Creating a Virtual Background for Zoom

In today’s world of using Zoom for networking, video meetings, and working from home…what if you don’t want everyone to see the kid’s toys, pile of not yet folded clean laundry, whiteboard with the “To-Do” list, or the same bland beige wall everyone else is using? You can create, and enable, a virtual background in Zoom.

There are a number of ways to do this;

• You can use Power Point to create an image to use as the background.

• You can use a different software you have available to create an image, such as Paint or Paint 3D.

• You can use an image already on your computer.

• Or you can download an image from the internet.

When using Power Point, create a Blank Presentation. Remove any fields in the slide. Insert an image, such as a company Logo. Resize and place the Logo as needed. Add any other images you would like as part of the background. Add text, such as the company name, website, and other contact information. Add any other text you would like in the background, such as a slogan. When adding text, be mindful of where you will be in the image. Click File Save-As, choose a location, rename the file, and select JPEG as the file type. Click save. When the question comes up of which slides do you want to export, select “Just This One”.

In Zoom, go to Settings, and select Virtual Background. To get there click the arrow next to the Camera Icon, and select Settings, or Virtual Background. In Virtual Background, to the right of where it says Choose Virtual Background is a little icon with a Plus. Click it, and select Add Image. Find and select the Background image previously created. And it is now set as your Background. Alternately, you can select a different image or photo, already on your computer or downloaded from the internet, and amaze everyone with a beautiful nature photo. Using a Virtual Background will allow you to break up the tedium of a blank wall, hide the mess your pets made, or show everyone how ready you are to engage.