Don’t settle for a boring scene of your home office during a Zoom or Teams meeting. Discover a variety of virtual backgrounds instead.
Ready to mix it up with a new virtual background? Here’s a selection of images you can use as Zoom or Microsoft Teams backgrounds. You can opt for serious, or mix it up with something fun. It’s easy to switch images depending on the type of meeting, too. Opt for serious and more serene for something with the boss and VPs, and sit at Leslie Knope’s desk if you’re chatting with colleagues.
Working from home a bit more fun when you can do it on The Simpson’s couch or while hanging out on retired Admiral Jean-Luc Picard’s bridge aboard the USS Enterprise or even dialing in from the Batcave. Or, if you’re a sports fan, iconic scenes related to the NCAA March Madness might appeal.
SEE: Zoom 101: A guidebook for beginners and business pros (TechRepublic Premium)
Virtual backgrounds are easy to use on Zoom, which has gotten quite a few updates and revamps in recent months. There are no size restrictions for virtual backgrounds, but you should crop the image to match the aspect ratio of your camera. The same goes for Microsoft Teams.
If you don’t know how to turn on virtual backgrounds on Zoom, TechRepublic has a guide for that. TechRepublic can also help you create a custom virtual background for your business class Zoom background. You can use any image. The key to picking the right image for use as a virtual background is important. If it’s too dark it may be hard to see; if it’s too bright or busy, it will distract from the call, according to Brandon Vigliarolo.
To download any of these images, simply click on the hyperlink for its corresponding category: You can right-click and save the image to your computer there.
SEE: Photos: The coolest virtual backgrounds to use in Zoom meetings (TechRepublic)
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Free virtual backgrounds from CBS, DC Comics, Nintendo and more
To make it fun, many of those in the entertainment industry are getting into the spirit of things and sharing images for free for everyone to use as their Zoom virtual backgrounds.
Image: Nintendo
CBS has shared backgrounds for shows including NCIS, The Price is Right, Survivor, Big Brother, Magnum PI, Young Sheldon and Mom, as well as CBS All Access shows Star Trek: Picard, The Good Fight, Star Trek Discovery and Why Women Kill. And because no one can get quite enough Star Trek: Picard, CBS All Access shared more.
Image: NBC
NBC shared images from Parks and Rec, so if you’ve ever wanted to sit at Ron Swanson’s desk or channel your inner Leslie Knope, this is your chance.
DC Comics is sharing free backgrounds from the Batcave, Gotham City, The Daily Planet and more. If animals are more your things, Monterey Bay Aquarium has free animal backgrounds available. The Good Place has images available, too, if you want to “take it sleazy.”
Image: NBC
Final Fantasy VII shared backgrounds from the game for everyone to use. Bethesda is sharing stunning images as well. And of course Blizzard has gotten in on the act. Even if you can’t play World of Warcraft at work, you can look like you’re part of the Horde or the Alliance while you’re busy in a video conference with the new 4K backgrounds for WoW fans.
Image: Blizzard
HBO is sharing backgrounds for Game of Thrones, Silicon Valley, Westworld, Euphoria, Insecure, Sharp Objects, Late Night with John Oliver, Succession and more at this HBO link.
Disney shared Pixar backgrounds for favorites such as Toy Story, Up, Finding Nemo, Inside Out and Cars.
Schitt’s Creek, SpongeBob and NASA offer up virtual backgrounds
There’s also backgrounds for Schitt’s Creek, RuPaul’s Drag Race and The SpongeBob Movie: Sponge on the Run for anyone who wants to do a virtual call under the sea. Broadway’s Moulin Rouge has also gotten in on the fun with backgrounds, as has Broadway’s Frozen and other big marquee names such as Hamilton and Beetlejuice.
Even NASA doesn’t want to be left out. They’re offering Artemis-inpired virtual backgrounds to elevate your digital meetings.
Library and bookcase images
There’s an array of bookcase images from Obelisk. Having the perfect collection of books has been, and continues to be, one of the most popular background options during the past year.
Or opt for something unique, such as NPR’s music background or Faber Books’ tour of favorite libraries around the world.
Go for a branded virtual background
A lot of companies are getting into the branding game, offering gorgeous images with their logo prominently displayed. If that doesn’t bother you, there are plenty to choose from, including those from the Missouri Botanical Gardens if anyone is missing the opportunity to travel to their favorite places. Gray Malin has also shared gorgeous images from Italy, Colorado, Central Park and more.
Harry Potter, anyone?
And then, there’s Harry Potter. Wizarding World is providing a wide selection of Harry Potter-themed images from Universal Studios Universal Studios in Japan, Orlando or Hollywood. If you want your next meeting to take place in Potions Class or the Room of Requirement, you’re set. There are also more subtle Harry Potter backgrounds for a house-themed vibe to appeal to your inner Hufflepuff or Ravenclaw.
Image: Wizarding World
One of the best ideas might be the most underrated. How about taking a photo of your own home in perfect order, and make that your virtual background. No one will be any the wiser in your video calls, and yet you won’t have to worry about cleaning up before your next meeting.
SEE: Where to find the best virtual backgrounds for Microsoft Teams (TechRepublic)
To see all of the virtual backgrounds mentioned in this article, see TechRepublic’s gallery Cool backgrounds: Virtual backgrounds for Zoom.
Image: Wizarding World