Photo by Chris Montgomery on Unsplash

3 Zoom Settings That Make Make You Look & Sound Better at Meetings.

Go from blurry “what?” to TV-anchor clarity in three fast clicks.

Over the past two years, two things have become pretty evident about Zoom and other video conferencing tech:

1. It’s essential for remote work & social distancing.
2. It kinda sucks.

“Zoom fatigue” is a real thing, whether that’s remote school, family holidays, or office meetings. It’s hard to connect with those little squares, especially if they’re only half-lit or you can’t hear them. And when one of those little squares is you, staring at it for hours becomes a special little hell of self-criticism and unconscious mirroring.

There’s no quick fix (sorry, Meta) but there are a few quick settings to check that can improve the experience both for you and the people you’re connecting with.

First things first: How to find your Zoom Settings

Depending on when you find this post, the zoom interface may change a bit — but most likely, finding the settings will look something like this:

This is on a Mac, but Zoom on Windows is pretty similar.

The almost-universal icon for “settings” is usually a gear. You can also get to it via the “file” top or bottom window (depending on your platform).

Once it’s open, it’s time to let the software work for you.

1. Find the “Video” settings, and adjust for low light.

Sure, you could go online and find a zillion videos on “how to create your own studio lighting.” If that’s your thing, go for it!

For the rest of us, Zoom has spent millions of dollars on software that does a pretty good job of compensating for the fact that our video cameras aren’t as good about lighting as our eyes.

Click on “video”, then scroll down to “My Video, then select “Adjust for low light.