Video calls are becoming more and more common nowadays. We use them to talk to family and friends, but we also attend these virtual meetings as part of our work. In this context, the quality and professionalism of both appearance and communication are key. Aware of this, Apple offers us, in addition to the option to leave a message, two very interesting features: presenter preview and the option of custom backgrounds. Let’s talk about both.
Presenter preview: more control over what we share
Being able to share what we see on screen is essential during video calls, but it can also lead to the occasional mishap. Sharing something by mistake is something we can avoid with Presenter preview, a feature that lets us preview exactly what we're about to share before doing so.
When starting a presentation in FaceTime, Zoom or WebEx, among other apps, we see a real-time preview of the content we’re about to share. Simple, but effective, as it gives us the reassurance that we’re only showing what we really want to, with no surprises or mistakes.
This is where we can choose whether we want to share the entire screen, a specific app or just a single window. And the best part is that we can switch between different windows without interrupting the presentation, directly from the Control Center, which makes showing the visual content that supports a presentation much easier and more professional.
Custom backgrounds: a touch of peace in any setting
We don’t always have the right background or lighting conditions for a professional video call. Fortunately, we can change our background very easily. In the same video call control panel, we find the Backgrounds section, which lets us choose from different options.
We can select a predefined background, apply a gradient or even upload a custom image. Thanks to the quality of the camera and the power of the Mac, the separation between us and the background is really precise and natural, avoiding the harsh edges we see in other apps when they’re the ones changing the background.
But there’s more: we can not only change the background we appear in, but also our lighting. In the video call control panel, we just need to choose Studio Light to look much more professional without changing anything in our physical surroundings.
Two features that greatly improve our video calls
The two features we’ve just looked at give us much more control over how we appear and how we show content during video calls. Presenter preview helps us avoid mishaps by ensuring we only share what we intend to, while the background feature allows us to maintain a professional setting no matter where we are.
Thanks to this, video calls on Mac are more comfortable, more professional, and above all, easier. Whether we use them for work meetings, virtual classes or personal calls, we’ll always appear in the best possible way.
On Hanaringo | Productivity is viewing and editing files on the Mac without opening them — here’s how we can do it