the aggressive processing in the stock camera — here is a minimum set of edits to improve the shots:

• 🎨 Contrast and shadows: in Google Photos, increase the shadows +20–30 and bring the light down -10. It'll bring back details in the over-lit areas.
• 🔍 Sharpness: Use the Field Mask in Snapseed (radius 0.5, intensity 20.
• 🌈 Color correction: If the colors are unnatural, drop the saturation to -10 And add a warm hue (+5 Temperature scale).
• 🖼️ Cutting: Don’t be afraid to crop photos – Xiaomi sensors have sufficient resolution (for example, the sensors are not too sensitive, 50MP Redmi Note 12 Pro+ It allows you to cut the frame in 2 times without loss of quality).

For advanced processing, try Lightroom Mobile with presets for Xiaomi (look in communities by your phone model).For example, for the Mi 13 Ultra, there are presets that remove excess sharpness in the sky.

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Never save an edited photo over the original! Use the "Save copy" option to return to the source if the edits are inappropriate.

6. Video Shooting: Settings for Cinematic Results

Video on Xiaomi often suffers from overprocessing (smudgy, artificial sharpness) and poor stabilization in 4K. Here's how to fix typical issues:

• 🎥 Permission: film in 1080p@60fps instead 4K — Stabilization works better, and the difference in detail on the phone screen is imperceptible.
• 🔊 Sound: Use an external microphone (even a budget Lavalier for 500)₽ It's better built-in. 12S Ultra has directional microphones – turn them on in settings.
• 🌪️ Stabilization: on models with gyroscopic stabilization (Poco) F4 GT, Mi 11T Pro) enable Ultra Steady in the video settings.
• 🌆 HDR-Video: available only on flagships (Mi 13, Mi 12 Pro) and turn it on when shooting sunsets or contrasting scenes.

⚠️ Attention: When shooting Pro video on Xiaomi, autofocus is turned off! Use manual focus (touch the screen and lock the focus with your finger holding).

7.Camera comparison: what Redmi, Poco and Mi can do in 2026

The camera's capabilities are not just megapixel-dependent, but also processor-processor-processor-optical stabilization-based algorithms, and the table below shows the real differences between the series:

If your model doesn’t support the desired feature (e.g., RAW on Redmi 9A), try third-party apps:

• GCam (for HDR and night photography)
• ProCam X (for manual settings)
• Filmic Pro (for video with video) LOG-profile)

FAQ: Answers to Frequent Questions