2020 was the year that we all had to get used to having our big family gatherings through a screen. Nice as it is to get to see friends and family together, hear the same familiar jokes and see much loved and dearly missed faces – these virtual meetings just can’t compare with the warmth of a real gettogether – especially those that we look forward to all year, planning our decorations and food preparations.
Having basically celebrated all of our birthdays and other 2020 holidays through a screen, we’re pretty used to the whole video platform. However, raise your hand if you have Zoom-fatigue between work meetings and screen-worthy social gatherings? I get it. I can’t fix the pandemic, but I can offer a few ways to spice up your Zoom backgrounds for 2021, as we dig deeper into the second wave of the pandemic.
How to easily create an epic, animated Zoom background
Most people know that you can pick a different background for your Zoom calls. Zoom offers up a few for you to choose from and that’s a great place, but they’re still not YOU. It’s time to take your background to another level. (If that scares you, we have a sweet round-up of downloads at the bottom of this post that maybe you haven’t used yet.) Did you know that you can create your own animated Zoom backgrounds? It’s WAY easier than you might think.
Let me introduce you to one of my favorite graphic design tools
I use this for work, for soccer, for crafts…. It’s the secret behind so many of my visuals for work and home life. If you don’t know about Canva, prepare for your mind to be blown in 3… 2… 1…
Check out my quick video to see how easy it is to use:
Using Canva to make Zoom Backgrounds
See? It’s pretty easy and the things you can do with Canva are crazy! Pretty much anything graphically-related, you can do in Canva.
I get excited over tools like this, but it’s okay if you’re not ready to dive into the deep end with creating your own Zoom backgrounds, here’s a roundup of some great alternatives. Many of these you can use with any of the other video calling platforms like BlueJeans, GoToMeeting, Ring Central, etc. Or… use them as your starter background for your Canva creation! I’m giddy just thinking about it. I’d love to see what you create! Post a photo and tag me with #heytrista so I can see!
Valentine’s Day Backgrounds for Zoom!
Maybe you want to send a subtle message to your long-distance sweetheart, or just do the dudes a favor to remind them that cupid’s favorite day is coming up. Either way, changing your Zoom background for the holidays makes as much sense as changing the décor in your home to celebrate. If you’re going to buy heart-shaped pillows, why not have a love-themed or heart background? Right?
First here are a couple that I made in under 5 minutes in Canva:
And here Here are a few of my favorite Valentine’s Day backgrounds from the companies who do Valentine’s best:
Southern Methodist University Twitter
Texas Christian University Twitter
What’s your happy place? Crafting? Cooking? Cocktails? Party planning? Yes please! I love it all, and I’ve tried a lot. Check out my how-to’s! What should we do next?
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