How to Photograph Stars on Xiaomi: From Preparation to Processing

Starry sky is one of the most exciting stories for a photographer, but shooting it on a smartphone seems impossible. Especially when it comes to budget or mid-budget Xiaomi models that do not have professional cameras. POCO X5 Capable of capturing the Milky Way, star tracks or bright constellations.

In this article, we will understand how to bypass the limitations of a smartphone camera, what settings to use in the Camera or Pro Mode app, and why shutter speed is so high, ISO And focus is key. You'll also learn which accessories will help you improve your results and which mistakes will make all your efforts go away!

Which Xiaomi smartphones are suitable for shooting stars?

Not all Xiaomi models are equally good at night shooting, the main criteria for choosing the size of the matrix, the aperture of the lens and support for manual mode.

• 📱 Flagship series: Xiaomi 13/14 Pro, Mi 11 Ultra – equipped with large sensors (1/1.28"–1/1.12"), light-power f/1.9–f/1.6 support RAW. Ideal for beginner astrophotographers.
• 🌌 Mid-segment: Redmi Note 12 Pro+, POCO F5 Pro - have sensors 1/1.56"–1/1.28" and manual mode with exposure to 32 They require additional processing, but they give an acceptable result.
• 💰 Budget models: Redmi 12, POCO M6 Pro - smaller matrices (1/2.0"), high-pitch ISO, But with the right settings, you can shoot bright stars or the moon.

Critical moment: smartphones with lenses light power worse f/2.2 (For example, many Redmi A-series models are not physically able to collect enough light to photograph stars!

If your model did not get into the table, check its specifications on the official Xiaomi website or in the application. CPU-Z (Note the Aperture parameter, which should be no higher. f/2.0 shoot-out.

Preparation for shooting: time, place and weather

Even the most advanced camera will be spoiled by clouds or light smog, so you don't have to waste your time, remember three key rules:

1. The moon should not interfere. The optimal time is a new moon or a phase of up to 20%. Check the lunar calendar at timeanddate.com.
2. Get away from cities. Light pollution clogs up stars. Use lightpollutionmap.info to find dark areas (grey or blue areas).
3. The weather should be clear. Clouds above 10% will make it impossible to shoot. Keep track of the forecast in Windy or Clear Outside.

Lifehack: If you can't get far from the city, shoot star tracks (long exposure with the movement of stars) - they are less demanding to the conditions. Or photograph the moon: it is bright and visible even in a slight haze.

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Use the PhotoPills (Android) app to plan your shooting: it will show the Milky Way’s trajectory, the time of starrise, and the moon phase for your location.

⚠️ Warning: shooting in winter requires special preparation. Cold quickly drains the battery - take a powerbank and a hand heating pad. Condensation on the lens will spoil all the shots: let the smartphone acclimatize 10-15 minutes before shooting.

Camera settings for shooting stars on Xiaomi

Now, to the most important thing, you'll need Pro Mode (or Manual in Russian firmware) mode, if you don't, install alternative software:

• 📲 GCam (Google Camera) - Ported versions for Xiaomi support shutter speeds of up to 4 minutes and better handle noise. 4pda.ru (Look for the theme of your model).
• 📷 Manual Camera or ProCam X – Paid apps with advanced settings RAW histogram.

The best options to start with (adjust to your model):

• 🔘 Focus: MF (Manual – focus on the brightest star or infinity (if you have a scale).
• ⏱️ Shutter speed: 20-30 seconds (maximum that your smartphone allows without noise).
• 🌓 ISO: 1600–3200 (on Xiaomi 13 Pro, you can raise to 6400).
• 📏 White balance: 4,000–5000K (or daylight).
• 🔄 Format: RAW (if supported) for subsequent processing.

Example of the path to settings in the standard Camera app:

Open Camera → Swipe down to select modes → Select "Pro" → Press the gear (⚙️) → Activate "Manual Settings"

Install GCam or ProCam X (if no Pro Mode)

Clean the lens of dust and prints

Disable Stabilization (EIS)

Insert the grid (for composition)

Put your smartphone on a tripod or stable surface-->

⚠️ Attention: if the images are blurry, the problem is not the settings, but the vibrations. Even a slight breeze of wind or steps nearby can spoil the frame with a long shutter speed. Use a remote control (for example, a Bluetooth shutter) or a delay timer of 2-3 seconds.

Accessories that will improve your photos

A smartphone is not a SLR camera, and it needs help. Here's the minimum set of accessories for quality shots:

If the budget is limited, start with a tripod and remote – they will give you a +90% quality. Filters and external lenses (e.g. Xiaomi Lens) only make sense for advanced users.

Shooting and typical mistakes of beginners

Now that we're done, we're going to start shooting.

1. Install your smartphone on a tripod, point the lens at a patch of sky with bright stars (for example, the constellation of Orion or the Milky Way).
2. Turn on Pro Mode, set a manual focus on infinity (if the scale is missing, focus on the moon or a distant lantern).
3. Set the parameters: shutter speed 25 s, ISO 3200, white balance 4500K. Take a test shot.
4. Check the histogram (if there is in the application): the peak should be on the right side, but not resting on the edge (perlight).
5. Take 10-15 frames at intervals of 1-2 minutes (for subsequent addition to Sequator or StarStaX).

Now, what usually goes wrong:

• 🌑 Pictures too dark: zoom in ISO Up to 6400 or 30 seconds shutter speed (but not at the same time – there will be a lot of noise).
• 🔴 Red color in the photo: light pollution. Use the filter or take it in another location.
• ⚪ Stars turned out blurred: check the focus (it could be lost) or reduce the shutter speed to 15 seconds.
• 📱 Smartphone overheats: let it cool for 5 minutes between snapshots.

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The most common mistake is to try to shoot stars in Night Mode, which is designed for urban scenes with artificial lighting and automatically lowers shutter speed, making stars invisible. Always use Pro Mode!

Photo processing: from RAW before the final image

Raw pictures from your smartphone will be noisy and dull — that's OK. The processing task is to pull out the details and reduce the noise. Here's the minimum set of tools:

• 🖥️ On PC: Adobe Lightroom (free), Darktable (open source), Sequator (for adding frames).
• 📱 On the smartphone: Snapseed, Lightroom Mobile, StarStaX (for star tracks).

The basic processing steps in Lightroom are:

1. Import. RAW-File, go to the Develop module.
2. Increase Exposure on +1.5–2.5 EV.
3. Raise Shadows to +80 (Opens details in dark areas).
4. Reduce Highlights to -30 (preserve bright stars).
5. Add Clarity. +20 and Sharpening +30 (mask at the edges of stars).
6. Use Noise Reduction (Luminance) +25, Color +15).

For the addition of several frames (reduces noise):

1. Install Sequator (Windows) or StarStaX (macOS/Linux).


2. Download the RAW or JPEG- file series.




3. Select Stars mode and press Start.




4. Save the result in TIFF for further processing.

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If you don't. RAW, shoot in JPEG With maximum resolution and process in Snapseed: the tool "Selective correction" will help brighten only the stars without affecting the sky.

Advanced Techniques: Star Trek and the Milky Way

Once you’ve mastered basic photography, try more sophisticated techniques:

• 🌌 Star tracks: capture a series of frames at intervals of 30 seconds for 1-2 hours, then combine them into StarStaX (Startrail mode.
• 🥛 The Milky Way: Search for it from March to October (in the Northern Hemisphere). Use a shutter speed of 20 to 25 seconds, ISO 6400 and wide-angle lens (if any).PhotoPills app will show exact position.
• 🌕 Moon in the frame: reduce shutter speed to 1/200 c ISO before 100, Use zoom (if you have one) or shoot through a telephoto lens.

Example settings for Xiaomi 13 Ultra while shooting the Milky Way:

• Shutter speed: 25 seconds
• ISO: 5000
• Focus: manual (infinity)
• White balance: 4200K
• Format: RAW + JPEG

⚠️ Warning: When shooting star tracks, watch the battery. If the smartphone turns off before the end of the series, the tracks will be interrupted. USB-cable with external battery and disable all background processes (Wi-Fi, mobile data).

FAQ: Answers to Frequent Questions