How to upgrade the camera on Xiaomi Redmi Note 9: from basic settings to firmware GCam

Xiaomi Redmi Note 9

Samsung GM1

Redmi Note 9

In this article, we’ll look at all the ways you can pump your camera, from basic tricks in a stock app to installing a modified Google Camera (GCam) and manually adjusting your camera settings. You’ll learn how to deal with noise in night shots, why. HDR Frequently spoils the frames, and how to get around the restrictions MIUI. And also - unique life hacks that you will not find in standard guides (for example, how to make work). 48MP Why Night Mode is Better to Disable 90% of the Time).

Spoiler: Even without root rights and unlocking the uploader, you can improve your photo quality by 30 to 50 percent in 10 minutes just by following the instructions below, but if you're willing to go further, we'll show you how to turn the Redmi Note 9 into a near-professional shooting tool.

1. Basic camera settings: what can be improved without third-party apps

Before rushing to look for alternative firmware, check what you have already squeezed out of the stock Camera app. MIUI. Many users do not even suspect that half of the problems (blurredness, overlights, bad colors) can be solved in just 2-3 clicks.

Open the Camera app, swipe sideways to the Still section, and go to the Camera Settings, and there are some critical settings here:

📸 Photo resolution: by default is 12MP It's a pixel binning thing. 48MP — So you get more detail, but the files will weigh 3-4 times more. 48MP shut down HDR night-time!
🌓 HDR: Redmi Note 9 algorithm HDR It often twitches colors and creates artifacts, and it's best to turn it off and only turn it on in bright sun or contrasting scenes.
🔍 Autofocus: Continuous autofocus is available in the settings – turn it on if you are shooting dynamic scenes (children, animals).
🎞️ Video: Maximum resolution — 4K@30fps, But stabilization works only in the 1080p. Choose according to your priorities.

Another hidden option – Save settings (Inlay More) → Settings → Save camera settings. Turn it on so you don't reconfigure everything every time you start.

⚠️ Attention: If, after switching to 48MP The camera starts to brake or it gives an error, restart the phone. MIUI, rebutary.

Don't forget to manually clean the lens -- on the Redmi Note 9, it gets dirty quickly because of the protruding module. Use microfiber (not paper wipes!) and alcohol wipes for optics.

📊 How often do you clean the camera lens?

Every week.

Once a month

Only when I notice the dirt

Never.

2. Pro Mode: How to Shoot Like a Professional on a Stock Camera

Few people know, but the Redmi Note 9 has a full manual mode (Pro), which allows you to control shutter speed, ISO, White balance and focus: This is the only way to get quality images in challenging environments (e.g., at night or in artificial lighting).

To open Pro mode, swipe sideways in the Camera app or tap three dots in the upper right corner.

⏱️ Excerpt: from 1/1000down 32C. For night photography, set 1–4c (use a tripod!).
🌡️ ISO: The higher the frame, the brighter the frame, but the more noise. Optimum - 100-800 in the day and 800-3200 at night.
🎯 Focus: You can manually focus on objects closer than 5 cm (macro).
🔄 White Balance: Automation often goes wrong under incandescent bulbs - put 3,500–4000K.

Example of settings for night shooting:

Exposure: 2-4c


ISO: 1600–2500




Focus: manual focusing on infinity (∞)




White balance: 4000K




Format: RAW (if enabled in settings)

Filming in RAW, You get raw files without processing Xiaomi, which can then be edited in Lightroom or Snapseed.

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If the settings between sessions are not saved in Pro mode, before exiting, click on the floppy icon in the upper right corner - so the parameters will be written in memory.

3. Google Camera (GCam): How to install and configure

Stock Camera app MIUI It is greatly reduced compared to Google Camera, which uses advanced processing algorithms (for example, the Google Camera, HDR+ On the Redmi Note 9, the GCam works almost perfectly - the main thing is to choose the right version and config.

Here's the step-by-step instruction:

Download. APK-GCam file for Redmi Note 9 (verified versions: BSG 8.1 or Shamim 7.4) Links are best taken on the forums XDA Developers or 4PDA.
Install. APK (Allow installation from unknown sources in security settings).
Download the config (.xml file) for your model. Poco configs are suitable for the Redmi Note 9. X3 NFC (They're on the same Snapdragon chipset. 720G).
In GCam, tap the black field next to the down button twice, and the config download menu will open. Select the downloaded file.

After installation, check these settings in GCam:

📱 Turn it on. HDR+ Enhanced (in LibPatcher settings).
🌙 For night photography, use Night Sight instead of stock Night Mode – it copes better with noise.
🔍 Disable Sabre (if any) – it spoils colors on Xiaomi.

Stock camera and GCam comparison on Redmi Note 9:

Parameter	MIUI stock camera	Google Camera (GCam)
Details	Smoothed details, artifacts with increasing	Clearer edges, less noise
HDR	Often overshadows the sky or shadows	Balance between light and dark zones
Night photography	Lots of noise, blur.	Cleaner frames, better colors
Color rendering	Oversaturated colors, unrealistic	Natural tones that are close to reality

⚠️ Warning: Some versions of GCam may not save photos to the gallery. DCIM/Camera If the images are missing, try another build.

Download APK proven-source|Allow installation from unknown sources|Download Config for Snapdragon 720G|Make a backup of the stock camera|Check compatibility with the version MIUI-->

4. Alternative Camera Apps: Which Is Better Than GCam

GCam isn't the only option. If you don't like its interface or it's unstable, there are alternatives with advanced features:

📷 Open Camera: Open source, support RAW, manual settings, no advertising, minus the processing is weak compared to GCam.
🎥 Footage: specializes in video, has a color correction log profile, stabilizes.
🔧 Manual Camera: Maximum control over parameters, support DNG, real-time histogram.
🌌 Night Camera: Optimized for night photography, uses its own noise-canceling algorithm.

If you're interested in video, look for Filmic Pro (a paid but free trial version). LOG-Profile, which gives more options for color correction in Premiere Pro or Final Cut.

Comparison of alternative cameras:

|------------------|--------------------------------|---------------------------------|---------------------|

For macro photography (such as insects or flowers), try the Macro Camera, which allows you to focus up to 2-3 cm from the lens.

How to shoot video in LOG-Profile on Redmi Note 9?

You will need to use the Filmic Pro (or Cinema) app. FV-5). In the settings, select Flat or Log profile, turn off automatic exposure and adjust white balance manually. After shooting the video will be dull - that's okay! Colors will "appear" when color corrected in DaVinci Resolve or Adobe Premiere using the help of the video. LUT-profile.

5 Post-processing: How to save bad photos

Even the most advanced camera sometimes produces unfortunate images — blurry, dark, or with poor white balance — but that's no reason to delete them. Modern post-processing tools can do wonders.

Here. TOP-3 Photo editing apps on the phone:

🎨 Adobe Lightroom Mobile: the best balance between power and convenience.There's a free version with basic tools.
🖌️ Snapseed: From Google, completely free, there is a Selective tool for spot correction.
📊 VSCO: Stylish presets, convenient for quick processing in one click.

Basic techniques for staff rescue:

If the photo is dark, raise the Exposition and Shadows in Lightroom. Don't overdo it, it'll make more noise!
If the photo is blurry, use the Sharpning tool (but no more than 30-40%, otherwise artifacts will appear).
If the colors are unrealistic: Reset the color settings and manually adjust the Temperature and Hue.
If you have noise in the photo: Snapseed has a tool to reduce noise – use it last.

For advanced processing (for example, replacing the sky or retouching), use Photoshop Express or PicsArt. And if you need to quickly make a photo "instagram", try presets. KJ1 or VS1 into VSCO.

⚠️ Attention: When editing RAW-You can adjust the white balance first, and then the exposure. If you do the opposite, the colors can become unrealistic.

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The most important tool in post-processing is curved tones (in Lightroom or Snapseed), which can be used to customize shadows, lights and semitone separately without affecting the rest of the frame.

6. Hardware improvements: lenses, tripods and lighting

Software tricks are good, but sometimes you don't have enough iron to get a good shot, and fortunately, there are inexpensive accessories for the Redmi Note 9 that will take shooting to the next level.

Top.-5 camera accessories:

📸 External lenses (e.g. Xenvo Pro Lens): macro, wide-angle and fish eye. fastened to a magnetic adapter.
🎥 Mini-Statuttage (for example, Joby GorillaPod): indispensable for night shooting and timelapses.
💡 LED-Panel (e.g. Neewer 10): Helps with portraits or products.
🔋 Powerbank with Quick Charge: Redmi Note 9 quickly lands during long shooting 4K.
📱 Memory map UHS-I (For example, SanDisk Extreme: for recording high-resolution video without lags.

If you’re shooting a video, look for a gamma-ray microphone (like Boya). BY-M1). The built-in microphone Redmi Note 9 does not suppress noise, and the external will make the sound cleaner by 30-50%.

For macro photography, you can save on lenses using a reverse lens: take a cheap lens from an old web camera, attach it to the main camera with tape (lens out) - and get an increase to 10x!

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If you're shooting a video outside in windy weather, put a foam on the microphone or use a dead cat, which will remove the unpleasant claps and the noise of the wind.

7. Hidden chips and life hacks for the Redmi Note 9 camera

V MIUI And the camera itself has some non-obvious features that few people know about:

🔍 Secret regime. 48MP In Pro: even if the main settings have the maximum resolution 12MP, You can take the Pro mode off in 48MP. For this, manually install ISO 100 and take a picture – the camera will save it in full resolution.
📁 Retention in DCIM/Camera: If the photos are not displayed in the gallery, check the folder. DCIM/Camera/GCam (for GCam or DCIM/Camera/Pro (manually).
🔄 Quick camera switching: swipe up or down twice to switch between the main and front camera.
🎬 Hidden video recording: in photo mode, press the down button - video recording will begin without the notification sound.
📏 Grid and Level: Enable Grid and Level in the camera settings to keep the frames even.

Another life hack is using code to enable hidden functions. Type in the dialer:

##4636##

Go to Equipment Testing → Camera. You can test all the camera modules here, including the ToF sensor (if you have one in your modification).

If your camera starts to slow down or give out errors, reset its settings:

Go to Settings → Applications → Application Management.
Find the camera, press Warehouse → Clear the data.
Reboot the phone.

⚠️ Attention: Some firmware MIUI If you get an "App isn't installed" error when you start, try to roll back to an older version. MIUI or install GCam through SAI (Split APK Installer).

8. Frequent problems and their solutions

Even with all the improvements, the Redmi Note 9 can be acting strangely, and here are the most common problems and ways to fix them:

Problem.	Reason.	Decision
The camera is not focusing.	Dirt on the lens or software failure	Wipe the lens, reboot the phone, reset the camera settings
Photos too dark	Incorrect exposure or low exposure ISO	Turn on Night Mode or boost up ISO manually
Video twitches (laggit)	Low speed of writing to a memory card	Use the map. UHS-I Class 10 or film in 1080p
GCam does not save photos	No rights to record or incorrect config.	Check the permissions, reinstall GCam with another config
Colors are unrealistic (greenish or blue)	White balance glitch	Manually set the temperature to 4000–5000K pro

If the camera stops working completely (it makes an error "I failed to connect to the camera"), try:

Clear the cache and data of the Camera application.
Check if the camera is occupied by another app (such as WhatsApp or Snapchat).
Update MIUI to the latest version.
Reset your phone to factory settings (if nothing helps).

If the problem occurs after the update MIUI, A rollback to the previous firmware version may help. 4PDA model-themed.

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Before resetting your camera or phone settings, make sure to back up your photo! Use Google Photos or transfer files to your PC.

FAQ: Answers to Frequent Questions

Can I use Redmi Note 9 to shoot in the RAW GCam-free?

Yes, the Camera's stock app has support. RAW, But it's hidden. To turn it on, go to Pro mode. Click on the settings icon. Turn on Save. RAW-Pay attention to the files: RAW It will only be available with permission. 12MP.

Which version of the GCam works best on the Redmi Note 9?

The most stable assemblies: BSG GCam 8.1 (good balance between functionality and stability) Shamim GCam 7.4 (Night Sight works better, but no 4K). Urnyx05 GCam (supports 60) FPS You can see the video, but it can slow down. 4PDA in the theme of Redmi Note 9 (link conditional, replace the current one).

Why is it when you're shooting a video in 4K it twitches?

This problem is related to: Slow memory card: 4K need a map UHS-I Class 10 (For example, SanDisk Extreme, overheating of the processor: Snapdragon 720G Not optimized for long-term recording 4K. Try to shoot short videos (before) 5 Background: close all applications before shooting. If nothing works, lower the resolution to 1080p@60fps — Stabilization works better there.

How to take portrait photos on Redmi Note 9 without a blurred background?

Stock camera does not separate the object from the background. To improve the bokeh effect: Use GCam with Portrait Mode enabled. Shoot from a distance of 1-1.5 m from the object. Make sure the background is contrasting (for example, a wall or a sky). Manually increase the blur in the GCam settings (Blur Strength setting). If the background blurs unevenly, try to modify the photo in Snapseed tool Selective. → Blur.

Can I improve the Redmi Note 9 without root?

Yes! All the methods in this article (GCam, alternative apps, manual settings) work without root. The only thing that requires unlocking the bootloader is: Install custom firmware (like LineageOS); Modify the camera system files (like replacing libcamera); but for 90% of users, this is not required — even without the camera quality can be improved by 40-60%.