How to remove the soap from the Xiaomi phone: from standard tools to professional tricks

You took a picture on your Xiaomi, but instead of a clear shot, you got a blurry soap? The problem is familiar to many smartphone owners of this brand — especially when shooting in motion, low light or using digital zoom. In this article, we will discuss 7 working ways to fix blurry right on your phone without resorting to a computer.

The reasons for the soap in Xiaomi’s photo fall into two categories: hardware (faulty camera module, lens contamination) and software (incorrect settings of the shooting, compression by AI algorithms). We will focus on the second type — it can be eliminated independently in 5-15 minutes.

Important: The methods are suitable for all modern models, from Redmi Note 12 to Xiaomi 14 Ultra. But the effectiveness varies depending on the degree of blurring and format of the original file (JPEG vs RAW).

1. Built-in editor “Gallery Xiaomi”: fast fix without installing applications

The easiest way is to use tools already integrated into the standard Gallery app. Xiaomi's algorithms are optimized for the brand's smartphone hardware, so they often do better than third-party counterparts.

How to remove the soap:

• 📱 Open the photo in the Gallery, tap "Edit" (pencil icon).
• 🔍 Select the "Details" tab» → «Sharpness. Move the slider to the right to 30-50% (more, noise will appear).
• 🎨 In the "Effects" section, try the filter. HD Professional – they automatically increase clarity.
• 💾 Keep a copy (do not overwrite the original!).

Limitation of the method: only works with JPEG. For RAW-Files (if your model supports shooting in this format) will require specialized tools.

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Before editing, increase the scale of the photo to 100% - so it is easier to assess the real degree of blurring and not overdo it with sharpness.

2. mode "Professional shooting": how to avoid soap in new photos

It is better to prevent the problem than fix it. In Xiaomi models with Pro Mode support (for example, Xiaomi 13 Pro or Redmi K60), you can manually adjust the settings that minimize blurring:

⚠️ Attention: When shooting in RAW Files take up 3-5 times more space. Make sure your phone has enough memory, or use a microSD card. UHS-I.

3. Applications to increase sharpness: top-5 Xiaomi

If the built-in tools didn’t work out, install one of these apps, and we tested them on the Redmi Note 11 Pro+ and Xiaomi 12T:

• 🔧 Adobe Lightroom (free): Masking tool in the Details section allows you to selectively increase sharpness only on blurred areas.
• 📸 Snapseed (Google): filter Details with setting Structure gives a natural result.
• 🎨 PicsArt: A function AI Enhance automatically removes soap, but sometimes overdoses with contrast.
• 🔍 Remini (for portraits): uses AI to restore faces, but requires a subscription to HD-export.
• 📱 Fotor: optimized for Qualcomm mobile processors, which are in most Xiaomi.

Comparison of key parameters:

Increase the scale to 100% for detail evaluation

Create a copy of the original

Disable autocorrection in the application settings

Export to PNG quality-preserving-->

4 Manual removal of soap through RAW-Editors (for advanced editors)

If your Xiaomi supports RAW shooting (such as Xiaomi 13 Ultra or Redmi K50 Pro), use Darktable or RawTherapee for deep processing.

• 📊 Correct the sharpness mask to pixel accuracy.
• 🔄 Deconvolution - the algorithm for restoring the parts.
• 🎯 Set up chromatic aberration, which enhances the effect of “soap” on the edges of objects.

Instructions for Darktable:

1. Import. RAW-file (mov it from phone to PC).
2. In the sharpness module, set: radius = 0.8 amount = 1.2 threshold = 0.05
3. Add the denoise (non-local means) module with the following parameters: strength = 0.3 patch size = 7

⚠️ Note: Do not apply these settings to JPEG — They're designed for 16-bit. RAW-Files and can ruin 8-bit images.

5. Hardware causes of soap: when to carry the phone to the service

If none of the software methods worked, the problem could be the hardware.

• 🔎 lens: Wipe the camera with a soft, lilaless napkin. Fat spots and dust scatter light, creating a blurring effect.
• 📱 Stabilization: In models with OIS (Optical stabilization) check the gyroscope through the test ##6484## (enter in the dialer number).
• 🔧 Lenses: Multi-lens cameras (e.g. Xiaomi) 12S Ultra) blur can only occur on one module, telephoto or wide-angle.

Symptoms for which it is worth contacting the service:

• Soap appears in all photos, regardless of the shooting conditions.
• Blurrence is localized in one corner of the frame (may indicate damage to the matrix).
• When switching between the cameras, a grinding or crackling can be heard.

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If the soap only appears at zoom ×2 and above, the problem is more with the digital zoom algorithms than the hardware. Try turning off zoom enhancement in the camera settings (Settings → Camera → Additional).

6.Alternative methods: from AI to manual retouching

When automatic tools are powerless, creative approaches remain:

• 🤖 AI Generators: Services like Topaz Gigapixel AI Let’s Enhance can recover details, but require uploading photos to third-party servers.
• 🎨 In Photoshop Express (mobile version), the Healing Brush tool allows you to “finish” lost details.
• 📹 Video Trick: If the photo is blurred due to movement, try to shoot a short video in the video. 4K@60fps, Then select the most accurate frame.

Example of Topaz Gigapixel AI:

1. Export your photos in maximum resolution.
2. Choose the Standard model (for most cases) or Face (for portraits).
3. Set Remove Blur = 0.7 and Noise Reduction = 0.3.

⚠️ Attention: AI services can distort the real proportions of objects (e.g., making the eyes in a portrait unnaturally large.

7.Prevention: How to avoid soap in photos in the future

A few simple rules will help minimize blurring:

• 📸 Focus: Press the screen for manual focus before shooting (don’t rely on autofocus).
• 🌞 Lighting: Avoid shooting against the sun - use mode HDR flash-out.
• 🖐️ Stabilization: Hold your phone with both hands or use a mini-statio (e.g. Xiaomi Mi Pocket Tripod).
• ⚙️ Settings: Turn off Scene Improvement (Camera Settings) → AI) — Sometimes AI mistakenly smooths out details.

For models with OIS (optical stabilization), check its work through the engineering menu:

1. Enter the dialer: ##4636##.
2. Select Testing → Camera Test.
3. Check the smoothness of the stabilization indicator when shaking the phone.

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In Xiaomi models with Leica cameras (such as the Xiaomi 13 Ultra), soap is more likely to show up due to aggressive AI processing.

FAQ: Frequent questions about blurry photos on Xiaomi