Zoom Gets Fun New Filters, Plus Lighting, Smoothing And Audio Tweaks

Many people are still working remotely as a result of the coronavirus pandemic and there's no sign of that changing any time soon. Though a number of software applications make it possible for coworkers to see each other face-to-face, they don't quite offer the personality of an office setting. Here to change that is Zoom with an update that adds amusing filters, among other things.

Zoom is, of course, the remote video-chatting application that skyrocketed in popularity amid the pandemic. Many companies and schools are using this particular software for their remote-working and education needs, prompting the company to rapidly push out a number of new features. The latest update focuses more on fun than functionality, though the two aren't so easy to tease apart.

With this update comes a variety of fun, amusing video filters, enabling users to sprout horns, wear an eye patch, put on space goggles, and other similar things. There are also color filters like sepia, black and white, 'cinnamon,' and other similar things. The filters are located in the same menu as the virtual backgrounds.

As well, Zoom is mindful of the needs of users for customizing how they look in a video — and we don't mean just their desire to wear virtual filters. The software now allows users to adjust their video's skin smoothing and brightness in the video settings. Likewise, users can choose a new 'adjust for low light' option to improve how they look when working in a dim environment.

Audio also gets some attention in this update. Zoom says that it has improved its noise suppression feature, giving users control so that they can choose anything from 'low' to 'high' suppression levels. Finally, the update brings reaction buttons and video overlay with transparent backgrounds on presentations.