I had to work on this for a while, since my starting position in my home office was so bad I couldn't just use it as-it-was:
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Sent: Sunday, April 12, 2020
Subject: Video Tips
In a period of boredom, I browsed some YouTube videos on the topic of looking good on Webinars. I had to. My native office setting has a bright window immediately behind my head, and puts my laptop (with its camera) four feet to my side as I use standalone monitors and keyboards for my desk.
Summary
1( CAMERA
If you're laptop camera is pretty good, you're set. If you have different options (a laptop, an ipad pro) try that.
If you think a camera is your limiting factor, you're kind of stuck since cameras aka "webcams" are back-ordered for months. However, see CAMERA 2 info at bottom.
2) POSITION
One of the most important things is position. Your camera should be at your eye level of a couple inches above. With a camera on a laptop laying on a desk, this is often not the case. So find something to elevate it - for example, a file box, a couple reams of paper, etc.
It's a cliche, but avoid being too close or too far. Often, a little further back looks better than people guess. Faux pas: Camera pointing up your nose. (You'll see this far too often).
3) LIGHTING
This is the second most important thing. Have bright light directly ahead of you (in front of you) and directly behind the camera. Do not have a window behind your head. If you can, consider putting an office lamp or table lamp behind your laptop or camera. Or use a table in front of a natural window (or move to such a location selectively for your most important calls).
Look at yourself and experiment. You can put a phone on Selfie mode and try different locations without dragging your laptop around.
4) BACKGROUND
Should be simple as possible. The classic seems to be some bookshelves with a few books and a vase. See what you can do. Darker background can be good. (If it's quite dark, then avoid very dark or black clothing).
A deep background (seeing a full room behind you) can work.
Obvious and easily straightened up clutter = a no-no.
5) SUBTLE MAKEUP
Men - be the one wearing a button down shirt not a t-shirt and, did you shave?
Makeup? This is a personal choice but let's say, don't automatically rule it out (thinking of women here and just quoting YouTube material that says this).
6) WHAT ABOUT AUTO or VIRTUAL BACKGROUND?
It's usually kind of corny, but can work.
You may have started seeing one participant in Zoom with a backdop of the Eifel Tower. This is called "Virtual Background."
In Zoom, first of all, you must be on a fairly new laptop*, or using iPhone 8 up. If you are, log in to Zoom (do this independently of a call link). See Settings (often a gear figure or a three dot symbol). Find the option for: Virtual background - turn on. It may quickly download some extra software to enable this utility.
Zoom gives you a couple few stock photos (ocean, clouds) or you can include any photo you can find.
Bruce tips: Photo background should be not too cluttered and not too bright. Consider desaturating a color picture (it seems to help). Zoom backdrop pictures don't migrate - you must load your background in each device you use for Zoom.
Example above of several Zoom crimes. (Ignore the dim reflection of myself in front of my own screen). One guy is using an interesting virtual background (iceberg), but his face is dimly backlit. In fact, 3 of the 4 people who aren't me, have badly backlit faces.
One (lower middle) was well lit, but camera pointing up at him from low on the table top.
My picture? Not a prize winner, but note I am:
- Front lit (I face a table in front of a window). This is the quickest win.
- Camera elevated by a box to near eye level. This is also a quick win.
- (I'm using a separate camera here, a Logitech 920, but it's about the same picture quality as my new Surface 7 laptop. The 920 does have software for a standalone zoom (magnification) function which I used.)
- (I didn't use a virtual background, but I'm still researching that. Probably a dark and not colorful and not too busy one. They work much better if you also use a green screen.)
- Fun fact.
- (While my picture on camera looks ok, the "studio" I was filming from was a jerry-rigged, goofy area with a Microsoft Surface, propped on a box by a window, plugged in under a nearby lamp, and tilted precariously to the correct angle by some odds and ends like a marker under its back kickstand.
- (The darkish background is our family room with the overhead lights turned off.)
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MORE
7) CAMERA 2
Your laptop camera may be fine, or may be weak. In normal times, a $60 Logitech camera (920 or 922) is a fast cheap upgrade for older laptops. Sadly, these are currently scalped for $200 if you can find one. It clips atop your monitor or other location and plugs in with a simple USB.
Logitech cameras come with their own software with a range of adjustments (contrast, brightness, field of view.) Also, the Logitech software, I'm told, comes with Auto Background feature even if the particular brand of webinar program you use on a particular business call does not.
To be sure your system is using the add-on camera, webinar programs generally have "settings, video," which lets you use a pull down option to pick a camera (e.g. pick "internal" or pick "Logitech.")
You probably want your camera very close to your screen, since you are both on camera and watching something on the webinar and you want your line of sight to be close. However, there are items like an InnoGear Webcam Stand (Amazon) or various tripod clamps that give you options other than literally resting your little webcam on the rim of your laptop.
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Zoom Virtual Background "Freeze Frame" on Older Laptop
On an older laptop, the Zoom Virtual Background option will not appear, or, will default to "Virtual Image" which does nothing more than put a frozen snapshot of your face in front of the background and you lose video altogether. (Don't ask me how long it took to figure this out.) However, on my older laptop with a Logi 920 camera, Zoom virtual background did work, so it's not solely based on the laptop chip.
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Silly Virtual Background Makes Points
Below, Edward Gorey cartoon as Zoom virtual background. While silly, it fits a few rules: No distracting colors, darkish, gray, one feature of interest not too many. I moved my laptop to a table where I face a window for lighting.
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Green screen test: with green toy.
I don't have a green screen, but I tried the software button, and nothing happened. Well, nothing green was there. I looked around for something green, and found this little figure, bright green. (It's the Berlin green-for-walk guy.) When I tap the software green screen button, he turns black.
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| Top pic has "green screen" turned on, magically turning green stuff to black |
