It is time to look your best on Zoom. Here are 3 simple tips that Ryan uses to look and sound great when on a Zoom conference call.

Transcription:

Hello. Am I on? Hey Zoom, Anybody? Hey everybody! let’s just face it, there’s a lot wrong with this video and I’m going to show you three simple tips to improve your video so that you kind of look like you know what you’re doing on Zoom, especially if you need to be professional. So, let’s talk about that in today’s video.

As I’m sure you notice from that intro, that is not the way you want to do a Zoom call. I want to break that part, break apart that video real quickly and talk about the three key things you should be focused on in order to create a really nice quality Zoom setup.

So, number one is going to be the fact that I was using my smartphone in order to shoot that video. And what I’ve noticed with people when they shoot with their smartphone is they tend to move around a lot and they think that they can just walk around. In fact, there was a situation early on during COVID where somebody actually walked into the bathroom with their smartphone and totally forgot. Just because your mobile on a smartphone, please don’t make yourself mobile. All that movement is very distracting for other users. What I recommend that you do, whether it’s a smartphone, a DSLR, your webcam. Make sure it is mounted on a tripod or on your monitor in some way that it’s fixed. The other thing that you want to do is you want to make sure that the camera itself is eye level. This setup that you’re looking at right now. This is my Zoom conference calling setup. If we were to have a Zoom meeting, this is what I would look like. I had my camera just above eye level. Additionally, I’ve set the camera and where I sit so that you can see just above my head and just about to the bottom of my chest. This is a really nice frame when you’re doing your zoom calls. You’re not too close, nor are you far away.

Number two is going to be audio. Audio is really important. The key thing with audio is that the farther away you are from your microphone, your voice drops off really fast. And if you’re on a location that has a lot of hard surfaces, there’s going to be a lot of echo in the conversation. For me, I’m using a Yeti Blue mic. This is a USB mic. And so, when I’m talking, I’m about six inches away from the microphone so I get good quality sound all the time. And it also helps block out all of the noise because I’m talking so close. A lot of background noise that’s actually going on right now. They’re doing some remodeling downstairs in the building that I’m in. You’re not able to hear that because of where I’m at. So, audio is going to be a really nice setup. You can get these on Amazon about $100 [$130] or less. Great microphones, Blue is the manufacturer. This is not a sponsor, it’s just it’s. I’ve bought a couple of their microphones, very happy with them. And they’re USB, so it’s plug and play. Very, very simple.

Number three is going to be lighting. You noticed in that video. I had this window behind me and I was shooting with my back to that window. What happens when you have light coming from behind you? Is it cast a shadow as it’s coming across and into the camera. So, anytime you have lighting behind you and you’re holding your camera, you’ve got it situated on a tripod and lights from behind. You’re going to be very dark and it’s going to be difficult at best to see you.

What I recommend doing is instead turning around and having the light source be on the other side of your camera. That way there’s light source, then there’s the camera, then there’s you. That way you get this nice lighting. Now, for me, the way my office is situated, I have this large window and what I had to do is actually tint the window. So, if you’re familiar with “limo tint”, that really dark black tint, that’s what I’ve done with these windows in order to be able to shoot and have the camera in the direction that I’m doing it.

The other thing that I have is I have two lights off camera that you cannot see that are giving nice soft lighting onto my face. I have one that’s coming directly onto my face and then I have a second light on a light stand that actually shoots into a white ceiling and it’s bouncing the light off the ceiling just to kind of give it that little extra lighting, if you will.

So, that’s what I do. Really, it’s basic, these three basic items are really going to help your Zoom call – have a stable platform, make sure that your camera is mounted up at eye level. It’s never fun looking up people’s nose. Don’t walk around with your camera.

Number two, make sure you have a microphone. If you’re using the microphone on your laptop, be as close as possible. The farther you walk away, the sounds really going to drop off. And it’s also very directional. So, if I turn around this way, my sound is going to drop off from this microphone very quickly.

And then number three, make sure you have light, then your camera, then your face. That way you’re going to have a really good-looking lighting on your face and people are able to see you.

I hope you found this beneficial. If you did let me know by leaving a comment below or if you have a question, feel free to leave a comment below. Also, if you like this video, a like is appreciated. It kind of lets me know if I’m doing the right thing for you as far as creating content or not. Also, a dislike lets me know in the opposite way. Again, hope you have a great day. Take care, everybody.