You can edit any part of your face with the Zoom Studio Effects; you can add moustache, eyebrows, and more with the vastly available effects on the Zoom studio.
The only thing we can always hedge our bets on is that change is an inevitable constant. You would think that a video conferencing app has reached its peak when the app is the preferred way for people to join meetings and communicate effectively. However, Zoom felt the need to take it to the next level as a video conferencing app and decided to make a change that we find very exciting.
Roll the drums for the latest feature in this popular video conferencing app and say hello to Zoom Studio Effects.
What are Studio Effects in Zoom?
With real-life moving more and more virtual, Zoom decided to add to the everyday monotony of video conferencing with the introduction of a new feature called Zoom Studio Effects. Studio Effects lets users do cool things, like, change their appearance, edit / add facial features and apply cool filters.
We cannot be sure whether or not Zoom is looking to generate income from this feature. All we know, however, is that Studio Effects creates a virtual environment that users can customize to their liking. Whether you want to create a background that represents your brand or use fun colours for your classroom, Studio Effects gives you the tools you need to get great results.
While this feature is still in beta testing, there are several social media filters that users can access to change their appearance as long as they have the latest updated Zoom app.
How to enable Zoom Studio Effects
As of now, Zoom Studio Effects is only available for desktop use. Therefore, you must have the Zoom desktop application installed on your computer before you can continue with this tutorial.
First of all, you need to confirm that you have the latest updated version (5.3.1) of Zoom. After launching the Zoom application on your computer, click the profile icon in the upper right corner of the Zoom home page.
In the following menu click on Check for updates.
A new window will open letting you know if you are using the latest updated version of Zoom. In this case, this notification will be displayed. If so, click Close.
If you don’t have the latest updated version, Zoom will notify you. When you see this window, click update.
The latest update will now be downloaded.
Wait a few minutes for the update to download. Then the app will restart by itself. Otherwise, restart it from the start menu. After opening the app, navigate to the “Settings” page by clicking on the corresponding icon directly below the profile icon.
From the Settings menu, choose Background and Filters. This action also activates your webcam so you can see yourself as you apply the studio effects filters and measure your appearance.
Under Backgrounds and Filters, you’ll see the Studio Effects (Beta) option in the lower right. Click it.
A panel opens on the right with different sections covering each facial feature.
Before continuing with the tutorial for each effect, note that each effect has three customization options: shape, colour, and opacity. These three options are modified to achieve the look you want. Now let’s examine how each effect works.
How to change faces in zoom with Zoom Studio Effects
Change eyebrows
The first section of Studio Effects is for your eyebrows. All adjustments are available on the right, while on the left you can see the effects on yourself in a window where your webcam is used as a mirror.
First, select the type of eyebrow shape from the options available. Zoom offers shapes such as soft arch, fine arch, high arch, curved, straight, sharp, and straight. Click the shape you want.
1 is the way we choose and 2 is the way it is reflected on the face just above your eyebrows. It will look like a slightly soft fur.
Then select your eyebrow colour by clicking the colour wheel just after the eyebrow shape options. There are also brown stock options in case you want something simple. The colour wheel will of course have a much wider range of options.
Click the colour wheel to open the colour palette. When you’ve clicked the colour you want for your eyebrows, click OK.
Now your eyebrows will reflect the colour you chose.
Then increase/decrease the opacity of the eyebrow using the slider just below the opacity. Keep moving the slider until you are happy with the opacity of your new brows.
That’s all you need to know about editing and customizing browsers with Zoom Studio Effects.
Change beard and moustache
The second section of Studio Effects is devoted to adding and editing a beard/moustache. Zoom offers beards with the names Blaze Royale, Pencil, Circle, Lenker, Horseshoe and Chevron.
Select the beard option you want by clicking one of the options in the Beard and Mustache section (1). The beard appears on your face (2).
Similar to your eyebrows, click the colour palette just below the moustache shape options to select the colour you want your beard to be. Then click OK.
Move the slider until you are happy with the opacity of your beard and how it looks.
Change the lip colour
In the last section, the user can change the colour of their lips. For lip-related adjustments, you only get colour and opacity options.
Go to the colour palette in the Lip Color section to change the colour of your lips. From the palette, choose the colour you want on your lips. There are also stock options that can be selected. Once you’ve chosen your lip colour, click OK.
Adjust the opacity using the slider you see just below the opacity, just like we showed you for the eyebrows and beards. Your result can be as polished as you want or as absurd as you want, depending on the customizations you choose.
How to remove changes in your face
Studio Effects is a handy feature for getting crazy on special occasions, supporting your favourite teams, or even trying to come across as polite in a formal meeting if you need to. It is an effective and convincing virtual make-up with a great creative scope and above all the possibility to start over if necessary.
Once you’ve defined a style for yourself using Studio Effects, it will be retained when you receive a call from Zoom. However, if you want to get back to normal, click the Reset button, which you can find right after the Lip Color section in the Studio Effects panel.
Note that once you click Reset, you will lose any previous customizations and there is no way to keep the old look you created (at least for now).
Studio Effects is an extremely smart addition to Zoom. We can’t predict when life will return to real meeting rooms and move away from the realm of video calling. But for the foreseeable future at least, features like Studio Effects will take a break from the monotony of video calls, adding life and colour to people who have to attend meetings throughout the day.
This feature is extremely well thought out, intuitive, and well-executed, especially since it’s still in beta and we look forward to the positive impact it has on the app and its users. Be careful and stay safe.