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

Xiaomi and Redmi smartphones today have impressive cameras that are often as good as compact digital cameras in terms of performance, but many users don’t even realize that their device is capable of much more than just automatic shots. The secret lies in the right settings and understanding the logic of MIUI or HyperOS software.

You can get professional results without having to do complicated editing on a computer, if you set the exposure and white balance correctly in the first place. In this article, we will examine all aspects of mobile photography, from basic lens preparation to the use of manual modes.

First of all, it’s worth noting that the AI algorithms in Xiaomi cameras are aggressively trying to “improve” reality, and your job is to learn how to manage this process so that the images look natural and detailed, rather than digital painting.

Device preparation and basic setting

The first thing that starts the journey to quality imagery is basic optics hygiene. Fatty fingerprints on the lenses create a nebulous effect and scatter light, turning bright highlights into ugly spots. Rub the camera with soft cloth in front of every important shot.

Next, look at the settings of the Camera app. By default, the smartphone often offers a compression format that saves space but loses details. For maximum quality, go to the settings menu (three bars in the corner) and select resolution. If your memory budget allows, activate the HEIF format or the maximum available resolution in megapixels.

Also, look at the framing grid. Turn on the grid option in the settings to use the rule of thirds when constructing a composition, which will help align the horizon and correctly position objects in the frame without the need for subsequent framing.

• 📱 Always check to see if the Macro mode is forced on if you are taking down general plans, as it can worsen the edge sharpness.
• 🌞 Make sure that HDR is included in the "Auto" mode so that the dynamic range retains details in lights and shadows.
• 🔋 Turn off the power saving mode before shooting, as it may limit the operation of the image processing processor.

⚠️ Attention: Don't use digital zoom by just squeezing your fingers if you want to get detail. Digital zoom is just cropping a picture in a software way, which leads to loss of quality. Better take a wide-angle picture and then frame it in the gallery.

Using Pro Mode for Manual Control

For those who want to have full control of the process, the Pro (or “Profi”) mode in Xiaomi’s standard app is an indispensable tool. It lets you manually control parameters that automation often misinterprets, and here you access shutter speed, ISO, focal length, and white balance.

Start by setting your ISO sensitivity. The lower the ISO value (e.g. 50 or 100), the less digital noise the photo will have, but the less light will hit the matrix. For daytime shooting, always keep the ISO at a minimum. In low light, an increase in ISO is inevitable, but try not to exceed 800-1600 on most Xiaomi models to avoid "grain."

White balance (WB) can be wrong in automatic mode, making a picture too blue or yellow. In Pro mode, you can set the temperature in Kelvins accurately. For street light, the range is 5000-5500K, and for incandescent lamps, 2500-3000K.

Focus in Pro mode switches to manual mode (MF). By moving the slider, you can achieve perfect sharpness on the object or, conversely, intentionally defocus the foreground for artistic effect.

Secrets of night shooting and Night mode

Night photography on Xiaomi smartphones is traditionally strong thanks to Night Mode algorithms. However, to get the best result, you need to understand the principle of its operation. The camera takes a series of images with different exposures and programmatically glues them together, removing noise and pulling out lights.

The main enemy of night photography is hand shaking. Even a microshift at the beginning or end of a series of frames will lead to lubrication. So when using night mode, try to lock your phone: elbows against your body, lean against a wall or use a tripod. In Night mode, the phone can keep the shutter open for a few seconds.

Do not use a flash when shooting at night in Night mode. The flash will only illuminate a nearby object, making it flat and overlit, while the background will remain black. The natural light of the city or lights, combined with long exposure, will give a much more voluminous and atmospheric picture.

For advanced users, you can do "long shutter speeds" manually in Pro mode, mimicking the effect of water flow or light traces from cars. To do this, set the ISO at a minimum of (50), and set the shutter speed (S) for 2-4 seconds.

Working with lenses: wide, TV and macro

Modern flagships and mid-budget Xiaomi models are equipped with triple or quadruple camera modules. Understanding the difference between them is critical. The core module (1x) usually has better aperture and stabilization. Use it 90% of the time, especially in low light.

A wide-angle lens (0.5x or 0.6x) is useful for architecture and landscapes, but it distorts the proportions around the edges of the frame. Don't take full-length portraits of people on it unless you want to have comically elongated legs. But for interiors and large groups of people, it is indispensable.

Telephoto lenses (2x, 3.2x, 5x) allow you to shoot distant objects without losing the quality inherent in digital zoom. Optical zoom gives a clear picture. In addition, the TV is ideal for portraits, as it does not distort facial features and creates a natural blurring of the background due to optical properties, not software bokeh.

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Portrait photography looks most professional on a telephoto lens (2x or 3x), as it compresses perspective, making the face flatter and more pleasant, unlike the wide angle of the main camera.

The macro camera is often a compromise solution with low resolution (2MP). On many Xiaomi models, it is better to take a picture to the main camera and just get closer, or use 2x zoom on the main camera, than switch to a separate macro module, the quality of which can be worse.

Portrait mode and work with bokeh

Portrait Mode uses software-based background blur to mimic the performance of an expensive, large-aperture lens. On Xiaomi phones, this mode works pretty well, but requires the right distance to the subject — usually between 0.5 and 2 meters.

The key is lighting. To separate the object from the background, you need a difference in light or contrast. If the background is monochromatic and blends into the model's clothes, the algorithm may go wrong and trim some of the hair or clothing. Always check the preview before you lower the shutter.

In the portrait settings, you can change the degree of blur (effect f). Don't maximize the value, because it looks unnatural. The values between f/2.0 and f/4.0 usually give the most realistic result, while maintaining volume.

• 👤 Make sure that the face of the model was well lit, otherwise noise reduction will “wash” the skin.
• 🌳 Avoid complex backgrounds with lots of small details (leaves, grilles) where the algorithm can get confused.
• 📏 Keep your phone still at the time of shooting, as the portrait mode makes multiple frames to calculate depth.

⚠️ Note: When taking group portraits, Portrait mode may not work properly, blurring people who are not in the center of focus.

Processing and saving results

Once the shot is taken, the photographer's job doesn't end. Xiaomi's built-in editor (MI Gallery) offers powerful tools. Basic correction includes framing, aligning the horizon and adjusting the light parameters.

Use color correction tools to give a picture a "character": light contrast and saturation, and lower light areas (Highlights) often make the picture more expressive. Don't be afraid to experiment with filters, but use them with moderation.

The most critical processing error is a saturation and sharpness review. Xiaomi algorithms already “sharp” (increase sharpness) images during the saving stage, so the additional sharpness in the editor will create unpleasant artifacts and halos around objects.

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The best processing is minimal processing. Try to fix only exposure and white balance, keeping the colors natural.

If you're planning a major retouch, shoot in RAW (available in Pro mode) which saves all the information from the matrix without compression and processing by algorithms. RAW files take up more space and require conversion in applications like Lightroom or Snapseed, but give you tremendous freedom to recover backlights and shadows.