Virtual backgrounds are also available for iOS (with an iPhone 8, 8+, or X, or an iPad Pro and the 5th and 6th-gen iPads) but support for Android isn’t listed. When the Zoom main screen opens up, you’ll see the Zoom main page. The first thing to do is to click the Zoom Settings gear in the upper right-hand corner. This opens up a wealth of options, but the relevant one for us is the Virtual Background option. The gear icon hides Zoom’s Settings menu. By default, Zoom turns on your webcam, and you should see what others in your chat will see: you, and your background. (As you might expect, video files have a small camcorder icon in the corner.) But if you click one of the images below your video window, you should see what’s behind you replaced with either a static image (the Golden Gate Bridge is a favorite) or else a slowly looping video background, like the northern lights or Zoom’s beach scene. Zoom will arrange your available backgrounds beneath the video window.

The Zoom client does a pretty good job of distinguishing my navy-blue sweatshirt from the dark background, too. How well Zoom distinguishes you and applies the background correctly appears to be both a function of your webcam and your computer’s processor: The better they are, the more accurate the result. But you should be able to tell in a flash if the results are acceptable. How to create a custom background in ZoomĬreating a custom background in Zoom is child’s play, honestly. If you click the small “+” icon, you’ll have the option of selecting either a static background or video file. Picture file formats supported include BMP, JPG, and PNG. With video, you’ll have the options of MP4 or MOV. You’ll need either a background image with an aspect ratio of 16:9 and minimum resolution of 1280×720 pixels, or a video file with a minimum of 480×360 pixels (360p) and a maximum resolution of 1920×1080 pixels (1080p).

Selecting a static image is especially easy.

Recent Zoom calls among PCWorld staffers have included background images of Bridge A from Star Trek‘s U.S.S.

Zoom background images funny