

And if you're thinking of upgrading your home office setup, take a look at our picks of best office chairs and best monitors.
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Now you know how to look your best on video calls, you might be interested to know that you can use your camera as a webcam. Tyle appdata into the address bar, and then navigate to Skype > your Skype username and open up config.xml in your favorite text editor. Stop intruders: Escaping family life while working from home isn't easy, but you can limit the number of background wanderers by letting your family know beforehand that you’re about to go on a video call.If there’s a shelf or window sill behind you, add in a fern, succulent or hanging plant. Add some vegetation: A splash of green goes a long way.Declutter walls: Placing one or two items on walls behind you, like a framed photo or artwork, gives visual interest without causing too much distraction.A fresh coat of paint: Given you spend so much time in your home office, why not freshen it up? Replace that garish wallpaper with a sleek, neutral-colored paint job.That clothes rack? Move it into another room. Tidy up: As simple as it sounds, cleaning up can have a big impact on how you come across.Instead, here are a few simple tips for improving your video call background.

That said, you needn’t convert your home office into a full-on library to make an impression. Looking good on a video chat is about more than just your appearance - your surroundings need to impress too. Now, one light is acting as your primary light and casting shadows on your face, while the second is acting as a ‘fill light’, lifting the shadows from your main light and further brightening your face. Fully frontal lighting creates no shadows on your face, risking a flattened look, but you can use it to your advantage: position another light source, like a lamp, at 45 degrees. Select the contact, and then click the Phone icon to make your call. Start a video call by clicking a contacts picture, or in an IM or a phone cal. On the desktop version, the chat interface opens on the right. Sitting with a window behind you, for example, will leave your face in complete shadow.įrontal lighting, where the light source is directly in front of your face – as you’d get from using your monitor or by facing a window – is also better than backlighting, but can have drawbacks. To get started, go to the Chats or Contacts tab in Skype, and then select the contact you want to call. Go to Tools > Audio Device Settings or Video Device Settings. Select the Camera Control tab on the Video Capture Filter Properties window. If the video image is very dark, then you should select Webcam settings. Now you should see an image of yourself there. It’s not always practical to achieve a perfect 45 degree angle, especially if using a window for lighting, so perpendicular is okay too -the most important thing to remember is to avoid backlighting. Find and click the gear icon from the main Skype windows. Click Tools > Options and Video settings once again to check the camera configuration. For the best results, light should hit you from a frontal 45 degree angle, casting natural-looking shadows on your face for a flattering aesthetic. Positioning your light source properly can make a massive difference.
