How to make a panorama of Xiaomi: the complete guide

Modern Xiaomi, Redmi and Poco smartphones feature powerful camera modules that allow you to create impressive images of a wide format. Panoramic photography is especially popular among travelers and architecture enthusiasts, as it allows you to capture vast landscapes that do not fit into a standard frame. However, not all users are aware of the hidden features of the interface that turn a regular photo into a professional composition.

The process of creating these images seems simple only at first glance, but often beginners are faced with blurred edges or “teared” images. Hand stabilization and understanding the logic of camera movement are key factors in success. In this article, we will examine not only the basic algorithm of actions, but also the advanced techniques available to owners of devices based on MIUI and HyperOS.

You have to understand that software algorithmically glues multiple frames together in real time to create a single matrix. Any sudden movement or change in exposure in the process can disrupt the integrity of the image, which is why it's important to study the settings before you start shooting so that you don't get disappointed.

Camera preparation and interface setting

Before you point your lens over a landscape, make sure the camera lens is clean. Even microscopic fingerprints can create glare and sharpness, which is critical for panoramic shots with lots of detail.

Run the standard Camera app on your device. At the bottom of the screen, you'll see a series of shooting modes. If you don't have the right item on the home screen, click on the Also button and find an icon that says Panorama. In some versions of the firmware, this mode may be called Panorama.

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Wipe the camera lens before shooting – even subtle contamination can spoil the sharpness of the entire panoramic shot.

Panorama mode interfaces typically offer two directions of shooting: horizontal and vertical; horizontal is activated by default, which is ideal for landscapes; and it is often enough to turn the phone or press the appropriate arrow on the screen to change directions.

Step-by-step: how to make a panorama

The process of shooting requires a certain sequence of actions to achieve the best quality. First, point the camera at the starting point of the scene. Press the shutter button, and a guide line or arrow will appear on the screen.

Move your phone slowly and smoothly along the path indicated. Try to keep the device strictly parallel to the ground, without dropping it up or down. The speed of movement should be uniform: moving too fast will lead to blurring, and too slow will lead to malfunctions in the gluing.

When you reach the desired end of the composition, press the stop button. If you reach the end of the virtual scale, the camera will stop automatically. It's important not to stop the process abruptly, but to give the camera a fraction of a second to process the last frame.

• 📱 Hold your phone with both hands for maximum stability while driving.
• 🌅 Choose the Golden Hour for the softest and most uniform lighting of the scene.
• 🔄 Move one way without jerking, following the cursor on the screen.

Vertical panorama and creative techniques

Many people forget that panoramas can be more than horizontal, that vertical mode is great for taking pictures of tall buildings, waterfalls or trees when you want to show their grandeur and scale. To activate this mode, turn your phone into a portrait orientation before you start shooting.

There's an interesting creative technique that allows you to create surreal images, and if you ask a person to move quickly from one part of the frame to another during a panorama shot (behind the photographer's back), they'll show up twice in the final shot, which requires training and quick movement, but it's worth it.

When shooting vertical panoramas, it is especially important to control exposure. The upper part of the frame (sky) can be bright, and the lower part (ground) can be dark. The camera may not have time to adapt, so it is better to adjust the exposure to the brightest or most important object in the scene before moving.

Comparison of modes: Standard, Wideangle and Panorama

Users often confuse panorama mode with a wide-angle lens (0.6x or 0.5x) that is fundamentally different technologies: a wide-angle lens captures more space at a time, but has its own distortions at the edges, while a panorama creates an image with a resolution well above standard by gluing.

Use panoramas when you want to capture details that will be visible when you zoom in, or when the scene is wider than even a wide-angle lens. For dynamic scenes where objects move quickly, the usual wide-angle mode is better, since the panorama can smear moving objects.

It is important to note that panoramic image files can take up significantly more space in the device’s memory. The save format is usually JPEG, but due to the huge resolution, the weight of a single file can reach 10-20 MB or more.

Fixing defects and (frequent problems)

⚠️ Warning: If you see a panorama (black lines or breaks) it means you moved your phone too fast or changed your angle of inclination abruptly.

One of the common problems is that you have different exposures at the beginning and end of the shot, which happens when you start shooting in the shade and you end up in the bright sun (or vice versa), and the camera captures the light settings at the beginning of the process and doesn't always have time to adjust properly.

To avoid this, use exposure and focus locking. Press the screen in the brightest or most important part of the scene and hold your finger until the AE/AF Lock icon appears. Now the light settings will not change as you move.

Another problem is the "ghosts" or the double-digits of objects that are caught in the frame as they move, which can be passers-by, cars or trees swinging in the wind, and the algorithm cannot correctly match their position in different frames.

• 🚫 Avoid taking panoramas in places with active traffic or people.
• 🌬️ In windy weather, try not to include the tops of trees in the frame, they will be blurred.
• 🔒 Always record exposure before the camera starts moving.

Use of third-party applications for advanced users

Xiaomi’s standard camera is functional, but sometimes its gluing algorithms can be too aggressive, cutting parts or creating unnatural transitions. For professionals, there are apps like Google Camera (GCam) or specialized utilities like Pano5+1.

Installing GCam on Xiaomi often gives you better dynamic range (HDR) and more natural colors when panoramic. However, the installation process requires finding the right port version for your processor (Snapdragon or MediaTek) and permission in the system settings.

Settings → Applications → Application configuration → Camera → Permissions → All permissions (On)

Third-party apps often allow you to choose the direction of gluing more flexibly, create circular panoramas (360 degrees) or even vertical panoramas with a choice of direction (bottom up or top down) without turning the phone.

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Third-party applications, such as Google Camera, often provide more advanced HDR algorithms and gluing than the manufacturer’s standard software.

Processing and publishing panoramic images

Once a picture is taken, it often needs to be framed, as the edges of the panorama can be uneven. The standard editor at MIUI allows you to crop the image easily, leveling the horizon. This is an important step in giving the photo a complete look.

When posting on social media, remember that many platforms (Instagram, VK) automatically compress images or require them to be rotated.The horizontal panorama often has to be rotated 90 degrees to appear as scrolling tape in the news feed, which creates an immersive effect.

Remember that high-resolution panoramas allow you to take high-quality digital zooms and cut out a few ordinary photos from one shot, which makes panoramic photography a great tool for reporting when you need to capture the details of a big event.