Team Dinghy, along with most of the rest of the world, have been spending quite a bit of time on Zoom as of late. As a remote working company we were already somewhat familiar with the video-conferencing platform, but confinement and quarantine have ramped up our usage to new levels.
Unless you’ve been living in a cave – and if you have, we hope you’ve been following proper protocols – you’ll have used, seen, or at the very least heard of Zoom over the last few weeks. Whether it’s catching up with friends and family, hosting a dance party, or crunching the numbers on a big work meeting everyone seems to be using it.
One of the biggest reasons for Zoom’s surge in popularity and its current status as the video platform of choice among almost everyone you know is the option to use a funny background image. It’s a relatively simple touch, but it can make a whole world of difference. Whether you’re looking to amuse colleagues, entertain friends or slightly unnerve a distant relative there’s bound to be a choice that suits you.
We’ve been trying out a variety of options ourselves in recent days – as well as making covetous glances at many other efforts – so we thought we’d compile a few of our current favourites for you. You can see those below. And if you’re struggling with the technical side of things, here’s how to change to your own background on Zoom:
Desktop:
- In Zoom, go to the top right corner, click your profile, and then click ‘settings’
- A menu will appear to the left. Click ‘virtual background’
- You’ll see that Zoom offer you a few fairly mundane options of their own (outer space, for example, or blades of grass). To choose one of those just click on it and your screen will change
- If you want to upload your own background of choice (our recommended option) all you need to do is click the ‘+’ icon next to where it says ‘choose virtual background’. You’ll then be able to upload a photo from your computer and it’ll appear alongside the other choices
- If you want to delete any of the images you’ve uploaded previously, simply click the ‘x’ in their top left corner
Mobile:
- When you log in and join a meeting, tap the three dots you can see at the bottom right of the screen. Doing so will open the ‘more’ menu
- Tap ‘virtual background’
- As with the desktop version, you can then simply select a background from Zoom’s default options or upload your own
1. The ultimate flex
2. The Zoom equivalent of Homer’s jury duty glasses
3. “I love a good nap. Sometimes it’s the only thing getting me out of bed in the morning.”
4. It wouldn’t be a list without a feature from the Tiger King
5. An iconic selfie
6. “Hello, Clarice.”
7. Remember restaurants?
8. Space: the final frontier
9. Zoom background level: expert
10. If you’re stuck for ideas…
