It worth noting here that the Mi A1 sports a flagship dual camera setup comprising of a wide angle lens and a telephoto lens that are capable of taking impressive pictures in Portrait Mode. So, it seemed only fitting that we do a roundup of the nifty tips and tricks that can truly help you to get the most out of your Xiaomi Mi A1.
1. Change the Camera Frame
The Xiaomi Mi A1 comes with nifty options to change the camera frame. You can either opt for the standard 4:3 aspect ratio and the full screen 16:9 ratio. All you need to do is head over to the Settings > Camera Frame and choose the appropriate frame. For a full immersive mode, the 16:9 option is a great choice.
2. Straighten Photos
The Straighten Photos mode is a nifty feature, which aids in capturing perfectly straight pictures, no matter how to take them. The best part of this feature is that even if the phone is held at a slight angle, the end result is a perfectly straight frame. You’ll find this feature under Options. So if you are walking on an uneven road and aren’t sure how the pictures will turn out, trust the straighten picture mode to help you out.
3. Customize the Volume Rockers
The volume button in the Mi A1 can also effectively double up as a button to zoom. By default, it doubles up as a shutter button. Or if you aren’t happy with the options, you can revert it to the function, which it serves the best — controlling system volume.
4. Change Saturation Settings
Another smart and nifty feature of the Xiaomi Mi A1 camera is the manual saturation control. It lets you choose over from a total of eight different saturation levels — no colors to more colors. So, if you’d like to get pure a grayscale image, you can choose the lowest saturation setting and click away. Similarly, for richer pictures, the higher saturation settings will assist you in achieving a stunning look.
5. Modify Exposure Settings
Along with Saturation Control, the Mi A1 also features a neat set of Exposure settings. The Xiaomi Mi A1 currently gives you the option to choose from Frame average, Center weighted, and Spot metering. If you are fluent with photography verses, you might be aware that the Frame average setting would lend a balanced exposure to the whole shot while the Spot metering option will set the exposure levels, depending on the where you touch on the screen.
6. Audio Trigger
Since the Mi A1 runs on Stock Android, you wouldn’t be able to utilize the fingerprint sensor as a shutter button. So, if you are looking for a hands-free method of capturing selfies. All you have to do is to give the command and the rest will be taken care of by the phone itself. To switch on this feature, head over to the Options menu and tap on Audio at the top.
7. Portrait Mode
Thanks to the dual camera set-up, the Xiaomi Mi A1 can render beautiful images with a DSLR-like Bokeh effect. While the camera interface is similar to that of the OnePlus 5, clicking a shot can be a tad difficult in certain scenarios. For starters, you’d have to place the object at a good distance away from the camera. Unlike the OnePlus 5 camera, the Xiaomi Mi A1 camera needs a little bit of distance. Before hitting the shutter button, look for the depth effect icon at the bottom to capture the perfect shot. Once it’s gray, hit the shutter button.
8. Use the 2X Zoom for Macros
Thanks to the dual camera setup, the Mi A1 boasts of a 2X optical zoom and 10x digital zoom. Thus for taking macro shots, if an object is a tad further away from the camera let the 2x zoom come to your rescue. All you have to do is switch it on and capture the picture while holding the camera absolutely still.
Click Away!
To sum it up, the camera of Xiaomi mi A1 contains a slew of features like the manual mode, group selfies, tilt shift and the built-in beauty mode. Of course, it has a few drawbacks like the lack of OIS (Optical Image Stabilization) or the absence of shortcut key for camera modes, but worry not, the above tips and tricks will make the camera experience worthwhile
