How to take a picture of stars on a Xiaomi phone: a complete guide from preparation to processing

Starry skies have always fascinated humanity, but in the past, it took expensive technology to photograph it. Today, even Xiaomi smartphones are able to capture the Milky Way, constellations and meteor showers - if you know the right settings and techniques. In this article, we will explain how to make the most of the camera capabilities of your Redmi, POCO Mi for astrophotography, even if you don’t have a flagship model.

The main problem with shooting stars on a phone is the low light sensitivity of the matrix and the noisyness of the images. However, modern image processing algorithms (for example, Night Mode or Pro Mode) combined with the right technique allows you to bypass these limitations. You will learn which Xiaomi models are better suited for astrophotography, which settings to use manually, and how to process the images to make them look professional.

It's important to understand that success depends not only on the phone, but also on the conditions of the shooting: countryside with minimal light, clear weather and the right time of day play a key role, and we will take a detailed look at each step, from the preparation of equipment to the final processing of photos in mobile applications.

What Xiaomi smartphones are suitable for shooting stars

Not all Xiaomi models are equally good at astrophotography, and the main criteria for choosing are the size of the matrix, the aperture of the lens and the presence of a manual mode (Pro Mode).

• 📱 Xiaomi 13 Ultra / 14 Ultra: flagship models with 1-Sony-inch IMX989, light-power f/1.9-f/4.0 and support for shooting in format RAW. Ideal for professional astrophotography.
• 📱 Xiaomi 12S Ultra / 11 Ultra: previous flagships with a large matrix and excellent sensitivity. Support long shutter speeds up to 30 seconds.
• 📱 POCO F5 Pro / Xiaomi 13 Pro: mid-range models with a matrix IMX707 and good noise handling at night.
• 📱 Redmi Note 12 Pro+ / Note 11 Pro+: budget options with a matrix of 200 MP (with binning up to 50 MP), which with the right settings can also give acceptable results.

If you have an older or budget model (e.g. Redmi 9 or more) POCO M3), Don't worry, shooting stars is possible, but it will take more effort during the processing phase, and the main thing is that you have a manual mode (Pro Mode) and the ability to save pictures in format. RAW (if maintained).

⚠️ Note: Small matrix models (e.g. Redmi) A1 or POCO C50) They're not physically able to capture enough light to capture stars, so you'd better use an external camera or just take pictures of the moon.

If your model did not get into the table, check its characteristics on the official Xiaomi website or in the application. Camera2 API Probe (available on Google Play) will show if your smartphone supports manual settings and shooting in the video. RAW.

Preparation for shooting: the choice of time and place

Even the most advanced smartphone can't take a good shot of stars if the shooting conditions aren't right.

• 🌌 Lighting: Stars can only be taken away from cities. Use a light pollution map (e.g., Light Pollution Map) to find dark areas (grey or black areas on the map).
• 🌥️ Weather: clouds and haze scatter the light of stars. Check the forecast on the Clear Dark Sky website - there are special metrics for astronomers.
• 🌙 Moon phase: bright moon clogs up starlight; optimal time is new moon or the period when the moon sets early in the evening.
• ⏱️ Time of day: The best time to take pictures of the Milky Way is 22:00 to 3:00 (depending on the season). Use the PhotoPills or Stellarium app to see when the Milky Way will be visible in your region.

Also note that in winter the air is clearer, but cold can quickly drain the phone battery. In summer, fogs are often hotter for long periods of time. If you photograph meteor showers (for example, the Perseids in August), keep an eye on the astronomical calendar - on peak nights, activity can reach 100 meteors per hour!

⚠️ Warning: If you're shooting in the winter, put your phone in a sealed silica gel bag (out of a shoe box) to prevent the lens from fogging when temperatures drop!

To find the exact location of the Milky Way or constellations, use the following applications:

• 🔭 Stellarium Mobile (paid, but there is a free version with restrictions)
• 🌌 Star Walk 2 (intuitive interface, suitable for beginners)
• 📱 SkyView Lite (free, with additional reality function)

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If you're shooting in the mountains, you'll notice that at 2,000 meters above the surface, the atmosphere is thinner and the stars are clearer. But the phone can overheat when shutter speeds are long because of the thin air -- watch the temperature of the body!

Xiaomi camera settings for shooting stars

Now, to the most important thing, camera setup. Xiaomi has two main modes for astrophotography: Night Mode and Pro Mode. Let's take a look at both.

Shooting in Night Mode (for beginners)

This mode automatically picks up shutter speed and processing, but it's only suitable for shooting bright objects (the moon, planets) or wide landscapes with stars. It's inefficient for the Milky Way.

1. Open the Camera app and select Night mode (usually indicated by the moon icon) 🌙).
2. Click on the icon. ⚙️ (settings) and enable the option Long shutter speed (if any).
3. Set your phone on a tripod or securely lock it. Press the screen to focus on the stars (may require manual focusing).
4. Start shooting and don’t touch the phone for 5-10 seconds (depending on the model).

Shooting in Pro Mode (for better results)

Manual mode gives you full control over the parameters. Here are the optimal settings for most Xiaomi models:

• 📸 Resolution: Maximum (e.g. 50 MP or 200 MP) but with binning disabled (if optional).
• 🔘 Format: RAW (if supported) or JPEG + RAW. This will allow you to process the image later without loss of quality.
• ⏱️ Shutter speed: 10 to 30 seconds (the maximum your model allows) The longer you get, the more stars you see, but the risk of lubrication is higher.
• 🌟 ISO: Start with 3200 and raise if the picture is too dark.
• 🎯 Focus: manual focus on infinity (move the slider to the right or use the value) ∞).
• 🔄 White balance: 3,500–4000K (This will give the image a cold hue, characteristic of space).

Example of the path to settings in Pro Mode:

Open Camera → Swipe left to Pro → Click on the icon ⚙️ → Set:


- Permission: Maximum




- Format: RAW




- Exposure: 20 seconds




- ISO: 3200




- Focus: ∞ (infinity)




- White balance: 3800K

⚠️ Note: Budget models (e.g. Redmi 10) may have a lot of noise when shuttered for more than 10 seconds, so it’s best to take a few 5-8 seconds exposure shots and then combine them in Sequator or StarStaX.

Set maximum permit|Insert the format RAW|Set the shutter speed 10 to 30 s|Install ISO 1600–6400|Focus on infinity|Set white balance to 3,500–4000K|Disable stabilization (if there is an option)-->

Additional equipment: what will help to improve the images

Although Xiaomi smartphone can be used “as is”, a few inexpensive accessories will significantly improve the result:

• 📷 Tripod: mandatory for long exposures, even a small desktop tripod (such as the Xiaomi Mi Pocket Tripod) or an improvised book stand will do.
• 🔋 Power Bank: shooting in the cold quickly drains the battery. Take an external battery (better with Quick Charge support).
• 🔍 Lenses phone adapter: allows external lenses (e.g., Xiaomi Lens Attachment with wide angle) to be attached.
• 📱 Remote control: or wired headphones with volume button – they can serve as a trigger cable to avoid shaking when pressed on the screen.
• 🌡️ Hand heating pad: if shooting is in winter, put your phone on the heating pad (don’t turn it on!) – this will prevent fogging of the lens.

For serious astrophotography, you might consider buying an equatorial mount (e.g., the iOptron SkyGuider Pro) that compensates for the Earth's rotation, allowing exposures of more than 30 seconds without lubricating the stars. However, this is semi-professional equipment, and it costs the same as a budget camera.

If you want to save money, try making an impromptu tracker out of a selfie stick and a load on a thread.

Another life hack is using an external microphone (even the cheapest one) as a trigger, plug it into your phone and press the volume button to shoot, which will reduce the jitter of the body.

Apps for shooting and processing stars on Xiaomi

Xiaomi’s standard Camera app isn’t always optimal for astrophotography. Consider specialized apps that extend your smartphone’s capabilities.

Photography applications

• 📸 Camera FV-5: Allows you to control all parameters manually, including exposure up to 60 seconds (on some models). RAW and DNG.
• 🌌 NightCap Camera: specializes in night shooting, there is a Stars Mode with automatic addition.
• 🔭 AstroCamera: Optimized for astrophotography, supports shooting in RAW It has a built-in star atlas.
• 📱 Open Camera: free, open source app. Supports manual settings and shooting in RAW most devices.

Applications for processing

Raw shots of stars usually require processing. Here are the best mobile tools:

• 🎨 Lightroom Mobile: A powerful editor with support RAW. Use Exposure, Contrast and Noise Reduction tools.
• 🌟 Snapseed: free editor from Google. Useful tools Selective correction and curves.
• 🔍 StarStaX (Android): Allows you to fold multiple images to reduce noise and increase detail.
• 📊 Photoshop Express: convenient for final refinement - adding contrast and saturation.

Example of processing in Lightroom Mobile:

1. Import. RAW-file.
2. Upgrad the exposure to +1.5–2.5 EV.
3. Increase the Contrast to +30–50.
4. Adjust the white balance to the cold tones (~3500K).
5. Apply noise reduction (but don’t overdo it to avoid losing stars!).
6. Add clarity (+20–40 for the display of small details.

⚠️ Note: Do not increase saturation more than by +20 is going to cause color noise. Instead, work with the Vibration tool in Lightroom, which is a dot-point enhancement of the shades.

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Shooting in RAW + Lightroom processing gives 30-50% better results than JPEG Even Xiaomi’s budget models can deliver impressive results with the right post-processing!

Shooting techniques: from simple frames to complex compositions

Smartphone astrophotography is not just about setting up your camera, it's also about creativity. Here are some techniques to help make your shots unique:

1. Photographing the Milky Way

The Milky Way is not always visible, its "season" depends on latitude. In the middle of Russia, the best time is from April to October.

• Use a wide-angle lens (or the main camera of the smartphone).
• Point the camera south (in the Northern Hemisphere) at an angle. ~45°.
• Take a series of 10-20 shots with a shutter speed of 15-20 seconds and fold them into StarStaX.

2.Shooting star tracks

The effect of the rotation of stars around the North Star is obtained by prolonged exposure or addition of many frames.

1. Set your phone on a tripod and point to the North Star (find it with Stellarium).
2. Take 50–100 images with 30 seconds exposure and 1 second interval (use Camera) FV-5 timer).
3. Add the footage to StarStaX by selecting Lighten mode.

3. Photography of the Moon and Planets

For the moon and bright planets (Jupiter, Saturn) need maximum exposure 1/200–1/500 high-pitched ISO (before 12800). Techniques:

• Use camera zoom (optical, not digital!).
• Take a video in 4K, Then choose the best shot in the PIPP (planetary video processing).
• Process the frame in RegiStax for clarity.

4. Foreground shooting

To make the picture look more interesting, add an object on the ground (a tree, a house, a human silhouette) to the frame.

• Take two shots: one with exposure to the stars, the other to the foreground.
• Fold them into Photoshop or Lightroom with a mask.

For meteor showers (for example, the Perseids), use a series of shooting at intervals of 1-2 seconds. Meteors appear by chance, so the more frames - the higher the chance to catch a bright trail.

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If you're shooting in the cold, heat your phone to room temperature before you start, and then put it in a silica gel bag, which will prevent the lens from fogging when you go outside.

Common Mistakes and How to Avoid Them

Even experienced photographers sometimes make mistakes when shooting stars on a smartphone, and here are the most common ones and ways to fix them:

• 🌫️ Lubricated stars: caused by too long exposure without a tracker.Solution: use the rule of 500 (maximum shutter speed) = 500 / focal length. for a smartphone with an equivalent focus ~25 mm maximum exposure — ~20 seconds.
• 🔥 Lights from cities: even far from the city can be illumination. Solution: take the shooting in the direction opposite to the city lights, or use a light filter (for example, a piece of red film in front of the lens).
• 📵 Battery discharge: in the cold, the phone discharges 2-3 times faster. Solution: use flight mode and connect power bank.
• 🌡️ Frozen lens: occurs when temperatures drop. Solution: Before shooting, put your phone in a bag for 10-15 minutes to adapt to street temperature.
• 🖼️ Noisy pictures: high ISO Solution: Take a series of frames with a lower frame. ISO And put them in Sequator.

Another common mistake is misfocusing, and many Xiaomi users complain that the stars are blurry, usually because of autofocus, which can't focus on infinity.

1. Switch to Pro Mode.
2. Tap the screen to make the focus square appear.
3. Transfer the focus slider to the far right position (badge) ∞).
4. If the focus is still lost, use a focus lock (usually an icon). 🔒).

⚠️ Note: Some Xiaomi models (e.g. Redmi Note 10 Pro) are used when shooting in the video RAW You can see green in the pictures, and this is fixed in Lightroom with the Color Removal tool. HSL).

FAQ: Answers to Frequent Questions