3 simple and free steps and tips on how to look good on Zoom tutorial – or any video calls – Microsoft Teams, Webex & Bluejeans and other video conferencing and group call apps such as Facetime, House Party & Skype. Improve your webcam setup – the angle of your computer’s webcam or device’s camera and the lighting and your background. Zoom video tutorial for beginners to look great and professional!
Transcript
he number one easiest thing you need to do to look good on camera, for your next video conference call is to raise the webcam on your computer up to eye level. So, first, if you’re on a laptop, you want to tilt that screen.
So it’s vertical Now you want to prop up the laptop up off the desk, say one or two fists with say a book or something similar, not your fists and then check to make sure that it is at eye level. . And if it’s a desktop, you might want to get something a bit more solid to raise it up, or you can also try putting the seat down.
. . .
, I’m Tim and welcome back to “ Level Up Your Video Skills, ,”, the YouTube channel that inspires and educates busy professionals with all things, video on your device and desktop, and in today’s video we’re going to level up how you can look good on video conferencing. Apps such as Zoom MS Teams, WebEx Skype and more With three simple and free steps. .
Let’s get back into it, I’ve been in countless group. Videoconferencing call was over the last few months and, as I look around the screen of different people’s webcam set up, so I can tell you that the number one thing they’re falling down on is not having the camera at eye level. .
In my opinion, I feel that makes people just look a bit unprepared and maybe not so professional. . Now today, I’ve got the temporary setup with the laptop over there for the purposes of making this video only.
So more on this first tip, if you’re on a laptop. That’s cool. We can fix that as I’ve said tilt the screen, so it’s vertical prop it up on some old cookbooks or a rigid box.
Anything that’s solid and then check that it’s at the right height by experimenting on your computer’s webcam app. . Now an important guide here is to make sure your eyes are About two-thirds of the way up to the top of the screen.
. You don’t want to have a huge amount coming up over your head. About.
Two-Thirds is good If you’re, in a meeting where you also want to be typing during the chat you don’t want to have a flimsy box, that’s bouncing around every time, you’re trying to type something out. , Or maybe you have an external keyboard you can attach or connect With using bluetooth. , Some of the benefits of going with this setup is that it’s just a more natural way of people to be looking at you at eye level.
Unless you’re super tall. . , which I’m certainly not.
It also cuts down on many unnatural angles and the effects of overhead lighting, and, lastly, it gives you the opportunity to put nice things in the background other than your ugly roof. We’ll get to that later. .
The number two easiest thing you can do to look good is to ensure there’s a light source in front of you, rather than right behind you. Again looking at people’s webcams setups on video calls, I see so many people with a window right behind them or a Brightly lit wall or just a lamp even like this, but that’s counteracted by the key light that I have in front of me, so I can get away with this. In fact, it looks nice.
Now what the camera is trying to do is take a snapshot of the whole area and try and average out how bright or dark it should make the image. Generally. The automatic settings on these cameras are not that great.
. So what you essentially need to do is make it. So your face is brighter than the background.
Then it’s going to want to feature your face. . So what you can do is experiment with a couple of well-placed: lamps on the corners of your desk or in front of you, or even just Pointing your main light at the wall in front of you, making the wall brighter and that reflects back onto your face.
. Try using your computer’s webcam app to see what effect different light positions has on the overall lighting. .
This works well with the blinds down or if it’s dark outside and if you’re, in a bright room with windows around try to make it. So the window is in front of you, certainly not behind you. , Even being 45 degrees to the window is okay.
Or at worst. So it’s to one side of you. Be aware.
It’s gon na make one side of your face. Dark. , You might be able to even that out with some extra lighting.
. Some benefits of getting the positioning of your life source right include, cutting back on ugly silhouettes and instead showing off your facial features and expressions and in general, just coming across more professional and better prepared. , And the third simplest thing you can do is to have an Uncluttered background, I see so Many people with messy shelves, ugly cupboards and random clutter.
. It just comes across as maybe disorganized and just not prepared. .
So it’s just a matter of cleaning up that background, or even just repositioning your desk to somewhere with a nicer background. . Maybe you can even create a temporary space where you just hold all of your video calls from that.
Has a nice background. If you’ve got a plain wall, feel free to add some nice props, like paintings or plants and flowers or even framed qualifications. .
The benefits are that you’re just going to appear more organized and portray that you value attention to detail. . I myself like to deal with people both clients and suppliers that seem to have their “ house in order.
”. They just seem more professional. .
I’ve got a bunch more tips, I’d love to share with you on this topic, But that’s for a later video. For now put these three tips into place: they’re simple, they’re, free, they’re, easy they’re, going to make your next video conference call look amazing and who knows It might just be the difference between winning you that next job. , Finally, as a bonus, tip, dress to impress if you’re in a business meeting just throw on a nice shirt.
, You don’t need to be wearing anything nice on the bottom half. Thanks. So much for watching and if you liked the video, please give us a thumbs up below and consider subscribing if you want to see more content like this.
And for more video conferencing, related videos and tutorials check out the playlists here and here. Now . .
. . Where did I put my pants .
. . Over there? .
