How to remove the anti-aliasing on the camera Xiaomi: turn off the “plastic” face once and for all

Xiaomi’s camera smoothing is one of the most controversial features that the manufacturer is actively implementing in MIUI firmware. On the one hand, algorithms for artificially improving skin and detail should make selfies and portraits “instagram” – smooth, defect-free and with bright colors. On the other hand, the result often looks unnatural: faces turn into “plastic masks”, textures are lost, and blurred artifacts appear in the photo. This is especially noticeable on the budget models of Redmi and POCO, where aggressive post-processing tries to compensate for the modest capabilities of modules.

If you're tired of the doll faces in your photos, this article will help bring back the naturalness. We'll look at all the ways you can disable the anti-aliasing, from standard MIUI settings to alternative camera firmware. It's important to understand that some methods require unlocking the bootloader or root rights, so on models with a locked bootloader (for example, for the European market), some instructions may not work. But even without deep interventions, there are ways to significantly improve the quality of the images.

Why Xiaomi is Smoothing Photos: Technical Reasons

Xiaomi’s anti-aliasing algorithms are not just a marketing ploy, but they are designed to solve a few technical problems:

• 📱 Weak sensors in budget models: Redmi Note 10 cameras or POCO M4 Pros physically can not compete with flagships in detail, so the software processing “draws” the missing pixels.
• 🎨 Beauty standards for the Asian market. In China, filters with perfectly smooth skin are popular. MIUI Initially focused on this region.
• ⚡ Optimization for social media: Photos from clean cameras often look dull against the processed images on Instagram or TikTok, so Xiaomi forcates contrast and saturation.

But the result is often redundant: For example, on the Xiaomi 12T, smoothing can eat moles and wrinkles, and on the Redmi 9, it can turn hair into a shapeless mass, and the manufacturer gives users minimal control over processing, but there are workarounds.

Method 1: Disabling the smoothing in standard MIUI settings

The easiest method is to use the camera's built-in options. Unfortunately, Xiaomi often hides these settings or limits their functionality depending on the model.

1. Open the Camera app and go to Portrait or Selfie mode.
2. Slap the icon. ⚙️ «Settings" (usually in the upper right corner).
3. Find the Beauty section (or AI-It's called the beauty effects in some firmware.
4. Move the smoothing intensity slider to 0 or turn off the option completely. Some devices (such as the Xiaomi 13 Pro) have separate regulators for Skin Smoothing, Eye Brightness and Face Shape - turn them all off.

⚠️ Attention: On models with MIUI Global (e.g. Redmi Note 11 Pro)+ 5G) option AI-Beauty can automatically turn on when you take a selfie, even if you turn it off. Check the magic wand icon in the camera interface before you shoot it.

Open the annex “Camera"|Go to Portrait or Selfie mode"|Press the icon. ⚙️ "Settings"|Find the "Beauty" section or "AI-beauty"|Set the slider to 0 or disable the option|Check the icon of the "magic wand" before shooting-->

Method 2: Using Google Camera (GCam) for natural photos

Alternative camera firmware, such as the Google Camera (GCam), often delivers more realistic results without aggressive anti-aliasing.This method is suitable for most Xiaomi devices, but requires installation. APK-file.

Here's how it works:

1. Download the GCam version optimized for your model from the 4PDA or XDA Developers forum. Popular modifications: BSG, Wichaya, Shamim.
2. Install. APK-File (you may need permission to install from unknown sources in Settings) → Annexes → Special access).
3. Open GCam and go to the settings (usually swipe down or tap on the empty screen space).
4. Find the Lib Patcher or Mod Settings section and turn off the options: 👤 Face Retouching (Face Retouching) 🎨 Beauty Mode (Beauty Mode) 🔄 Saber Sharpening (artificial sharpening)

Save the settings and take a test shot. Compare it to the original MIUI camera.

💡 Useful tip: GCam has a function RAW-shooting (format.DNG). It allows you to save raw data from the sensor, which completely eliminates anti-aliasing. However, such files take up a lot of space (20-50 MB per picture) and require post-processing in Lightroom or Snapseed.

Method 3: Disable smoothing through the engineering menu (MTK Engineer Mode)

On devices with MediaTek processors (e.g. Redmi Note 10, POCO M4 Pro 5G), you can use the engineering menu to fine-tune the camera. This method requires caution - incorrect changes can lead to crashes.

Instructions:

1. Open the Phone app and type in the combination: ##36446337## (or #4636## → MTK Settings).
2. Go to the Hardware Testing → Camera section.
3. Find the parameters associated with Beauty or Sharpening. These can be called: 📸 Camera Beauty Level (set 0) ⚙️ Camera Sharpening Strength (reduce to 30–50%) 🎭 Face Smooth Strength (Switch off)

Save the changes and restart the device.

⚠️ Attention: On some firmware MIUI The engineering menu is locked. If the code doesn't work, try installing the app. MTK Engineering Mode from Google Play. also be careful with settings ISP Tuning – changing them can lead to a green screen on the camera.

Method 4: Install custom firmware (for advanced users)

If standard methods don’t work, a radical solution is to install custom firmware (like LineageOS, Pixel Experience or ArrowOS), which uses “pure” Android without aggressive post-processing MIUI.

What will be required:

• 🔓 Unlocked bootloader: This requires you to link your Mi Account to your device and wait 7-15 days (Xiaomi Rules).
• 🖥️ Computer with installed ADB and Fastboot.
• 📱 Backup data (firmware installation erases everything from the device).

Step-by-step:

1. Unlock the bootloader through Mi Unlock Tool (the official utility from Xiaomi).
2. Download custom firmware for your model from forum.xda-developers.com.
3. Install TWRP Recovery (or other custom recovery) via the command: fastboot flash recovery twrp.img fastboot boot twrp.img
4. V TWRP Run Wipe (Dalvik, Cache, System, Data) and install it. ZIP-firmware.
5. After rebooting, set up the camera – in most custom firmware, smoothing is disabled by default.

⚠️ Attention: Installing custom firmware is warranty-free and can lead to a "brick" of the device. on some models (e.g. Xiaomi) 12S Ultra camera may not work properly due to closed Leica drivers.

💡

Custom firmware gives you maximum control over the camera, but requires unlocking the bootloader and technical skills, and we recommend this method only to advanced users.

Method 5: Manual editing of configuration files (root)

For root-right users, there is a way to disable system file-level anti-aliasing, a method that works on most Xiaomi devices, but requires caution.

Instructions:

1. Install a file manager with root support (such as Root Explorer or Mixplorer).
2. Cross the path: /vendor/build.prop or (for new versions) MIUI): /system/system_ext/build.prop
3. Find the lines containing: persist.vendor.cam.facebeauty.enab (set 0) ro.vendor.camera.beautyshot.support (replace true with false)

Save the changes, set the rights 644 (r-w-r--r---) and restart the device.

💡 Useful tip: If the camera stopped working after editing, restore the original build.prop file from a backup or reflash the device.

Comparison of results: before and after the anti-aliasing disabling

To assess the difference, take test pictures in the same conditions:

• 🌞 In daylight: The smoothing is particularly noticeable on textures (skin, tissue, hair).
• 🌃 Indoors: Artificial processing often adds noise cancellation that "eats" parts.
• 👤 Portrait Mode: Compare the boundaries of background blur - in processed photos they can look like "cut with scissors».

📌 Conclusion: Disabling the anti-aliasing makes the photo more realistic, but may require additional processing in editors (e.g., exposure correction or color balance).

FAQ: Frequent questions about smoothing on Xiaomi