Can’t meet in person? Here’s how to master the art of video calling

YOU WILL LEARN 

All the ways you can improve video calls on your Mac

The ideal webcam angle involves having your camera at roughly your eye level

Key fact

FaceTime lacks dedicated image controls, but other apps fare better. In Zoom, click the gear icon, then Video, then tick Enable HD. In Skype, click Skype in the menu bar, then Audio & Video Settings. Other apps have their own options, and it is worth checking them before getting started to ensure your image looks good and you’re ready to go.

With working from home now an everyday occurrence for huge numbers of us, learning how to look your best on a video call has assumed a much higher level of importance than ever before. It is no longer sufficient to simply turn on your Mac’s built-in webcam and hope for the best. Luckily, there are plenty of ways to spruce up your on-call appearance quickly and easily. All are simple to achieve and most are free, so you can look your best on video calls with minimal effort.

The first and perhaps most important step is to get a good webcam. The built-in cameras in most modern Macs are simply not up to scratch these days. In fact, only the 5K iMac from mid-2020 offers 1080p resolution – every other Mac is languishing at lowly 720p. It is less than we would have expected from Apple in 2020. Compare the image results side by side and the difference is stark.