How to take a high-quality photo on Xiaomi: a guide

Xiaomi smartphone owners often face a paradox: a technically advanced camera doesn’t always deliver the expected result out of the box. A standard image processing algorithm can overexpose a frame or, conversely, take it into deep shadows. Understanding how to take a photo on Xiaomi with the maximum use of the sensor’s capabilities turns a regular shot into a professional frame.

The interface of the MIUI Camera or HyperOS Camera app hides many tools that are hidden from the surface. Disabling the artificial face “improver” and working with HDR can dramatically change the perception of photography. We will examine not only the basic settings, but also the advanced techniques available in the standard application.

To get the best results, you need to consider the lighting conditions and set the exposure parameters correctly. In this article, you will find detailed instructions on setting the resolution, aspect ratio and working with artificial intelligence.

Basic setting of the camera interface

Before you start creative, you need to set your app to its optimal state. By default, the system often activates features that reduce detail to save space or processing speed. The first thing you need to do is open the camera app and go to the settings menu by clicking on the three horizontal bars in the upper right corner of the screen.

Note the aspect ratio parameter. For most shooting scenarios, the optimal choice is 4:3. This is the ratio that uses the full area of the sensor array. Choosing 16:9 or Full format leads to software framing of the image, which actually cuts the top and bottom of the frame, reducing the final resolution.

⚠️ Warning: Full screen mode activation often results in a loss of up to 20% of the usable area of the frame, as the image is simply cropped software rather than optically.

Next, you should check the settings for saving geodata. If you plan to sort photos by location or create albums on a map, the function is: GPS However, if privacy is your priority, this option is better than deaktivirovat' in the settings menu so that coordinate tags are not written in the settings. EXIF-file-file.

Working with resolution and file formats

Modern Xiaomi smartphones are equipped with high-resolution sensors, often 64, 108 or even 200 megapixels. However, by default, the camera shoots in binning mode (combining pixels), giving files sizes of 12 or 16 MP. This is done to improve light sensitivity, but sometimes requires maximum detail.

To activate full resolution shooting, you need to manually switch mode. In the camera interface, find a button with the current resolution (for example, 12MP or 16MP) and select the maximum available value, for example 64MP, 108MP or 200MP. This action only makes sense in good daylight.

• 📸 Daytime shooting: Use full resolution (High Res) for landscapes and architecture in bright sunshine.
• 🌑 Night shooting: Automatically switch to standard resolution (12-16 MP) for better noise reduction.
• 📐 Shoot at maximum resolution if you plan to heavily fram the photo during post-processing.

Also worth mentioning is the HEIF (High Efficiency Image File) format, which allows you to enable saving photos in this format instead of the usual JPEG. HEIF files take up about half the space while maintaining quality, but may not open on older devices or in some third-party applications without converting.

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Format HEIF saves space, but before sending a photo to the customer or uploading to the old site, make sure that the recipient can open the file. JPEG.

Pro mode: manual exposure setting

For those who want to have full control over the image creation process, a professional mode is available, which allows you to control parameters that are usually hidden in automation, and you can switch to this mode by swiping from the shooting mode menu or selecting Pro (or Manual) in the list.

The key here is shutter speed (S or Shutter), which changes the value of the shutter, you adjust the time during which light hits the matrix. Short shutter speed (for example, 1/1000) "freezes" movement, but makes the frame darker. Long shutter speed (for example, 1/10 or a few seconds) blurs movement and brightens the frame, which is critical for night shooting from a tripod.

The ISO is responsible for the sensitivity of the matrix. The higher the ISO, the lighter the photo in the dark, but the more digital noise (grain) will appear in the image. Try to keep the ISO at a minimum level (50 or 100) in good light to get the most clean and detailed picture.

Secrets of portrait photography and bokeh

Portrait mode on Xiaomi uses segmentation algorithms to blur the background, mimicking the effect of expensive lenses. To take photos on Xiaomi in this mode, it is important to keep a distance. The optimal distance to the object is from 0.5 to 2 meters. If you get too close, the algorithm can get mistaken and blur part of the face.

In portrait mode settings, blur level adjustment (bokeh effect) is often available. The slider is usually denoted by the letter f and a numerical value (for example, f/2.0, f/5.6). A smaller number means a stronger blurring of the background. You should not twist this parameter to the maximum, since the artefacts of processing around hair and complex objects will become noticeable.

• 👤 Lighting: In portrait mode, try to make sure that the light falls on the model’s face, rather than behind the back (counterlight).
• 🎨 Use studio lighting effects with caution, they often look unnatural.
• 👓 Glasses and transparent objects can cause errors in the construction of the depth map, check the result.

The feature, called Face Improvement, can be called Beauty or Retouche in the camera settings menu, and for realistic photos, it is better to minimize or disable the level of this feature, since it often over-smooths the texture of the skin, removing natural details.

Night photography and long exposure

Night mode on Xiaomi smartphones works on the principle of serial shooting followed by addition of frames, which allows you to pull details from the shadows and reduce noise. The main secret of a successful night photo is stillness. Even microshifts of the hands during shooting (which can last 2-4 seconds) will lead to lubrication.

For professional nighttime photography, such as car light tracks or starry sky shooting, a standard night mode may not be enough, and Long Exposure is a help in the “More” or More menu, which can be as fast as 30 seconds or more.

⚠️ Note: When using shutter speeds longer 1/30 You can't take a picture of it with a tripod or a hard stop.

It's also good to manually lower your exposure at night, and tap the focus screen and pull the brightness slider down, and this helps preserve the colors of neon and streetlights, preventing them from turning into white over-lit spots. Black should stay black, not gray.

Macrograph and ultra-wide angle

Many Xiaomi models have a separate macro lens or use an ultra-wide-angle camera to take close-up shots. To activate macro mode, hold the camera to the subject at a distance of 3-7 cm. The flower icon may appear on the screen - this is an indicator of the activation of the macro lens.

Often, however, a better macro is obtained on the main camera using zoom. Try to move a little further away from the object and use 2x or 3x zoom.The main camera has better optics and stabilization, which will give a sharper result with natural bokeh than a specialized low-resolution macro module.

The ultra-wide angle lens (0.6x) is not only useful for landscapes, but also for shooting in tight spaces. Remember the distortions around the edges of the frame (distorsion). Try not to place people or important vertical objects (buildings, trees) around the edges of the frame, otherwise they will look stretched and deformed.

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For macro photography of texture or fine details, it is often better to use 2x zoom of the main camera than a special macro mode, as the optical quality of the main camera is always higher.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)