Working from home just got easier: Here's how people are faking their video conference feed
As most people adjust to working from home, there has been a massive rise in home use of video conferencing services like Zoom and Google’s Meet. While some of us are trying to just keep the dog from barking at squirrels and the roommate from walking around in the background without pants on, others have been finding ways to hack the system to make you look like you’re working when you’re not.
That’s right, you now can go full Speed security footage loop and make it appear to Janet in HR like you’re very intently listening when you’re really putting your feet up and watching The Price Is Right.
First, someone figured out how to use a freeze frame of them at their desk as a backdrop and literally wheel out of frame with their still image still front and center. Of course, this would only fool someone if work as one of those people who paint themselves to look like fake statues and then scare people on the boardwalk.
Then some genius named David Zhou took it a step further, showing us all how to make that background a video so, as long as you record yourself politely nodding along, you can could actually appear to be engaged while your boss drones on about synergy or whatever it is people in actual adult offices talk about. (We spent today discussing our favorite gifs.)
If this all seems too technically advanced for you, there’s a more straightforward way to have some fun on your calls: using Zoom’s “virtual background” option and picking one of the pre-installed options.
Or upload your own.
Though if you feel like getting fancy, you can submit your creativity to the Virtual Background Awards, which is now a thing. It’s 2020, apparently anything is possible.