Google Meet is great for video calls, but it doesn’t offer many built-in options for fun backgrounds or effects. Luckily, there’s an easy way to add custom backgrounds and visual effects using a Chrome extension called ‘Visual Effects for Google Meet’.
This extension lets you blur your background, add virtual backgrounds, and use other cool visual effects during your meetings. Here’s how to install it and get started:
Installing the Visual Effects Extension
- Head over to the Chrome Web Store. You can either search for “Visual Effects for Google Meet” or just click the button below.
Get Visual Effects Chrome Extension
- Click the “Add to Chrome” button to install the extension in your browser.
- A confirmation box will pop up. Click “Add extension” to complete the installation. The extension icon will then appear in your browser toolbar and will activate when you’re in a Google Meet session.
Using Visual Effects in Your Meetings
- Go to meet.google.com and either join or start a meeting. On the “Meeting ready” screen, you may see a “Plugins being installed” message on your video preview. Just wait a bit for it to finish before hitting “Join now.”
- Once you’re in the meeting, a toolbar for the extension will appear on the left of your screen. It might look empty or collapsed initially.
- Hover over the toolbar to expand it and see all the available effects you can use.
- To use an effect, just check the box next to it. There are some AI options like ‘Background Blur’, ‘Virtual Green Screen’, and ‘Sunglasses AR’, plus lots of 2D and 3D effects.
Note: The extension toolbar may not show up if your camera is turned off. Make sure your camera is on to access the visual effects.
Using Custom Virtual Backgrounds
- If you want a custom background, you need to upload your own picture. In the toolbar, click the ‘Upload Background’ option and choose an image from your computer.
A preview of the virtual background appears.
- After uploading, select the ‘Green Screen’ effect in the toolbar to enable the custom background. Choose ‘Default’ if you’re using a real green screen, or ‘Virtual’ if not.
When switching between effects, it’s best to uncheck the current effect to avoid any problems when applying the new one.
With extensions like ‘Visual Effects for Google Meet’, you can easily add extra features to your video meetings and make them a bit more engaging and fun. You can hide a messy room, or just add some silly effects.