How to Create a Beautiful Background for Home Video Calls?

It doesn't matter what you're going to do: host a webinar or have an online meeting with colleagues — the background behind you should be perfect. Designers from ST Buro shared how to achieve this.

Rina Savelyeva and Eugenia Shokohgou are designers and founders of ST Buro studio.

Let's break the process into two parts: prepare a neutral background in the frame and create the right atmosphere.

Remove all unnecessary elements

Imagine that you're waiting for guests — they don't need to see your personal belongings. It doesn't matter where your home office is located: in the bedroom, on the balcony, or in the storage room. Remove all unnecessary elements and make the background as minimalistic as possible.

Pro tip

Make sure your apartment is clean. If necessary, do a quick tidy-up — wipe the dust and neatly arrange books on the shelf behind you.

Create a beautiful composition

If you need to slightly move furniture to get a good frame — go ahead and do it. For interior shots, small items are often rearranged to get a visually pleasing shot.

Pro tip

To ensure everything is in order, turn on the camera in advance and carefully review the background behind you. You can activate the camera for checking with video call services or online websites. Just search for "webcam test" in your browser.

Plan the lighting

Lighting in the frame plays a big role — it strongly influences our emotional perception. At the same time, the worse the face is visible, the less formal the setting feels.

Base it on the specific situation: lecture halls are usually well lit, while bars always have dim lighting. Try to position yourself as close to the window as possible — there's more natural light there. But don't forget: it will get dark outside sooner or later, so plan artificial lighting in advance to avoid leaving the frame.

Lighting sources can be any: ceiling lights, desk lamps, or ring lights. Even candles!

Pro tip

With properly set lighting, you can visually "separate" yourself from the background. This prevents the image from looking flat (especially important for those who only use ceiling lights).

1 — start of the video broadcast; 2 — one hour later; 3 — artificial light.

Don't forget about decor

Now that we've removed all unnecessary elements from the frame, you can consciously add a few items to set the mood. For example, a cup — everyone's throat gets dry during long calls, especially for speakers who need to talk for a long time without breaks.

The classic choice — a clear glass of water — is perceived differently than an ethnic bowl with green tea or a fun Mickey Mouse mug.

Pro tip

If you're filming live or just want to stand out, place interesting items in the background — they will highlight your individuality.

For example, decorative figurines or items of a specific color — in the future, this color will be associated with you. The key is not to overdo it!

Three more tips you'll find useful

If you're unsure whether your cat or dog will behave well, remove them from the frame in advance.

If you want to liven up the frame, place a bouquet of flowers or a stylish poster behind you.

Take care of a good background in advance and try to maintain order. Then you won't need to tidy up every time before a broadcast.

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