How to Look Good On Zoom Calls

So you're going to be on a Zoom call, maybe it's a job interview, a work meeting or some other kind of serious engagement, and you do not want to look like this. So in this video, we're going to show you how to look good on Zoom calls. Step one, lighting. Lighting is really important. So first of all, no backlights. You don't want to look all dark with a window behind you or look like Jesus looking down on everyone from heaven. So in this example, just turn yourself around so you face the window and you'll look evenly lit. Picking a window that doesn't have the sun shining directly through it is also easier on your eyes. Now if you're having a call at night or just have no windows nearby, no top down lights. They create shadows around your eyes. No bottom up lights either. This isn't a horror movie. In this case, I can use a lamp which is close to eye level to light myself and I'm going to look much better. So let's turn that on and see what it looks like. You can see those shadows under my eyes have already gone. Just make sure that your lamp has a bright enough bulb to achieve the effect. Some household lamp bulbs are quite dim. But if you're doing Zoom calls a lot, you may want to invest in a ring light. These cost between $35 and $60. They come with the stand and you can buy them on amazon.com. One ring light is enough to make you look really good. I'll put the link for one on Amazon in the description below. Step two, sound. Now sound quality is arguably more important than picture quality. If the person on the other end of the call can't hear you clearly, it makes it very hard on the ear. So make sure your levels are correct in Zoom. But also for your sound, you want to be in a room that has reasonably good acoustics. So basically the more stuff, especially fabric stuff like curtains or carpets that you have in your room, it'll absorb the echo and you'll sound a lot better. So no Zoom meetings please. You drive the people on the other end crazy though. You can even consider adding some extra fabric items to your room to improve the acoustics. Some of them might look a bit weird if they appear on camera though. You can also invest in a lavalier microphone that clips onto your shirt. Now the one I'm using today is a professional one, but I also have this one that is made by Boya and you can get it on amazon.com for just $20. It easily connects to any laptop or cell phone, although for some newer phones, you may need an adapter. Again, link for that in the description. Step three, composition. Now when I say composition, I mean everything that you see on the screen. So let's start with you. No one wants to look up your nose, okay? And your boss doesn't want you looking down on him in a meeting. He should be the one looking down on you, all right? He's the boss. So get a stack of books and raise up your laptop so that the webcam is at eye level. Just remember to look directly into the webcam, not down at the screen. You want to be looking right into the eyes of the people who you're talking to. Now in photography, we have something called the rule of thirds. Basically, it means that if we put this kind of noughts and crosses board on the screen, stuff looks good if it's on these lines. Now for a zoom call, you're going to sit in the middle, so you don't need to think about left or right, but it looks good if your eyes intersect this top line two-thirds of the way up the screen, and that gives you a nice little bit of headroom above your head as well. It's kind of like the composition of a passport photo. All right, now for the background. While my lighting and also my positioning on screen may be good in this shot, my background is just terrible. It's just a blank wall, kind of like a mugshot, like I'm pressed right up against it. So what we can do is we can actually just turn around a little bit and add a little bit of depth into our background. Look, that looks much better with this little shelf and teapots and coffee machine in the background. It gives us some depth, not too much. You don't want too much clutter, you still want it reasonably neat. A background like this would look like a disaster, for example. Now lastly, you don't want anything distracting in your background, okay? Now I'm not making any political comment either for or against in this video, but the point is, when you saw that, it probably brought up some strong emotions in you, whether positive or negative. So it's best just to do this. And not risk having something in the background that could offend some people or get some people really excited to the point that they're not even listening to what you're saying. Step four, you. Now the scene is all set up, the last thing is you. You don't want to ruin an otherwise perfect scene with bedhead or scruffy clothes, so sort that out first. For women, you'll want to apply makeup, because people are used to seeing women with makeup. And for men, you could also apply some basic foundation if you wish, or if you have a zit or a shaving cut, you can use a little concealer to cover that up. And speaking of shaving, unless you have some sort of super stylish designer beard or stubble, you're going to want to be clean-shaven. As for clothing, it depends on how formal your meeting is. If you know the people and know the level of attire they will be wearing, then just match them. But if it's something like a job interview, a TV news interview, or anything like that, you're going to want to be as formal as possible. So a shirt, a tie, and a suit jacket is really going to give you that formal look, at least on the top half. So to recap, step one, sort out your lighting. Step two, make sure you have good sound. Step three, compose your shot the right way. And step four, groom yourself and dress appropriately. And finally, make sure you're close enough to the Wi-Fi router. You don't want to cut out halfway through the... Make sure you subscribe to our channel for more content like this.