Have you considered using a virtual background when on a Zoom call? Whether you are looking to add some personalization to the call or avoid a cluttered backdrop, this article explores the opportunities and explains how to set one up.
Why use a virtual background
One of the key reasons that you may consider using is a virtual background is to increase the professionalism of your call. If you are working in a messy or dark environment, or have an office set up in your bedroom or kitchen (and want to avoid others seeing your working environment), you can replace your backdrop with an image or video.
Why you may not want a virtual backgrounds
Although virtual backgrounds are clearly better than a messy work environment, not everyone likes them – there is a danger that they appear ‘fake’ looking. From unnatural lighting and sizing to the flicker of your physical backdrop occasionally coming through, the virtual backgrounds often look less natural than your original setting. While quality issues can be improved using a green-screen, and carefully selecting a natural-looking image, a tidy and curated backdrop may be a better setup.
Even if you are using virtual backgrounds, you should think the image you are using conveys – depending on the call, an image of the beach or a solar system may not be the most professional of backgrounds.
Configuring a virtual background in Zoom
To configure virtual background first open up Zoom settings. This can be found by clicking the gear icon from within your Zoom app (alternatively, within a call click on the triangle next to audio, and selecting ‘audio settings‘).

Once in Zoom Settings, to configure virtual backgrounds:
- Select the background and filter tab
- Greenscreen: If you are planning on using the virtual backgrounds without a green screen (and your computer meets Zoom’s requirements for this) uncheck ‘I have a green screen’. You may be prompted to download the ‘Smart Virtual Background Package’.
- Select your background image: Zoom includes a limited number of background images. Images that include a camera symbol in the bottom left corner are animated.
- Upload your own background: If you want to use your own background, click the plus symbol and select to either add an image or a video.

Technical requirements for using a virtual background in Zoom
The requirements for using virtual backgrounds in Zoom depend on i) whether you are using a green screen, ii) whether you will be using an image or a video in the virtual background, and iii) the resolution of the call. Zoom publishes details on the requirements for enabling the various settings, In general, processing requirements are higher for using a ‘video background’ as opposed to a still image, and are slightly more stringent for removing your background without a green screen. While most modern computers should be capable of handling green screens, the simplest way is to simply visit your settings in Zoom and see which options are available.
Improve the quality of your virtual background using a green screen
While Zoom may allow you to use virtual backgrounds without a green screen, there are still reasons to consider having one.
Without a green screen, Zoom has to deduce which part of the image is you, and which part is the background to be removed. As well as being a computationally intensive task, Zoom may not always be able to accurately differentiate between the background and foreground. Particularly if you are in a dark setting, with little contrast between you and your background, Zoom may have a hard time cleanly removing your background, potentially resulting in parts of it flashing in/out of your video.
Green screens work by making it very obvious to programs what is part of the background to be removed and what is in the foreground. This not only means that the required processing is less intensive but also helps ensure that your image is a lot crisper. If you are unsatisfied with Zoom’s ability at removing your background without a greenscreen, then you may find investing in a green screen to be a worthwhile investment.
Related articles

Changing the Waiting Room Message in Zoom
This article explains how to customize the waiting room message in Zoom

Avoiding Echo in Zoom Calls
If you need to capture your handwriting as part of presenting online via Zoom, a document camera can be the way to go. This article explores two different ways of sharing your document camera via Zoom.

Using Gallery View in Zoom
Want to see everyone at once on Zoom? Our complete guide to using Gallery View in Zoom – how to select Gallery view, both during a regular call and also when sharing your screen.

Enhancing the Integrity of Online Examination
While remote, unsupervised exams are inherently difficult to supervise, there are approaches that can reduce the risk of integrity issues in an online environment. This article explores approaches for enhancing the entirety of remote examinations.

Setting up a Doc Cam with Zoom
If you need to capture your handwriting as part of presenting online via Zoom, a document camera can be the way to go. This article explores two different ways of sharing your document camera via Zoom.

Using hotkeys in Streamlabs OBS
Hotkeys (or shortcuts) are a convenient way of managing your stream in Strealabs OBS – allowing you to switch scenes or change settings without while still concentrating on your main task. In this guide, we’ll explain how to configure your hotkeys.

Effective Use of Zoom Polls
A quick way of engaging with students on Zoom is through the use of polls. In this article, we will explain how to set up polls in Zoom and effective opportunities for integrating them into your class.

Personalizing Zoom
Although Zoom does not allow many opportunities for customization, there are several small adjustments to make Zoom slightly more personalized. This article will explain changing your profile picture, waiting room interface, and other personalization opportunities.

Preventing the Zoom Meeting Control Bar Auto Hiding
Although Zoom includes an easy to use options bar that appears at the bottom of the call, the standard behavior is for this bar to auto-hide. When presenting a Zoom class it is useful to have these options easily available so that they can be clicked as needed. This article illustrates how the change this default behavior.

Scheduling a Zoom Meeting
If you are new to Zoom, there are a lot of settings that are useful to be aware of when setting up a meeting. This article explores those settings, with guidance on what may be useful for your class.

See a Participant View of Zoom
It can be useful to see Zoom as your students do – this makes it easier to know what they are likely seeing at there end and provide guidance and instructions. This article shows how Zooms looks from the student perspective.

Using Streamlabs OBS with Zoom
Streamlabs OBS is a great way to turbo-charge your Zoom calls, allowing you to display overlays on your content. This article outlines the easy approach to connect Streamlabs to OBS.
Related articles

Sharing a PowerPoint via Zoom
One of the most common ways of presenting on Zoom is to share a PowerPoint Presentation. In this article, we will explore how to set PowerPoint presentations to open as a separate Windows that can then be shared from within Zoom.

Display 49 Participants in Zoom Gallery View
Although the default settings in Zoom limits the number of thumbnails displayed in the gallery view to 25, this can be increased to 49. This article explains how to increase the number of participants displayed and the technical requirements to do.

Downloading Attendance from Zoom
If your class incorporates attendance as part of its grading structure, it is useful to be able to download a list of class attendance, rather than have to manually record participation levels – this article describes how to download attendance for each class.

Scheduling a Zoom Meeting
If you are new to Zoom, there are a lot of settings that are useful to be aware of when setting up a meeting. This article explores those settings, with guidance on what may be useful for your class.

Familiarize Yourself with Zoom Controls
If you want to effectively manage a Zoom call it is important to understand Zoom’s controls. In this guide we cover all aspects of the calls – where the buttons are and what they do.

Using Zoom’s Waiting Room
The waiting room feature help ensures Zoomboming is a thing of the past. This article explains Zoom’s waiting room feature, and important things to know about the feature for managing your class.

Hide the Zoom Control Bar When Screen Sharing
The Zoom control bar is normally useful to have at hand (and for teaching it can be useful to always have it displayed). However, if you are sharing your entire screen it can be useful to disable it so that viewers can see your entire screen.

Preventing the Zoom Meeting Control Bar Auto Hiding
Although Zoom includes an easy to use options bar that appears at the bottom of the call, the standard behavior is for this bar to auto-hide. When presenting a Zoom class it is useful to have these options easily available so that they can be clicked as needed. This article illustrates how the change this default behavior.

Using Chat in Zoom
Zoom’s chat feature can be a great resource – but are also a potential distraction when teaching. Learn how to selectively use it within your class, or disable it to avoid interruptions.

Effective Use of Zoom Polls
A quick way of engaging with students on Zoom is through the use of polls. In this article, we will explain how to set up polls in Zoom and effective opportunities for integrating them into your class.

Top Zoom Shortcuts for Teaching Online
There are lots of shortcuts in Zoom – most you will never want. This article highlights the important ones specifically useful when teaching online.

5 Features We Hope Zoom Adds Soon
Zoom has quickly become the go-to video conferencing software for online learning. But it is far from perfect, and some much-needed features would make the online learning experience a much more satisfying experience, for students and educators alike. Here is our wish list for features we would love Zoom to have.