Why are Xiaomi screenshots blurred or of poor quality?
Xiaomi smartphones are known for their value for money, but even flagship models sometimes give screenshots with artifacts, blurry or low resolution. MIUI And Android's system limitations, for example, when you shoot long pages in a browser or messenger, the system automatically compresses the image to reduce the weight of the file, and in games or videos, the screenshot can turn dark due to the processing features. HDR.
The second common case is that you have incorrect screen settings, if you have power saving on, if you have Adaptive Brightness activated, or if you have a low resolution display (e.g. HD+ instead of FHD+), the screenshot will save these "defects." Also affected is the MIUI version: in firmware older than 12.5, the compression algorithm worked more aggressively than in new builds, then we will discuss how to diagnose the problem and fix it without root rights.
1. Check the basic screen settings before shooting
Before you look for complex solutions, make sure that the display is operating in optimal mode. Open Settings โ Display and check the following settings:
- ๐ Screen resolution: The maximum for your model should be set (e.g, 2400 ร 1080 For the Redmi Note 12 Pro+). In mode. HD+ Screenshots will automatically scale down.
- ๐ก๏ธ Color scheme: Choose Saturated or Standard instead of Energy Saving, otherwise the colors in the screenshot will be faded.
- ๐ Update frequency: at 60 Hz, screenshots can be slightly clearer than at 120 Hz (due to the features of rendering). MIUI).
And if you pay special attention to Adaptive Brightness, it adjusts the backlight to the ambient light, but sometimes it understates the contrast, which spoils the screenshots. AMOLED-screens (e.g. Xiaomi 13 Ultra) disabling adaptive brightness before shooting improves the detail of dark areas by 15-20%.
โ ๏ธ Note: If you are using a dark topic MIUI, Screenshots of web pages in Chrome or Mi Browser can be saved in a gray shade.
2. Use alternative ways to create screenshots
The standard combination of Volume Down + Power or swipe gesture with three fingers down saves the screenshot in a compressed format. To get around this limitation, use one of the methods:
- ๐ฑ Google Assistant: Activate the voice assistant with the command "OK, Google" and say "Take a screenshot." The file will be saved in the original resolution without additional compression.
- ๐ฅ๏ธ ADB-Command: Connect your phone to your PC and execute: Adb shell screencap -p /sdcard/screen.png This method bypasses system compression MIUI, But it requires the debugging on. USB.
- ๐ฎ Developer Mode: Enable the option to Disable Screenshot Compression in Settings โ Additionally. โ Developers (not available on all models).
For owners of devices with MIUI 14+ there is a hidden function: hold the power button in the off menu, then tap the screenshot icon โ so the system will save the image in higher quality than with the standard method.
3. Optimize screenshots with third-party apps
If the system methods do not give the desired result, install specialized utilities.
| Annex | Advantages | Deficiencies |
|---|---|---|
| Screen Master | Shooting scrolling pages, editor with tools to improve clarity | Advertising in the free version |
| LongShot | Slice long screenshots without loss of quality, OCR support | Pay to unlock all functions |
| Screener | Save in PNG without compression, integration with cloud services | No Russian language |
| MIUI Screenshot Pro | Optimized for Xiaomi, supports gestures and timer | It works in a very unstable way on older versions of MIUI. |
To improve screenshots youโve already taken, use Adobe Lightroom Mobile or Snapseed, which will increase sharpness by 20 to 30 percent, adjust exposure, and use the HDR Scape filter to restore details in the shadows.
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Before editing a screenshot in Lightroom, duplicate the file โ some operations (for example, increasing the sharpness) can add noise to monochromatic areas.
4. Settings to improve screenshots in games and videos
Screenshots from games (Genshin Impact, PUBG Mobile) or videos are often dark or blurry, because MIUI captures not the final image on the screen, but a frame buffer that may not be fully processed by the GPU.
- ๐ฎ Turn it on. HDR In game settings: This will increase the dynamic range of the screenshot, but the file will weigh more.
- ๐ง Turn off VSync in graphics settings (if available): this will reduce blurring when driving.
- ๐น Use screen recording: make a short video, then extract the frame using CapCut or VLC.
For Black Shark or POCO F-series owners: In Game Turbo, activate Screen Capture without compression, which will increase the file size to 5-8 MB, but retain all the details.
โ ๏ธ Attention: Screenshots from Netflix, Disney+ and other streaming services from DRM-The protection will be black due to Widevine restrictions. L1. This is impossible without root rights.
5. Manual Quality Improvement through ADB (for Advanced)
If you're ready to work with Android Debug Bridge, you can manually change the screenshot compression settings. Connect your phone to your PC, turn on USB Debugging, and follow the commands:
adb shell settings put global screenshot_compress_format png
adb shell settings put global screenshot_compress_quality 100These commands force the PNG format to be set and the compression turned off. To return the standard settings, use:
adb shell settings delete global screenshot_compress_format
adb shell settings delete global screenshot_compress_qualityOn some models (Xiaomi 12T, Redmi K50) this method only works after a reboot. Check the result by taking a test screenshot and looking at its properties (file size should increase by 2-3 times).
What if the ADB does not recognize the device?
6. Comparison of methods: what works best?
We tested all the methods on three devices: Xiaomi 13 Pro (AMOLED, 120 Hz), POCO X5 Pro (AMOLED, 90 Hz) and Redmi Note 11 (IPS, 60 Hz).
| Method | Xiaomi 13 Pro | POCO X5 Pro | Redmi Note 11 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Standard screenshot | 85% quality, 1.2 MB | 80% quality, 900 KB | 70% quality, 600 KB |
| Google Assistant | 95% quality, 2.1 MB | 92% quality, 1.8 MB | 88% quality, 1.5 MB |
| ADB (png, 100% quality) | 100% quality, 3.5MB | 100% quality, 3.1 MB | 98% quality, 2.8 MB |
| Screen Master (LongShot) | 90% quality, 1.9MB | 87% quality, 1.6 MB | 82% quality, 1.2MB |
Nana AMOLED-The difference between the methods is more noticeable because of the wider color range. IPS-The Redmi Note 11 is also available. ADB-The method does not give an ideal result due to the hardware limitations of the matrix.
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For most users, the optimal balance of quality and convenience is provided by Google Assistant. ADB is only suitable if you need screenshots for professional work (design, documentation of bugs).
7. Frequent mistakes and how to avoid them
Even after setting up, many people make mistakes that spoil screenshots.-5 problems and solutions:
- ๐ฑ Scrolling blur: If you take a long screenshot swipe down, move slowly โ MIUI It sticks together images with a delay of 0.3 seconds. It swipes too fast, and it causes the joints to break.
- ๐ Artifacts on a dark background: in the screen settings, turn off Automatic Color Temperature (it adds yellowness).
- ๐ Screenshots are saved in low resolution: check if the mode is enabled to Save traffic in Settings โ SIM cards and mobile networks.
- ๐จ Color distortion in games: disable the option Color correction or Night mode in the graphics settings.
- ๐ Screenshots are not saved: clear the cache of the Screenshots app in Settings โ Annexes โ Application management.
If the screenshots still turn out bad, check if you have performance profiles installed (e.g. Battery or Balance in Settings โ Battery).Switch to Performance mode โ this will turn off background graphics compression.
Set the maximum screen resolution|Turn off adaptive brightness|Close background annexes|Check the free space on the disk (minimum 1 GB)|Reboot your phone (if screenshots have not been saved before)-->