#VIRTUAL BACKGROUNDS FOR ZOOM OFFICE HOW TO#
#VIRTUAL BACKGROUNDS FOR ZOOM OFFICE UPGRADE#

Without enough light, your whole shot starts to deteriorate. So then, when you’re forced to lower the lighting on your face to fix the problem, you end up sitting mostly in the dark.Īnd then it becomes a cascading problem, because you really want more light on your face to help your webcam display it properly. That’s because ‘Zooming’ in a darker space generally forces your webcam to overexpose your face while trying to bring out more detail in the background of your shot. This is especially true if your room is generally dark. It can really improve how your face looks! There’s also another big benefit to adding some white behind you before activating your virtual background.

(Now, if you want Zoom to give you a digital haircut, go right ahead!)īrighter Backgrounds will Help You Light your Face Otherwise, Zoom will digitally crop the edges of your hair with that black line circling your head. That’s because the virtual background will appear to show through the mess of your hair. Then, when you activate your virtual background, the white screen also disappears, and it does wonders to reduce that horrible black ‘helmet outline’ that often surrounds your head.Īnd if your virtual background displays lots of white or brightness behind your out-of-control hair, the overall key around your head will look much more realistic.

It doesn’t have to cover your whole background. It can be with a white screen, curtain or even a big piece of white paper. My trick is to place some ‘white’ behind your head and shoulders. So that really wouldn’t work…īut I’ve figured something else out that does… Even if I could somehow jam one in, I wouldn’t be able to move around anymore. I can’t cover my entire background with a green screen, because there simply isn’t enough room based on the configuration of my home office. It’s a relatively wide field of view, and you will see much more of my home office than I’d prefer.

But I just can’t let that sloppy look go without attempting to fix it.īut, the challenge I face when trying to improve my own virtual background starts with the basic shot my iMac’s webcam creates. Maybe some people don’t care how ‘solid’ they appear with their virtual background. It works, but often with the edges of your head and body shimmering like an apparition. The other option is to let Zoom figure it out without the benefit of a solid color. Then, Zoom will create a beautiful chroma-keyed background using the green. The holy-grail solution to generating a great virtual background is to place a green screen behind you that spans your entire background.

#VIRTUAL BACKGROUNDS FOR ZOOM OFFICE HOW TO#

I think this speaks to what we’re all currently grappling with… how to traverse this new reality when the plan to continue to lock yourself up at home isn’t realistic anymore.įor now though, I’m relying on my hair gel as well as a cool video trick I’ve discovered to improve my Zoom videos when using virtual backgrounds. I certainly can’t wait two years until there’s a vaccine! I’m spotting lots of folks now with new haircuts. But I know it’s not sustainable for any long-term plan. Yes, I must admit I’ve started using hair gel to try to tame my mad scientist look. Now, after months of COVID-19 seclusion, my Zoom video shots look like a time portal back into ‘70s. Have you gotten a haircut yet? I haven’t.

#VIRTUAL BACKGROUNDS FOR ZOOM OFFICE UPGRADE#

Here’s a way to upgrade your look in this digital arena.

Using a virtual background with Zoom can be hard to get right.

Virtual backgrounds for zoom office