How to Look Good on Zoom

I was on a Zoom call today, and it really jumped out at me how many attendees really didn’t look their best. They’re not bad-looking in person, so why did they look bad on Zoom? I decided to figure out how you can look good on Zoom (or any other video conference platform) for free.

The way to look good on Zoom is pretty simple. Light yourself, not the room. Sit up in your chair. Raise your camera to near eye level. Make sure you’re framed as head and shoulders in the camera, with just a little headroom at the top of the window. Stage your background. Wear appropriate clothes that visually separate you from your background. Make eye contact with the camera (not the screen) when you’re talking.

Here Are 9 Quick Tips To Look Good On Zoom

Use these tips daily. Make them each a habit, and you’ll be improving the impressions you leave behind you with every Zoom call.

1. Improve Your Lighting

Find a Good Lighting Source: Look for a light source behind your webcam or laptop camera. Indirect natural light is flattering, so if you have a window nearby that’s facing away from the sun, sit there. If you have additional lighting, such as a desk lamp, place it in front of or to the side of your camera.  

The worst lighting is no lighting, but a close second is backlighting, and the third is overhead lighting. To look the best and most natural, you want soft, diffused light falling on your face from slightly above eye level. There are a lot of ways to achieve this, and lighting faces for imaging is an entire career skill set for those working in film, photography, and TV. Lighting for video is a deep subject with the potential for a lot of detail and expense. Fortunately, there are some easy ways to get good results in your home with inexpensive things you probably already have.

A Window

A window with indirect light gives excellent quality light for video. If you place your webcam and yourself so that you’re facing the window, but not in direct sunlight, you’ll notice an immediate improvement compared to the standard overhead light. The challenge with window light, of course, is that it changes with time and weather. So it’s not a great choice for early morning, late afternoon, or even windy and partly cloudy days when the light level changes quickly. In these situations, it’s time to turn on a light.

A Desk Or Utility Lamp

The big problem with overhead lighting is that it falls on top of your head, leaving unflattering shadows on your face and under your eyes. Using a desk lamp or simple utility light allows you to place the light so that it’s falling more flatteringly on your face. A little off to one side and a little above eye level is a good place to start. Just like sunlight, though, if you shine it directly on your face, the light will be harsh with hard shadows. The solution is to either bounce the light off a wall or pass it through a diffuser to soften it. Some simple things that can work are white plastic trash bags, pillowcases, and white shower curtains. Experiment a bit with what you’ve got. Just be careful not to place anything directly on the bulb. Leaving some distance between your diffuser and the bulb will make it work better and avoid the risk of something melting.

A Softbox

The best option for consistent, high-quality lighting is a softbox with a high CRI light source. This can be reasonably priced to very expensive, and it can take up quite a bit of room in your office. If you want the best, though, there’s no doubt that a good-sized softbox is the choice of overachievers.

Once you’ve got the lighting sorted out, the next step to looking good on Zoom lies in your camera placement.

2. Raise Your Camera To Eye Level And Sit Up

With any virtual meeting, we’re trying to create a remote experience that’s as close as we can get to an in-person meeting. A better sense of presence improves engagement and eases communication. So let’s adjust your setup to mimic, as closely as we can, what others would see if you were sitting across the table. Think of it as if the camera is your co-worker’s face. Place their eye level at about the same level as yours. Sit up. Raise your camera to eye level. That’s where real people would be seeing you from, right? Seriously. Is your coworker in your lap, peering up your nose? Then why are you looming over your laptop or iPad like that? Please stop. 

3. Head And Shoulders Framing

Great. Now that you’re sitting up and looking at your camera like a fellow human, it’s time to check your distance. In a face-to-face meeting with colleagues, what do you see? Are you close enough to see their pores and feel their breath on your face? No? Are you standing so far back that you can’t see their expressions or where they’re looking? There’s an ideal distance that’s comfortable for everyone. You should be close enough to see your colleague’s eyes and facial expressions, but not so close that you can see what they ate for lunch. 

It’s almost the same in virtual meetings. Because the screen and thumbnail images you see of your coworkers are often small, it’s good to be a little bit closer on camera than you would be in person. Aim for your head and the tops of your shoulders to fill the frame. Leave a little room above your head so it isn’t cut off. Your eyes should be close to or just above the center of the frame. This way, when you’re showing up in a gallery-view thumbnail, people can still see your face.

If you know you’re going to be the only thing on the viewer’s screen, such as in a one-on-one virtual interaction or a one-to-many video or webinar, you can pull back a little. Then a wider shot that shows your whole upper body from the waist up and catches more of your surroundings can be less overwhelming to the viewer.

4. Stage Your Background

Streamline Your Background: Your background should be simple and distraction-free. If you can, use a neutral-colored, solid backdrop behind you. If you’re using a virtual background, make sure it’s not cluttered.

Even if you plan on using a virtual background, your real background is still important for you to look good on Zoom calls. 

First, there will be a time when your real background is visible. Maybe a glitch, maybe a restart, or maybe you just forget to turn it on, but sooner or later, your virtual background won’t be on and your co-workers will see your space in all its reality. You’d like that to be a good experience for everyone, right?

Like so many things, this is a time when less is more. Casey Neistat aside, a simple, uncluttered background almost always looks better. A clean bookshelf, a tidy room, maybe a sign, a picture, a plant, or a small lamp (called a practical in lighting lingo), and you’re good to go. A plain, blank wall is safe and can work, but it’s boring. If you’re too close to that wall, you’ll look like you’re preparing for your mugshot. A few tidy details will add interest and depth to the scene without distracting from the main focus: you.

5. Dress To Look Good

Now that your lighting, framing, and background are set, it’s time to address the most important part of your video image: how you look personally. If you’ve been dressing for work this far in your life, it should be easy. Dress like you’re going to work because that’s exactly what you are doing. 

Wear neutral-colored clothing that is not overly distracting or busy. Avoid busy patterns and bright colors, but pick something that contrasts with your background. Additionally, try to wear something that fits you well and that you find comfortable.

It can be tempting to dress down since you’re working from home. To a point, this is expected and acceptable. I don’t wear my slacks and Allen Edmonds Park Avenues in my home studio like I would at work. No one can see them anyway. These days, at home, dark Levi’s are my pants of choice. That way I’m comfortable, and if I do have to stand up for any reason, at least no one will see sweats. 

From the waist up, though, it’s good to be closer to business as usual. There are a few things to think about that are special about being on camera, though.

Cameras can’t manage as wide a range of brightness as human vision, so if you have both white and black, or bright light and deep shadow, the camera won’t be able to expose both properly. You’ll have either white highlights that are too bright or black shadows that are too dark to see any detail in. You can use this effect to put yourself in front of a white or black background with no details.

If you’re not sure, though, it’s best to avoid a wide dynamic range and stick with mid-tone solid colors. At the same time, aim for some color contrast between yourself and your background. You want to stand out from the background to draw attention to yourself. As a bonus, your virtual background will work better, too (if you use it, but please don’t).

6. Practice Good Grooming

Make sure your hair is combed and your face and shirt are freshly cleaned. Good grooming is important on Zoom because the video call format allows others to see you more closely and in greater detail than they would if you were meeting in person. This means that things like your hair and your clothing are more visible on a Zoom call than they would be in person. As a result, taking the time to practice good grooming habits can help you make a good impression on others and ensure that you look your best on the call. Good grooming can also make you feel more confident and at ease on the call, which can help you do a better job overall and communicate better. Overall, good grooming is important on Zoom because it can help you look and feel your best on the call.

7. Make Eye Contact With The Camera

This final tip is possibly the hardest one. At first, it doesn’t feel natural to look into the camera when you’re talking. This is especially true in a virtual meeting when the person you’re talking to is looking back at you from your screen, just a few inches away from your camera. The natural thing to do is to look at them on the screen. Unfortunately, this gives them the impression that you’re NOT looking at them. Eye contact can only be made through the lens. If you want people to feel that you’re looking at them when you speak, you must look into the camera’s lens. It feels unnatural to you, but it is a natural way for them to connect. 

8. Mind Your Facial Expression

Facial expressions are important during a Zoom call because they help others understand how you feel and what you are thinking. For example, if you are feeling anxious, maybe take some deep breaths before your call to help you relax. This will help you stay calm and in control during the call, which can make you look more professional and confident. 

Additionally, when conversing on a Zoom call, it’s important to remember to smile. This can help you come across as more engaging and likeable to others, which can improve your ability to connect and communicate with them. Watching something that makes you laugh before your call can help put you in a good mood and make you more likely to smile and use positive facial expressions during the call. Happy people are attractive people.

On the other hand, if you always have bad facial expressions like scowling or frowning, this can make you look angry or sad. This can undermine your leadership and make others less likely to trust and follow you. 

Be conscious of your body language during the call, too. Avoid crossing your arms, slouching, or making any other body movements that may be distracting or make you seem defensive.

Finally, avoid eating or drinking during your call. It’s easily overlooked in person, but if you make any sounds, Zoom may focus your screen just as you’re eating or drinking.

9. To Look Good On Zoom: Practice

Test Your Settings

Before your Zoom call, make sure to check your audio and video settings. Make sure your microphone and camera are enabled and the video resolution is correct. You can also make sure the background is set and looks appropriate.

Use Mute Discipline 

Whenever you’re not talking, be sure to mute yourself on the call. This will reduce background noise and help keep the conversation flowing smoothly. Just stay attentive and remember you did it so you don’t hear the dreaded and all-too-common “You’re on mute!”

Practice In A Private Meeting

Log in on a separate device and record the session as if a colleague were watching you. Test out different lighting, framing, and backgrounds. Speak while you’ve got everything set up as you’d normally do, then record some more with these tips implemented. See what a difference they make in how good you look on the Zoom call. 

Tweak. Adjust. Improve. 

Once you see what you can do, come back for more tips.