Zoom, one of the world’s leading video conferencing platforms. While they are ahead of the game in terms of daily active users, they still face a lot of heat from the likes of Google Meet and Microsoft Teams. In a bid to make their platform ever more appealing to users, they recently launched a host of new features to one up their competition in Zoom’s latest version of 5.2. The update brings with it features like the ability to adjust lighting, new reactions, noise cancellation as well as letting users overlay their video over presentations to give a much more professional and modern look.
The latest video filters are much like those in social media platforms like Snapchat and Instagram such as unicorn horns and eye patches to name a few. Zoom users will now be able to make use of the new filters. These range from a range of simple backgrounds to changing the whole facial appearance itself. Color filters can be used to turn the video into a black and white photo. The new color filters include ones like the cinnamon impact, the sepia impact, the seafoam impact etc.
A new option for reactions has been introduced that users can make use of. Reactions include ones such as celebrate, laugh, or heart. Other default reactions offered to users include the likes of Thumbs Up, Clap, LOL, Shocked, Ta-da etc.
The features include a feature to touch up user appearances and looks, enabling granular control over the amount of touch up a face needs, smoothening of the skin, adjusting sunshine needed in low light conditions etc. Options for the same in the video settings gives users a slider to choose the amount of smoothening and touch that they want in the video.
One of the latest features is that of noise cancellation, often more relevant for official meetings and conferences in regular households. The new algorithm allows the app to detect and cancel background noises. In a blogpost by the company, they said that “the high suppression feature gives distraction-free audio for important meetings and presentations so one can sound their best.” This feature can be accessed in the audio part in video settings.
Another new addition allows Zoom users to overlay their videos over their PowerPoint or Keynote displays. The video can be moved to any part of the screen and may be resized as needed by the user. This can help give a more skilful and professional look to presentations.
So, now it seems that your Zoom meetings, especially the more casual ones, can be made more joyful for all users. The latest update has in store something for everyone, both for casual meets to official and work-related meets and conferences. Meetings made it more fun!
While Zoom had its fair share of controversies, regardless, they have still come out on top as one of the leaders in this segment, especially gaining traction in the pandemic situation. The latest 5.2 version of Zoom can be downloaded from their official website. So, go ahead and make use of the features for a better online video meet experience!
Deepanjan Datta
Management student who likes to write articles at times, into mobile photography and likes to cook as a hobby.
