Guide to Better Video Conferencing with Visual Effects for Google Meet

Google Meet visual effects are filters, styles, and effect add-ons available both in the Meet app and on the Chrome Web Store 

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Guide to Better Video Conferencing with Visual Effects for Google Meet
Unified CommunicationsInsights

Published: May 10, 2022

UC Today Team

Google Meet visual effects are filters, styles, and effect add-ons available both in the Meet app and on the Chrome Web Store. The features break the monotony of daily video calls and make online interactions more engaging and memorable. Millions of people use Google Meet every day, so it is necessary to use features like visual effects to:

  • Apply a more professional look and feel to calling experiences, which could impact business outcomes like sales via client interactions.
  • Participate in theme-based and other visually interesting sessions that aid in employee engagement during the remote/hybrid work era.

How to Use Visual Effects for Google Meet

There are a few steps users need to take to add visual effects. We will examine each of the steps for Meet on different devices. If users join a meeting from a PC, they can apply visual effects before or during the call. Before the video call, one needs to:

  • Select a meeting from Google Meet
  • Click Apply visual effects in the lower right corner of your self-view
  • Click Blur your background completely to completely blur the background
  • Click “Slightly” to blur the background slightly
  • To select an already-uploaded background, click on it
  • To add a custom background image, click Upload a background image
  • Click a style to add it to your video
  • Click the Join Now button

If users forgot to turn on visual effects but have already joined the meeting, they can still use the visual effects feature by following these steps:

  • Click More at the bottom
  • Click Add visual effects
  • Click a style to add it to the video

When users click on an effect, their camera is automatically enabled. When using effects and backgrounds, devices may run slower. The same principle applies to mobile devices, as visual effects consume a lot of computing resources. On a mobile device running the Android operating system, follow these steps to turn on visual effects:

  • Select a meeting by opening the Meet app
  • Before joining, tap Effects at the bottom of the self-view
  • Press Filters > the desired filter at the bottom to select a filter. If the filter is interactive, it can be activated by following the on-screen instructions
  • Tap No effects to remove the effect
  • When finished, tap Done and then select Join

Importantly, the filters option is available only on mobile devices.

If you have already joined a meeting, follow these steps to add visual effects during the call.

  • Tap Effects in your self-view
  • Press Filters > the desired filter at the bottom to select a filter
  • When finished, hit Close

Keep in mind that background effects may cause your battery to drain faster.

You can access visual effects from Android and iPhone/iPad devices by following these same steps. The user must have iOS 12or above pre-installed on Apple mobile devices, and the feature works only on iPhone 8 and up and iPad 5th gen and upwards.

Tips for Better Video Conferencing Using Visual Effects

Google Meet is a browser-based application, which means that you can install multiple Google Meet add-ons from the Chrome store. These add-ons can alter the program’s behavior or introduce additional capabilities to Meet’s existing features.

For visual effects, users can explore the Chrome extension by Herokuapp, which includes multiple effects and filters that are not built into Meet. For instance, it can impose AR sunglasses, rainbows, screen text, and other visual elements on the video feed. The extension has been downloaded by over a million users and includes artificial intelliMeet’seffects, 3D effects, and regular 2D effects. It can also simulate a green screen background that allows for a more effective background experience on Meet.

Google has launched a new settings panel to facilitate easy access to effects such as backdrop blur, background pictures, and styles during Meet calls. Additionally, this panel will be available before attending a call in the self-check green room. You can experiment with various effects in the green room to see how they work before joining a call with others, making the most of the visual effects feature.

 

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