The Coronavirus pandemic has forced many people into lockdowns and isolation. During this time, a lot of schools and colleges have taken to live video calling to make sure that studies don’t have to be halted. While convenient, video conferencing from your cozy room do have one con, that is your messy room. However, if you happen to luckily be using Zoom for video conferencing, you can actually change your background.
Irrespective of whether you just want to hide your dirty room or entertain your peers, Zoom’s background change feature can come in handy. All you need is a plain background or a green screen. If you use a green screen, make sure your clothes do not match the color. Here is how you can use it to change your background.
Watch: Samsung Galaxy Z Flip Review
Zoom: How to set a virtual background
Step 1: You need a clean, plain background behind you for this to work. If there is no wall behind you, a good idea is to use a green screen. Note that if you use a green screen, you must not wear a similar color. This could merge your body with a virtual background. Similarly, try to avoid wearing the same color as your wall if you don’t use a green screen.
Step 2: This trick will only work with Zoom Desktop Client version 4.6.0 and above. If you’re on a lower version, go on and download the new update first.
Step 3: The third step is to sign in to your Zoom Portal. Once you’re in you need to head over to Meeting Settings. Now if you are an account member, you should find the Meeting Settings tab easily. If you’re an account administrator, head over to My Meeting Settings.
Step 4: Look for the ‘virtual background’ option and click it. Here you can upload your own high-resolution image. Alternatively, you can also download and choose any royalty-free image from the web. Note that you can even set videos as your background. That is it. You now have a virtual background in Zoom.
The virtual background trick will also work with the Zoom app on iOS and Apple iPads. Just navigate to the More tab once you are in Meeting. Then look for the virtual background option, and set a picture.
