How to make a photo on Xiaomi is not worse than a mirror: a complete guide to improving the quality of shooting

Xiaomi smartphones have long ceased to be “just phones” – their cameras compete with budget mirrorless, and advanced processing algorithms allow you to get pictures that are not inferior to the flagships of other brands.+ They will not reach their potential without the right settings and shooting techniques.

Many users mistakenly believe that just pressing the down button will do everything for them, but in practice, the quality of photos is 70% dependent on lighting, composition and manual settings, not automatic mode. In this article, we’ll break down the specific tricks that will help you squeeze the most out of a Xiaomi camera, whether it’s a budget Poco. X6 Or the flagship Mix Fold 3.

We pay special attention to hidden functions. MIUI, We're not talking about them in the official manuals, and we're also debunking the myths of "magic photo-enhancing apps." Spoiler: most of them just ruin the original file. Instead, you'll learn to work with the original file. RAW-format, customize color profiles, use external lenses and even shoot videos in 10-bit HDR — And all this on standard firmware without root.

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1. Optimizing the basic camera settings: what to turn off and turn on

The first thing to start with is to audit the camera's current settings. MIUI They're set to be universal, but not to be as high as possible. AI-The improvement of the scene often overstates the saturation and contrast, which makes the photos look unnatural.

Go to Camera Settings → Additionally, and disable the following options:

• 🔄 AI-Scene improvement – artificially “color” the photo, but loses natural colors.
• 🌈 Automobile-HDR — It is better to turn on manually in bright lighting.
• 📏 Perspective correction – distorts the geometry of personnel.
• 🎭 Beauty effects – blurs the details of the face even in the mode “0».

Instead, turn on:

• 📸 Conservation RAW (In Settings → Photo format – allows you to edit pictures without loss of quality.
• 🔍 Grid composition (rule of thirds) – helps to build the frame correctly.
• 📱 Shutter-release gesture (in Settings) → Control) – convenient for stable shooting.

Pay attention to resolution and aspect ratio. For example, the Xiaomi 13 Pro uses pixel binning (combining 4 pixels into 1) to improve detail in the dark. But if you want maximum sharpness in good lighting, switch to 12.5 MP, so each pixel works separately.

⚠️ Note: In models with a telephoto lens (for example, Xiaomi 14 Ultra) when shooting in the camera RAW files take up to 120MB per frame. Make sure your phone has enough memory, or use a microSD card UHS-II.

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Manual control: exposure, ISO white balance

Xiaomi’s automatic camera mode does well 80% of the time, but for challenging lighting conditions (contrast light, twilight, artificial lighting) it’s best to use Pro mode.

How to set up manual mode for the perfect shot:

1. Excerpt (S): 🌅 By day: 1/1000–1/2000 (freeze). 🌃 At night: 1/10–1/30 (use a tripod!). 💧 Water photography: 1/2–1/8 (silk-water effect).
2. ISO: ☀️ By day: 100–400 (noise-free). 🌆 Indoors: 800–1600. 🌙 At night: 3200–6400 (But expect noise).

WB

• 💡 Filament lamps: 2500–3000K.
• 🌞 Sunlight: 5,000–5500K.
• ☁️ Cloudy: 6500–7500K.

For quick setup in manual mode, use gestures:

• 👆 Swipe up/down – changes exposure (EV).
• 👉 Swipe left/right – adjusts white balance.
• 🔘 Double tap – resetting settings to automatic.

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In models with Leica optics (for example, Xiaomi 13 Ultra) in manual mode, Leica Authentic and Leica Vibrant profiles are available. The first retains natural colors, the second adds a “branded” contrast. Switch to Settings → Style photo

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3. Filming in RAW Post-processing: How to get the most detail

Format RAW (Or.dng in Xiaomi) stores raw data from the matrix, which gives you complete control over color, exposure and noise when editing. RAW I need to know:

When to film in RAW:

• 🌄 Landscapes - to restore the lights in the sky.
• 👗 Portraits with complex lighting to correct the shadows on the face.
• 🏙️ Architecture – to correct perspective without losing quality.

How to process RAW phone-on:

1. Install Lightroom Mobile or Snapseed (free of charge).
2. Import the.dng file to the app.
3. Set up: 📊 Exposure (restore shadows/lights). 🎨 Color profile (try Camera Neutral for natural tones). 🔍 Sharpness (add). +20–30 for details). 🧹 Noise suppression (in Lightroom: Details) → Noise reduction).

JPEG

100%

Shut down. AI-camera-work

Setting white balance manually (not auto)

Use a tripod or support for long exposures

Shoot in 4:3 format (maximum resolution)

Process it. RAW 24 hours (not to forget)

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The main point is that Xiaomi retains and RAW, and JPEG It takes up a lot of space, so in Settings. → The photo format can be selected only RAW (But then you have to process every frame).

⚠️ Note: In models with Sony IMX707 (for example, Xiaomi 12S Ultra) RAW-The files have a 14-bit color depth, which allows you to restore up to 2-3 stops of overlights. RAW — 10 bits, so the dynamic range will be less.

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4. Videotaped: 4K, HDR10+ and stabilizing

Xiaomi cameras support video recording in resolution up to 8K@24fps (in flagships) and 4K@60fps s HDR10+. But for a professional result, it's not enough to just choose the maximum resolution:

Optimal settings for video:

• 🎥 Permission: 4K@30fps — Better balance of quality and stabilization. 1080p@60fps — for dynamic scenes (sports, dancing). 8K@24fps — only for static personnel (landscapes, architecture).
• 🎛️ Bitrate: Enable High Bitrate in Video Settings → Quality (up to 120 Mbps in flagships).
• 🌟 HDR: Use it. HDR10+ Only in good lighting (it is better to turn off in the dark).
• 🔄 Stabilization: Enable Hyperstabilization (available in Xiaomi) 13/14 POCO F5).

For professional color correction, take a picture in LOG-Profile (available in Xiaomi 13 Pro and later) This mode records flat contrast video, allowing you to flexibly customize colors in Premiere Pro or DaVinci Resolve.

For sound, use an external microphone (such as Rode VideoMic) connected via a USB-C. Xiaomi's built-in microphone is good at suppressing noise, but catches few low frequencies.

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5. Shooting accessories: what really works

Even Xiaomi’s most advanced camera won’t replace the right accessories. TOP-5 The gadgets that will really improve your photos and videos:

External lenses are particularly noteworthy, such as Moment Macro Lens, which allows you to shoot parts from 1 mm in size, and Wide. 18mm Expands the angle of view to 100° without distortion at the edges (unlike digital zoom).

It is better to use stabilization DJI Osmo Mobile – it syncs with Xiaomi’s camera via Bluetooth and supports ActiveTrack 3.0 (automatic object tracking).

⚠️ Warning: When using external lenses, turn off digital zoom in camera settings (Settings) → zoom → Digital zoom: Off. Otherwise, the software will crop the frame, negating the effect of optics.

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6. Hidden functions MIUI camera

Xiaomi hides some useful features deep in the settings or behind gestures, and here are the most useful ones:

• 🔍 Document Mode: Automatically aligns perspective and improves readability. AI top-down.
• 🌙 Night mode in manual control: Xiaomi 13/14 The series can be combined Night mode with manual settings ISO To do this, hold your finger on the screen in Pro mode and select Night.
• 🎬 Record video from two cameras at the same time: In models with a telephoto lens (for example, Xiaomi 14 Ultra), you can shoot video from the main and the TV camera simultaneously. → Double video.
• 📏 Horizon Level: Included in Settings → Additionally. → Level. Helps avoid curved horizons.
• 🔄 Quick switch between cameras: Double swipe left/right on the screen (configured in Settings) → Management).

Another little-known feature is the Clone mode (available in Xiaomi) 13T It allows you to take multiple shots with different poses and then combine them into one photo. Useful for creative portraits. → Clone.

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The Leica-optic models have unique filters: Leica Authentic (natural colors) and Leica Vibrant (contrast style), which are used during the shooting phase and cannot be added later.

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7 Mistakes That Are Ruining Your Photos (and How to Avoid Them)

Even with perfect settings, you can get bad pictures if you make these mistakes:

• 📵 Dirty lens: Spots and fingerprints on the lens reduce sharpness by 30-40.
• 🌡️ Overheated phone: At temperatures above 40°C camera automatically limits performance.Use Xiaomi Cooling Back Clip for cooling.
• 🔋 Shooting on low charge: When charged below 15%, the phone lowers the video bitrate and turns off HDR. Always take off with a charge > 30%.
• 📱 Digital zoom: Any zoom above 2× (in budget models) or 5× (In flagships, this is trimming and interpolation. You better come closer or use a telephoto lens.
• 🌑 Shooting against light: If a light source (sun, lamp) hits the frame, turn on HDR and reduce the exposure to -1.0 EV.

Another common problem is that autofocus is breathing (constantly reconfiguring) to avoid this:

1. Switch to Manual Focus (Tap on the Screen) + hold on).
2. Use it. AF-S (single focusing instead of AF-C (continuous).
3. Xiaomi. 13/14 Enable Laser Autofocus in the series settings.

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FAQ: Answers to Frequent Questions