Modern Xiaomi smartphones have long ceased to be just a means of communication, becoming powerful tools for mobile photography. Many owners of devices of the Redmi Note series or flagship Xiaomi Mi do not even suspect that their gadget is able to capture the Milky Way. The main condition for success here is not only the matrix, but also the correct signal processing algorithm, which in the latest versions of the shell MIUI and HyperOS has achieved impressive results.
Night photography requires understanding the physical processes that occur when you take a shot. The light from distant stars is too faint to be captured automatically in a split second. That's why you're going to have to take control, turn off the automatic enhancements, and let the sensor accumulate enough light, and that turns the process of taking a picture from just pressing a button into fascinating creativity, where you control every exposure parameter.
In this guide, we’ll take a look at the nuances of camera setup, location selection, and post-processing. You’ll learn why nighttime image stabilization can be a bad joke and how to avoid the common mistakes that make the sky gray porridge instead of galactic panoramas. Get ready to experiment with shutter speed and ISO to get the footage to be proud of.
Choosing the right place and time to shoot
The first thing that any astrophotography on a mobile device starts with is finding a location. City light creates a powerful skylight that completely obscures the dim glow of the stars. You need to move away from artificial light sources for at least 10-15 kilometers. Even in the suburbs of a large metropolis, the sky will have an orange or grayish hue, which will significantly reduce the contrast of future images.
The second critical factor is the moon phase: the full moon illuminates the sky so brightly that you can only see the brightest stars, but not the Milky Way. The ideal time is the new moon period, or when the satellite is low above the horizon.
Weather is also a must. Clouds are the astrophotographer's main enemy. However, even light haze or high humidity can scatter light and create unwanted halos around bright objects. Atmospheric transparency has a direct impact on the detail of the image, so choose nights with low humidity and no fog.
Equipment required: tripod and accessories
Shooting the sky is impossible without a hard fixation of the smartphone. Any, even microscopic hand tremors, will lubricate the points of light into long tracks. In night mode, Xiaomi's camera takes a series of images with different exposures, and this process takes from 2 to 5 seconds. Holding the device still with your hands during this time is physically impossible.
The ideal solution would be a classic tripod tripod, and if you don't have one, you could use an octopus mini-station, or even point your phone against a rock, locking it with a sandbag, and you could make sure that the body was completely still, and in the extreme case, you could put the phone up on the ground with a lens, and you could put a case under the bottom to level the horizon.
The long-term screen life, the use of GPS for geotagging and the active processing of the processor in the processing of night photos quickly put the battery. In the cold, which often comes with clear nights, the capacity of lithium-ion batteries falls even faster. Powerbank will be your reliable ally in the field.
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Use a self-start timer for 3-5 seconds after pressing the shutter button. This will eliminate the camera shaking when you touch the screen, which can lubricate the beginning of exposure.
Set up a standard Camera application
The camera app on Xiaomi smartphones has powerful tools hidden in Pro or Night mode. First, open the app and go to the mode menu, selecting More. Here we are interested in Night mode, which automatically optimizes the parameters for dark scenes, taking several frames with different shutter speeds and gluing them together.
However, for the starry sky, it's better to switch to manual Pro mode. Here you get full control of the matrix. First of all, set the focus manually by moving the slider to the Infinity position, designated by the mountain symbol. Autofocus in the dark will "scour" and most likely will not be able to catch the stars, leaving the picture blurred.
The key parameter is shutter speed (designated as S or Shutter). To shoot stars without tracks (to remain dots, not dashes), shutter speed should be set in the range from 10 to 30 seconds. ISO (light sensitivity) should be selected experimentally, starting with values of 800-1600. If a high ISO (> 3200) on mobile matrices often leads to digital noise and colored artifacts.
☑️ Settings of the Pro mode
Use of Long Exposure and RAW
Many modern Xiaomi models, especially flagship ones, support shooting in RAW format. This format saves raw data from the matrix, bypassing the aggressive noise cancellation of JPEG algorithms. Shooting in RAW, you get a larger file, but with a much larger dynamic range, which is critical for subsequent processing on the computer.
Some versions of the shell have Long Exposure inside the Night menu, which allows you to shutter for up to 30 seconds or more. When you use this mode, the phone can heat up -- this is the normal physical reaction of the sensor when you run long hours. If the phone overheats, the camera can force you to finish shooting, so watch the temperature of the device.
To activate shooting in RAW, go to the camera settings (three bars in the corner), select the format and turn on RAW. Now, when shooting, two files will be saved: a regular JPEG for quick viewing and a heavy DNG file for deep retouching. This is especially true for Xiaomi 13 Pro or 14 Ultra models, where inch sensors allow you to work wonders.
⚠️ Attention: When shooting in mode RAW file-in 3-4 Make sure that your drive has free space, otherwise the shooting will be interrupted in the most interesting place.
Table of recommended parameters for different scenes
Understanding the dependency of the parameters helps you to adapt to changing lighting conditions faster. Below is a table that will help you navigate the initial settings for your Xiaomi smartphone.
| Subject of survey | Excerpt (sec) | ISO | Focus |
|---|---|---|---|
| Milky Way | 15 - 25 | 1600 - 3200 | Infinity |
| Starry Sky (overall plan) | 10 - 15 | 800 - 1600 | Infinity |
| Moon (close-up) | 1/100 - 1/200 | 50 - 100 | Auto/Manual |
| Cityscape at Night | 2 - 4 | 100 - 400 | Automobile |
Depending on the specific sensor model (such as Sony IMX or Samsung ISOCELL) and the atmospheric transparency conditions, parameters may require: Always take a test frame, evaluate the histogram and make adjustments.
Why do the stars in the photo turn out to be colored?
Post-processing: how to improve the result
A smartphone image rarely looks perfect right after shooting. A raw file (especially in RAW) often feels dull and flat. Post-processing is necessary to unlock the potential of a shot. Mobile apps like Lightroom Mobile or Snapseed allow you to do wonders right on the device.
First, work with exposure and contrast. Carefully raise shadows to show details in the dark areas of the sky, but make sure the sky does not turn gray. The Clarity or Texture tool will help highlight the structure of clouds or the Milky Way by adding a snapshot of the volume.
An important step is noise cancellation. Xiaomi's algorithms do a good job of doing that, but in manual mode, noise can be noticeable. In the editor, use the Noise Reduction tool, but don't overdo it to turn stars into soap spots. Details should remain high.
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The best result is a shooting in RAW format with subsequent processing in Lightroom, where you can point to work with the colors and brightness of individual areas of the sky.
Frequent errors and ways to fix them
One of the most common mistakes is ignoring the horizon: the blocked horizon in the photo of the starry sky catches the eye and spoils the entire composition. Use the grid in the camera viewfinder (included in the settings) to align the horizon line relative to the frame of the earth or sea.
Another problem is condensation. When you take a cold phone out to a warm room or vice versa, you can produce dew on the lens. Rub the lens with a soft microfiber before each frame. Also, don't breathe on the camera on a frosty night, because the moisture will freeze instantly on the glass.
Don't forget the composition. It's just that the sky with the stars looks boring. Find an interesting foreground: a tree silhouette, a mountain, a building, or a human figure, and that gives the image scale and depth, making it a piece of art, not just a technical demonstration of the matrix's capabilities.
⚠️ Attention: Don't use digital zoom when shooting stars. It just cuts and stretches the picture, killing detail and making noise. Better shoot wide and then crop it when processing.