How to reduce the size of photos on Xiaomi: from standard tools to professional tricks

Photos on Xiaomi, Redmi and POCO smartphones are getting heavier every year – modern cameras shoot up to 108 MP, and the weight of one picture can exceed 10-15 MB. This creates problems when sending via messengers (where there are restrictions of 5-10 MB), uploading to the cloud or freeing up memory. Fortunately, you can reduce the size of the photo on Xiaomi both standard means of MIUI and using third-party applications – without losing visual quality.

In this article, we will discuss 8 working ways, from built-in gallery and camera functions to hidden MIUI settings and specialized utilities, how to compress photos to the desired size without installing additional programs, which formats (.jpg,.heic,.webp) are better used to save space, and how to automate the process for hundreds of shots.

1. Built-in compression in the Xiaomi Gallery (without installing apps)

The easiest way to reduce the size of a photo is to use the tools of the standard MIUI gallery. The compression function is hidden in the editing menu and allows you to reduce the weight of the shot to 30-70% without visible loss of quality. Works on all models starting with MIUI 12 (including Redmi Note 10/11/12, POCO X3/X4/X5, Xiaomi 12/13/14).

How to do this:

• 📷 Open the gallery and select the photo you want.

⚠️ Attention: B MIUI 14 and later, the compression function may be called Optimize and be in the More section. → Tools: If you don't have an option, update the Gallery app via Google Play.

2. "Light mode" of the camera: shooting immediately in a reduced size

Few people know, but Xiaomi smartphones have a hidden feature called "Lite Mode" that automatically reduces the resolution of the photo when shooting. This is ideal if you do not need pictures in 48-108 MP, but it is important to save space. In this mode, photos weigh 2-4 times less, and the difference in quality is noticeable only when you increase strongly.

How to turn on:

1. Open the Camera app.
2. Touch the badge. ⚙️ Settings (cog in the upper right corner).
3. Go to Photo Resolution (or Photo Quality).
4. Choose Light (Lite) or Standard (instead of High or 108 MP).

💡 If you share photos frequently on WhatsApp or Telegram, turn on Easy Default Mode, which will eliminate the need to compress photos manually before sending them.

3. Conversion to format HEIC/HEIF (saving up 50% place)

The.heic (or.heif) format is a modern alternative to.jpg, which takes up 2 times less space at the same quality. Xiaomi smartphones since MIUI 12.5 support shooting and saving in this format, but the function is often disabled by default.

How to turn the shooting on HEIC:

• 📸 Open the chamber. → Settings → Photo format.
• 🔄 Choose. HEIF/HEIC instead JPEG.
• ⚠️ Note that some social networks (for example, VKontakte) do not support.heic – you will have to convert the photo before downloading.

If you have already taken photos in.jpg and want to convert them to.heic:

1. Install the HEIC Converter app (free on Google Play).
2. Select a photo in the gallery → Share → Convert to HEIC.
3. Finished files will be saved to a separate folder.

4. packet compression of several photos through "Files"

If you want to reduce the size of tens or hundreds of photos at once, the standard Files by Google app offers a built-in batch compression tool, which is convenient for cleaning up memory before traveling or archiving old photos.

Instructions:

1. Open the Files app (Blue folder icon).
2. Go to the photo folder (usually DCIM → Camera).
3. Hold your finger on one photo, then mark the others.
4. Press. ⋮ → Compress (or Optimize).
5. Choose the compression level: Medium (recommended) or Strong.
6. Wait until the finished photo is saved to the new Compressed folder.

📁 Create a backup copy of the originals

🔍 Check that you only have the right photos.

📉 Choose a medium compression level (strong can degrade quality)

💾 Make sure there is enough space on the device for temporary files.

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⚠️ Attention: When compressed strongly, the packet loses metadata (date of shooting, geotagged, camera model). If critical, use specialized applications like Photo & Picture Resizer.

5. Third-party applications for advanced compression

If embedded tools MIUI They don't like it, they'll look at third-party utilities, and they'll offer more customizations: manual permission, format selection, save batch processing. EXIF-Here's the top of the data.-3 tested applications:

🔹 How to choose: If you just want to reduce weight, take Photo & Picture Resizer. Image Size is good for professional compression with settings (for example, for printing.

6. Compression via Google Photos (Automatic Optimization)

Google Photos automatically optimizes photos when uploaded to the cloud by enabling the “Saving Space” feature, which is convenient for those who sync photos with Google Drive – the originals remain on the device, and compressed copies are downloaded to the cloud (up to 16 MP and weighs ~2-3 MB).

How to set up:

• 📲 Open Google Photos → tap on the avatar → Photo settings.
• 🔄 Select the download quality → Saving space.
• ⚙️ Turn on Automatic Booting (if disabled).

⚠️ Note: When choosing Photos with a resolution above 16 MP will be reduced to this threshold.If it is important to keep the original resolution (for example, for printing), choose Original quality, but note that it takes place in your Google Drive.

7 Manually change resolution through camera settings

If you know in advance that the photos will only go to messengers or social networks, you can lower the camera resolution manually, which will reduce the weight of the shots "input." For example, instead of 108 MP, you can shoot in 12 MP - the difference on the screen of the smartphone will be minimal, and the space savings - up to 90%.

How to change permission:

1. Open the chamber. → Settings (⚙️).
2. Select the photo resolution (or aspect ratio).
3. Set the value of 12 MP or 9 MP (instead of 48/64/108 MP).
4. For selfies: in the front camera, select 5 MP instead of 16-32 MP.

📌 Weight comparison:

• 📸 108 MP: 12–18 MB
• 📸 48 MP: 6-10 MB
• 📸 12 MP: 1.5-3 MB
• 🤳 5 MP (selfie): 0.3–0.8 MB

💡

If you shoot for Instagram or Stories, a resolution of 4-5 MP is enough. The social network will still compress the photo to 1080×1080 pixels.

8. Compression via PC (for maximum control)

If your smartphone doesn't have enough power to process hundreds of photos, transfer them to your computer and use desktop software, which offers more customization: selecting a compression algorithm, saving a color profile, batch processing with presets.

Top.-3 PC-program:

• 🖥️ Adobe Photoshop (File) → Exports → Save for the Web: allows you to set quality in percentage (optimum - 60-80%).
• 🖥️ FastStone Photo Resizer (free): batch resize, format conversion, renaming.
• 🖥️ XnConvert: Support for 500+ formats, advanced filters (e.g., noise reduction before compression).

🔹 Step-by-step instructions for FastStone:

1. Download and install the program from the official website.
2. Add a photo via Add Images.
3. In the Resize section, specify a new resolution (e.g. 1920×1080 for Full HD).
4. In Output Format, select JPEG and set the quality to 85%.
5. Press Convert and wait until it is completed.

💡

Compression on a PC gives a better result than on a smartphone, thanks to a powerful processor and specialized algorithms.

FAQ: Frequent questions about compression photos on Xiaomi