The novel coronavirus outbreak, aka COVID-19, has forced a lot more people to work from home these days. Although working remotely may sound very straightforward, but at the same time, it’s essential to stay professional even if your surroundings don’t look the same.
Check out this infamous video that demonstrates; there’s always a chance of embarrassment while taking a video conference call from home. Just realize how this dad feels whose kids walked into the room while he was on a live BBC interview video call!
But if you happen to be using Zoom for online meetings, you can hide your messy surroundings with a virtual background. This adds a professional touch & hides the mess around you. So, instead of clearing toys from the floor or moving that huge pile of clothes on your bed, take advantage of Zoom’s virtual background feature to hide the real mess behind you.
Change Your Background During Video Conference Calls
How To Set Virtual Background In Zoom App On PC/Mac?
Zoom video conference programs are one of the popular solutions for office workers these days. You should make the most out of its great tools that can make your next video call seamless & professional.
Here’s how you can transform your untidy workspace at home to something professional:
STEP 1- If you are reading this, chances are you’ve already installed the Zoom app on your device if not, you can follow this link to Download Zoom.
STEP 2- Once you’ve set up Zoom application, launch the video conferencing program & hit the Settings option, it’s like a Gear icon, located at the top-right corner of your Window.
STEP 3- From the left pane of the Settings window, choose the option “Virtual Background.”
STEP 4- As soon as you select the option, a screen preview to your current background will appear in front of you along with a ‘Rotate 90 degree” option.
STEP 5- Just below the screen preview, you can observe a limited selection of virtual backgrounds to choose from. You will also see options like – “I Have A Green Screen” & “Mirror My Video”.
If you are taking the video call with a blank wall behind, choose the first option for improving the quality of your set virtual background considerably. You can choose the latter option to implement what it says, mirror the video.
STEP 6- Choose the virtual background of your choice & will instantly appear as a backdrop.
Best part? If somehow you are not satisfied with the give options of virtual backgrounds by the Zoom app, you can undoubtedly change the background image with something of your choice.
STEP 7 – To add your favorite virtual background, click on the (+) icon on the same virtual background selection window. From the quick pop-up, choose the ‘Add Image’ or ‘Add Video’ option.
STEP 8- Now you will be taken to File Explorer, or if you are using Mac, you’ll be taken to Finder. Just navigate to the location where your desired backdrop is stored.
STEP 9- Select the image or video of your choice & click on the Open button.
STEP 10- The selected multimedia file will automatically be applied. Just make sure the image you are using has high-resolution so that it doesn’t hamper the quality during your online meeting or video conferencing call.
How To Hide Your Background During Zoom Meetings On iPhone
Well, the process is quite straightforward to set virtual background while Zoom calls using an iPhone device; all you have to do is:
STEP 1- Launch the Zoom app on your iOS device and tap on the More button.
STEP 2- Hit the Virtual Background button & choose from the free samples provided by the Zoom video conferencing app. Options are way too limited in iPhone as compared to the Zoom desktop version. However, you can always set the custom background of your choice!
STEP 3- By default, the newly set virtual background stays the same for every Zoom meeting you join in the future. So, anytime you want to change the setting for upcoming meetings, do the following.
From the navigation bar > Settings > Meetings > Keep Virtual Background For > Choose an option from “All meetings” or “Current meeting only”.
That’s it. You now have a virtual background in the Zoom meeting app!
Looking For More Virtual Background Options?
Well, the Zoom meeting app is undeniably the most favorite & popular choice to do online meetings, group chats & other business collaborations. However, few more Video Chat Tools offer the ability to set virtual backgrounds & hide the mess around you while on a conference call.
1. Skype
To Hide Your Background During Virtual Meetings Using Skype:
While on a Skype video call, right-click on your camera feed and choose the option ‘Blur my background’ from the pop-up menu.
2. Cisco Webex
To Hide Your Background During Virtual Meetings Using Cisco Webex:
Go to Settings & choose one of the pre-loaded images or select a custom image from your image. You can even blur the background to avoid distractions while on a conference call.
3. Blue Jeans
To Hide Your Background During Virtual Meetings Using Blue Jeans:
Access the Command Center & change the background for rooms.
4. Microsoft Teams
To Hide Your Background During Virtual Meetings Using Microsoft Teams:
Hit CTRL+SHIFT+P buttons during a call > hit the ellipsis icon from the meeting options z7 select to Blur My Background option.
Wrap Up
So, next time you find yourself attending a quick video call, mask your real background with some predefined themes using the Zoom video conferencing app. So, which video conferencing app have you been using for holding online meetings? Drop a comment below & let us know!
