How to Look Good on Video Calls 10 Tips
As is captured over at runrex.com, video conferencing has become the primary method of communication during the coronavirus pandemic. Restrictions due to Covid-19 have meant that in-person interactions have had to cease or slow, which has meant that video calls have become the way to conduct interviews, work from home, attend meetings, and even maintain friendships. Experts, including those over at guttulus.com, don’t feel like this is a temporary shift either as they anticipate that video calls will be a lot more prominent moving forward, even after the pandemic is over. This means that learning tips on how to look good on video calls is something you need to do, and this article will look to help with that by articulating 10 such tips.
Dress appropriately
While no one is expecting you to dress up like you are in the office when you are at home, it is still important that you dress professionally when on a video call, which means skipping the pajamas. As discussed over at runrex.com, you can dress down “one level” from what you would in the office. Therefore, if everyone in your office wears suits, you can probably get away with a nice blouse or shirt without the jacket. Just make sure you dress appropriately and professionally, as your outfit will also determine your confidence, which is key if you are on an important meeting or an interview as per the gurus over at guttulus.com.
Dress for the camera
When it comes to video calls, while it is important to dress professionally and dress for the office, it is even more important to dress for the camera according to runrex.com. This is because some outfits may appear unappealing on camera, as professional-looking as they are, because of refractions, reflections, and shadows. If you want to look good on video calls, remember that neutral colors, pastels, and color shades of blue or green look most flattering on computer cameras. Also, don’t dress in a color similar to your skin tone or the background of the room since you will be 2D on someone else’s screen and the last thing you want is to appear like a floating head as a result of blending into the camera or your clothes.
Avoid bright or dark colors as well as busy patterns
If you want to look good on video calls, then you should also avoid bright or dark colors such as black, which don’t translate well on camera. As discussed over at guttulus.com, bold colors like red and neon tend to look too overt through the camera lens. You should also avoid busy patterns like stripes, animal prints, plaids, herringbone, and houndstooth as these patterns, as chic as they may look, distort light, and can cause a strobe effect on camera.
Avoid shiny jewelry
As is articulated in detail over at runrex.com, if you want to look good on video calls, then you might also want to consider skipping shiny or loud jewelry. This is because you don’t want your jewelry to reflect light into the camera and blind the participants. You also want to avoid bangles or layered jewelry that will make noise on camera as you articulate your points as this will distract the participants. Remember, people notice and get distracted by noises more on camera than they do in person.
Pay attention to lighting
One of the best tips when it comes to video calls is making sure you get the lighting right. As is revealed in discussions on the same over at guttulus.com, front-facing natural light is the best as it evenly accentuates and brightens your skin and features, giving you a clear and flattering quality, almost movie-like. If possible, set up your computer in front of a window and make sure that the light is hitting your face straight-on, as, if the light is coming from behind you, then it ends up drowning you out entirely. If your making your video call in a room without a window, then putting a lamp behind your laptop and in front of your face is just as effective. Always avoid putting the light source behind you.
Pick a spacious room
Another tip that will help you look good on your video calls is making sure you pick a spacious room since how you look on camera depends a lot on the kind of setting around you according to runrex.com. Large, spacious rooms provide depth behind you that looks better than a shallow space when you are on a two-dimensional screen. Additionally, a large room also provides better acoustics which means that you will sound better whenever you give your input in the meeting. It is usually recommended that you host your video call in your living room or the largest room in your house as such rooms also tend to have the best natural light, making you look better and brighter.
Tidy up the room
There is no way you are going to look good on your video call if you are hosting it in a messy room. It is important to minimize distractions as much as possible while maintaining the same level of professionalism you have at work. As explained over at guttulus.com, this means picking up the laundry, your pet’s toys, alcohol, and anything else that could draw the eye away from your face. However, you can leave some personality in the room as one of the benefits of video calls is that people get to see a new side of you- the “home” side. Therefore, you can remove the distractions, but keep the parts of you that make you, you.
Avoid low angles
According to the gurus over at runrex.com, the camera angle is arguably one of the most important aspects of looking great in your video call. If the camera angle is too low, you will get that “double chin” look, and if it is too high, you will be all forehead. The last thing you want is for people in the video chat to feel like they are looking up or down at you. Your camera should, therefore, be at eye-level, so that it’s looking you head-on. If the table where you have placed your laptop is too low to get the right angle, a useful tip is to put your laptop on a stack of books to ensure that the camera hole is at your eye level.
Don’t place your camera too close to your face
In addition to getting the camera angle right, the subject matter experts over at guttulus.com also point out that, if you want to look good on your video call, then the camera should also be far enough away that participants see more than just your face and neck. Just like pictures look better from further away, so do video calls.
Look at the camera
You might not know this, but looking down at the monitor presents a less flattering angle of you than looking straight at the camera. Therefore, if you want to look good on your video calls, ensure that, whenever possible, you keep your eyes on the little camera hole. As is explained over at runrex.com, this also gives an impression of “eye contact” with others on the video call, which means that they will feel a closer connection to you. While it is not always possible to look directly at the camera the entire time – you may have to look at the screen if someone is showing a slide, for example, try to look at the camera when you are talking or actively listening to another speaker.
Hopefully, these tips will help you look good on video calls, with more tips and insights on this topic to be found over at the highly regarded runrex.com and guttulus.com.