More and more apps are trying to embrace what I call the ‘hometown meteorologist effect.’ You know the one, where someone in a news studio walks in front of a green-screen to forecast the weather on a digital background they see just off camera. Well Zoom now has incorporated their idea for it in their calls.
Zoom already used a good green-screen effect / virtual backgrounds, but now they have added a twist to it making it much more useful for educators. Now in the ‘Share Screen‘ setting, you now have the ability to present ‘Slides as Virtual Background‘ allowing a presenter to set their PowerPoint with you ‘green-screened’ over the top. Now this is labeled as a beta, and as far as I can tell has been since version 5.2ish, but for a beta effect; it works pretty well.
Now in the 5.3 update their is now ‘Studio Effects,’ which if you are used to face filters in SnapChat or Instagram you’ll recognize these. I would say, academically speaking, they ought to be avoided…. but from this perhaps Zoom in the future might build them out to be a bit more useful (I’m thinking, and hoping, maybe somthing in the same vein as Apple’s ‘Portrait Lighting’ simulated effects’)
STC Online Workshops Canvas site also has a module on Zoom for Podcasting as well as AV Tactics to help out your at home studio setup.
STC Online Workshops
For other Green-screening ideas;