Adding a Virtual Background
The virtual background feature allows you to display an image or video as your background during a Zoom meeting. It works best with a physical green screen and uniform lighting so Zoom can detect the difference between you and the background.
Recommended Setup
- Sit in front of a solid background color, preferably green.
- Use a high-quality camera.
- Use uniform lighting, avoiding shadows and glare.
- Avoid wearing clothing the same color as the background.
Background Image
- There are no size requirements, but before uploading, crop the image to match the aspect ratio of your camera. (For example, if your camera is set to 16:9, an image of 1280x720 pixels or 1920x1080 pixels would work well.)
- If you're not sure about your camera's aspect ratio, use a background image with a minimum resolution of 1280x720 pixels.
- To take effect, you must sign out of the Zoom Desktop Client and sign back in.
Use Virtual Background for More than Fun
Students can share information using this feature. For example, if re-enacting moments in history or studying or virtually visiting a geographic landmark, they can choose an appropriate backdrop.
They can also quickly show if they agree or disagree with a topic or statement by selecting a solid green or red backdrop using Grid view.
How to Use Virtual Backgrounds
Watch this short video from Zoom about how to use this feature. You can skip to 0:38 since this feature is already enabled for Northwestern Zoom accounts.