How to set up a camera on Xiaomi Redmi 8: a complete guide with secret MIUI chips

The Xiaomi Redmi 8, released in 2019, is still a popular budget smartphone with a good 12 MP (main) and 2 MP (depth) camera. However, many users do not realize that the standard settings of the MIUI camera app hide a lot of opportunities for improving the quality of images. This article is not about basic tips like “wipe the lens” – here you will find deep customization, manual settings, optimization for different scenes and even ways to circumvent the limitations of budget “hardware”.

We're not just going to look at obvious options like this. HDR Or portrait mode, but also little-known tricks: how to turn on RAW-I'm going to do some of the shooting (yes, Redmi 8 does it!), adjust the white balance for artificial lighting, or why night shots are noisy and how to fix it. MIUI They give better results, and if you're risking custom GCam ports, if you think a public sector person is not capable of high-quality photos, this instruction will prove otherwise.

Basic camera settings: what to turn on right away

Before you dig deep, make sure that the Camera app has key options activated, many of which are disabled by default, although they significantly improve the result. Go to the camera settings (cog in the upper right corner) and check:

• 📸 Photo resolution: Set 12 MP (4:3) is the sensor's native resolution. 9 MP (16:9) just crops the frame without adding details.
• 🌃 Night mode: turn on the Auto or On – even during the day it can help in shady places.
• 🔄 HDR: Select Auto, but for static scenes (landscapes, architecture) forced mode HDR+ will give better shadow work.
• 📱 The aspect ratio: 4:3 is preferred for further processing, 16:9 - only if you need a wide frame for storis.

Critical point: In the section Additional → Reset, check if the boxes are ticked against Watermark or Geotega, which not only clutter up the images, but can reduce the speed of saving photos by 15-20% due to additional processing. Also turn off the shutter sound — it does not affect quality, but annoys in quiet places.

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If some settings (such as manual mode) are missing after the MIUI update, try clearing the Camera app cache through Settings → Apps → App Management → Camera → Clear the cache. This often returns hidden options.

Manual settings: how to squeeze the maximum from the 12-MP sensor

Redmi 8 supports Manual Mode, but it's hidden by default to activate it:

1. Open the Camera app.
2. Fly through the shooting modes to the left until the end - there will appear the item More.
3. Click Add and select Pro (or Manual in Russian firmware).

Now let’s take a look at the key parameters that should be set manually:

⚠️ Attention: When shooting in RAW (if enabled via GCam, manual settings are not saved in EXIF-All edits will have to be done manually in Lightroom.

Night photography: how to deal with noise and blur

The main problem with Redmi 8 night photography is the noise from the small sensor and the lack of optical stabilization, but even with these limitations, you can get acceptable images if you:

• 🌙 Use Night Mode with a shutter speed of 2-3 seconds (hold the phone as still as possible).
• 📱 Install ISO manually 800-1200 (higher – too noisy, lower – too dark).
• 🔦 Add an external light source (even another phone’s flashlight at minimum brightness will help).
• 🖼️ Take off RAW (via GCam) and processed in Lightroom with Color Noise Reduction = 50–70.

The secret trick: If the night mode refuses to turn on (occurs on older versions of MIUI), try this workaround:

1. Open the camera in Video mode.


2. Switch to "Photo."




3. Now in the settings should appear the item "Night mode".

For video at night, you'd better use apps like Open Camera with manual ISO and shutter speed. The standard MIUI Camera app compresses video heavily, losing detail.

Portrait Mode: How to Avoid Artifacts on Hair and Edges

The Redmi 8 dual camera (12 MP + 2 MP for depth) should theoretically do well with portrait mode, but in practice it often "cuts" hair or leaves artifacts around the ears.

1. Distance: Hold your phone 1 to 1.5 meters away from your face. Closer, the depth sensor can't handle it.
2. Lighting: Portrait mode requires uniform light.Even shadows on the face will lead to segmentation errors.
3. Manual blur setting: In Portrait mode, touch the gear icon and reduce the blur intensity to 50-70%.
4. Post-processing: If the edges are still "teared," use Snapseed with the Selective Correction tool to manually blur the background.

⚠️ Attention: Portrait mode on Redmi 8 does not work with objects (e.g., taking pictures of food or flowers); depth sensor is configured only for facial recognition.

Make sure you have uniform lighting|Shut down. HDR (It interferes with segmentation)|Hold the phone at a distance of 1-1.5 m|Check the result in the gallery at 100% zoom-->

GCam on Redmi 8: whether to install and how to configure

Google Camera (GCam) is a popular solution for improving photos on budget smartphones. Redmi 8 is suitable for ports from the developers of BSG or Urnyx05, but there are nuances:

• ✅ Pros: Best processing HDR (Night Sight is more stable than its native mode. RAW Astrophotography (for shooting stars).
• ❌ Cons: No support for portrait mode (due to driver limitations) Video shoots only in 1080p@30fps (no 60 FPS). Frequently slashed on MIUI 12+.

How to install GCam on Redmi 8:

1. Download APK from Celso Azevedo (see sdm660 versions).
2. Enable installation from unknown sources in Settings → Applications → Special Access.
3. After installation, open GCam and give all permissions.
4. In GCam (Settings → BSG Mods) settings, activate: HDR+ Enhanced (for better workout). Sabre Noise Reduction (reduces noise). Viewfinder Format = 4:3 (so as not to crop the frame).

⚠️ Note: Some versions of the GCam block the standard camera MIUI To return it, clear the com.android.camera application data through ADB: adb shell pm clear com.android.camera

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The GCam gives you a 20 to 30 percent improvement in daytime scenes, but at night the difference with the native camera is minimal — both are noisy. The main advantage of the GCam is the stability of HDR.

Video: How to shoot without jerks and with good sound

Redmi 8 shoots video at maximum resolution 1080p@60fps, but settings are enabled by default that spoil the result:

• 🎥 Stabilization: Turn off EIS In the video settings, it cuts the frame and adds artifacts. You'd better use an external stabilizer or shoot with a focus.
• 🔊 Sound: Activate Sound Improvement (in microphone settings), but remember that this will increase file size by 15-20%.
• 📹 Bitrate: by default, the video is shot with bitrate ~12 Mbps. For better quality, install Open Camera and select 20–25 Mbps.
• 🌡️ Overheating: during filming 4K Use a cooling case or pause every 5-7 minutes.

For video editing with Redmi 8, we recommend:

• CapCut – for quick trimming and overlaying of music.
• KineMaster – if you need transitions and layering.
• Premiere Rush – for color correction (but requires a powerful PC).

Hidden feature: If the video is too dark, turn on Night Mode in photo mode before shooting, then switch to video, which will cause the camera to use a higher ISO, but will add noise.

Update: Which version of MIUI is best for the camera

The quality of shooting on Redmi 8 is highly dependent on the version of MIUI, and according to the results of the tests of users from the 4PDA forum, the best results are obtained:

If the camera starts to “glue” after the update (for example, no photos are saved or a black screen hangs), try:

1. Clear the camera cache: Settings → Apps → Camera → Clear the cache.
2. Reset the camera settings to factory settings (in the camera menu: Settings → Reset).
3. Reverse to the previous version of MIUI via the Mi Flash Tool (instructions on the official website).

FAQ: Answers to Frequent Questions