You know you’re stuck in endless loop of pandemic life when you can no longer accumulate the enthusiasm to change your stupid virtual zoom background. I have For some time now we have been overusing the default “space” image of Zoom– but imagine my surprise when I went to switch it the other day and found that the app now includes a lot of virtual backgrounds and effects that anyone can experience.
To access them, make sure you’ve updated Zoom to the latest version of the app. This should be self-explanatory on your mobile devices. On the desktop, click the profile image in the upper right corner of the Zoom main window and select Check for updates under the menu.
(While there’s no guarantee you’ll get extra features by upgrading to the latest version of Zoom, keeping up to date with your updates gives you the best chance possible. And it’s great for Zoom security, too. OK, get back to the fun. )
Launch a zoom call and drag up the virtual backgrounds feature by clicking the arrow next to the video switch at the bottom left corner. Select “Choose virtual background” and you should now see some new options – a wonderful animated beach, as well as a simpler “background blur” feature. I can’t decide which one I like better.
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But I’m just done. Click small “Studio Effects” link in the lower right corner and you will get a pop-out sidebar that allows you to assign new eyebrows, mustache and / or beard and a lip color. Wonderful. Who doesn’t want a pair of Eugene Levy eyebrows?
Be sure to uncheck “Apply to all future appointments” so you don’t have to worry oblivion to adjust these effects when switching from hangouts from weekend friends to the next service chat.
Once you’re done tangling there, be sure to click Zoom “Video filters” option, located on the right “Virtual Backgrounds”. There, you’ll find a whole bunch of different filters that you can place over your image, from filters that adjust their color, well:
Don’t forget to stop “Mirror my video” if you find that some of the effects are reversed. How else will your friends and colleagues know that you are confused by their presentation?
Although you won’t find the Studio effects mentioned above or the wonderful animated beach on the mobile versions of your Zoom app (at least for now), you should still be able to access the filters in your virtual background menu.