How to make the moon on Xiaomi: from settings to supermoon

Many Xiaomi smartphone owners face the frustration of trying to capture the night star: instead of a detailed crater, a blurred white spot appears in the lens. This is a classic exposure error that even professional photographers who use expensive optics struggle with. Smartphones, despite their powerful sensors, are still limited to the physics of a small matrix, but modern algorithms MIUI and Google Camera allow you to work wonders.

To get a really impressive result, it’s not enough to just point the camera and press the down button. You’ll need to understand the logic of how the sensor works in low light and adjust the settings correctly manually. In this article, we’ll discuss how to turn your Xiaomi Redmi or flagship Mi into an astrophotography tool.

The key to this is the balance between ISO shutter speed and sensitivity, which we'll talk about in more detail. The right hardware preparation and the knowledge of a few tricks of software processing will make Xiaomi's image of the moon truly detailed.

Preparation of equipment: tripod and stabilization

The first and most important rule of night photography is that the smartphone is completely immobile. Even the microscopic tremors of the hands when using digital zoom lubricates the picture, turning craters into porridge. Using a tripod is not just a recommendation, but a prerequisite for obtaining a quality result.

If you don't have a professional tripod, you can use any fixed supports, like putting your phone on a rock, putting it on a parapet, or pressing a window against a glass. It's important to eliminate any vibrations when you press the shutter button. Some users have successfully used a self-start timer to keep the screen from wobbling.

⚠️ Note: Even built-in optical stabilization (OIS) In expensive models Xiaomi will not save the situation when shooting the moon with maximum zoom, as the amplitude of the trembling hands is too large for the telephoto lens.

In addition to fixing the phone, the condition of the optics is critical. Wipe the camera lenses with a microfiber before shooting, as fat spots from the fingers create a halo effect around bright objects. A dirty lens scatters the light of the moon, drastically reducing the contrast and detail of the final image.

Use of Manual (Pro) mode to control exposure

Automated camera mode is often wrong, trying to illuminate the dark sky and making the moon illuminated disk. To get a detailed picture, you need to switch to manual mode, which in the Xiaomi camera interface is denoted as Pro or Manual, which is where you get full control of the sensor parameters.

First of all, you need to adjust focus. Switch focus to manual mode (a flower or MF icon) and move the slider towards infinity (a mountain icon). However, "infinity" on a scale does not always mean perfect sharpness, so turn the slider slowly until the image on the screen is as clear as possible.

The most important parameter is shutter speed. To image the moon, it has to be very short, usually in the range of 1/200 to 1/1000 of a second. If the shutter speed is longer, the surface of the satellite will float because of its own motion relative to the Earth and the rotation of the planet.

ISO sensitivity should be kept to a minimum, usually ISO 50 or ISO 100. High ISO values will add digital noise that will destroy the texture of the lunar surface. White balance can be set at about 4500K-5000K for natural color or left automatic.

The secrets of the work of zoom and algorithms Xiaomi

Modern Xiaomi smartphones, especially the Mi Ultra series and Xiaomi 13/14 Pro, are equipped with periscopic telephoto lenses with optical zoom 5x or 10x. Using optical zoom gives the best quality, as there is no loss of resolution when framing.

When you use digital zoom (magnification over optical zoom), algorithmic processing comes into play. Xiaomi uses Super Moon technology, which recognizes a satellite and overlays it with high-resolution texture or uses multi-frame noise cancellation. This is not a "fake" in its pure form, but a complex computational photo.

To activate the best algorithms, try to first shoot the moon in normal mode "Photo", and then switch to "Pro". Sometimes the system itself tells you that the object is recognized by offering a special icon of the moon, clicking on this icon optimizes the settings for shooting the night light.

Settings for shooting in normal mode

If you're not going to mess around with manual ISO settings and you don't want to shutter, you can try to cheat the automation in standard mode, you can use the exposure lock function, point the camera at the moon and press the screen at the point where the satellite is.

After focusing, you'll see a brightness slider (sunshine) that you lower down to a minimum, and that will cause the camera to darken the frame, and the white spot will start to show up, and this method works worse than Pro mode, but it gives you an acceptable result for quick shooting.

Also, disable all effects (Beauty) and filters that can blur the texture. Turn on HDR mode, if it is available in night mode, this will help to save parts in light areas of the disk.

Some versions of the MIUI and HyperOS shells have a hidden Night mode, which, when got stuck against a very bright object against a dark background, can suggest a special scenario.

⚠️ Warning: Don't use the built-in flash when shooting the moon! It's designed to illuminate objects within a meter of you and only illuminate the lens, creating a parasitic illumination.

Post-processing: how to improve the picture

Even perfect. RAW-The file often requires minimal fine-tuning. Xiaomi's built-in gallery editor allows you to adjust the settings after you shoot. Open the photo, click Change and find the light tuning tools.

First, reduce the Highlights and Whites, which will return the texture to the overlit areas of the moon, then increase the Contrast and Clarity slightly to highlight the crater boundaries.

If the image looks noisy, use noise reduction, but do not overdo it to turn the surface into plastic. For advanced users, it is recommended to shoot in RAW format (available in Pro mode) and process in applications such as Lightroom Mobile or Snapseed.

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Shoot the Moon in RAW format via Pro mode. This will save maximum data about color and light, allowing the post-processing to "pull out" details that would be lost in JPG.

Frequent Mistakes and How to Avoid Them

One of the most common mistakes is shooting through window glass. Glass almost always has pollution, glare from room lighting and distorts light. The result is a cloudy spot with the reflection of the chandelier. Always open the window or go outside / balcony.

Another mistake is to use maximum digital zoom (50x, 100x) on most smartphones, except top-end models with periscopes, it gives a terrible quality. It is better to take a picture on 5x-10x and carefully frame it when editing than get a soap right away.

Remember to charge the battery. The camera mode with the screen on and the processor active quickly puts the battery down, especially in the cold. If the battery runs out during the setup, you miss the moment.

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The quality of the Moon image is 80% dependent on the stability of the phone and the correct manual exposure setting, not the camera megapixels.