Terri Ramsey Beavers 
Do you frequently use video calls to chat with your friends and family, or even conduct business meets or discussions with clients? What is the quality of your calls like?
If you feel that the quality of your video calls leaves a lot to be desired, or it seems to vary from time to time – there are steps that you can take to improve it:
- Keep your software updated
If you’re using software such as Skype to place video calls, you should always make sure it is up-to-date. Every new version tends to contain enhancements that could improve the quality of your calls. The same does not apply to web-based platforms such as Google Hangouts however.
- Improve the lighting
To improve the video quality on your end, you should try to improve the lighting. Make sure there is no bright light behind you, and instead try to position yourself so that there is one in front of you – behind the monitor. If you have a softbox that would be perfect.
- Optimize your internet connection
As far as possible you should try to make sure you have a stable and fast internet connection. Generally Wi-Fi is more stable than mobile internet connections, but a wired Ethernet connection is better than both.
While you can’t really increase the speed of your connection, you can make sure there’s nothing else taking up bandwidth by stopping any downloads, making sure no automated updates are scheduled, and closing any apps or windows you don’t need.
- Improve the audio quality
Taking steps to improve the audio quality of your video calls is a good idea, and that starts by using a decent microphone. On top of that you should wear headphones to eliminate the risk of audio feedback due to the microphone picking up audio from your speakers.
If you can, try to find a quiet location to conduct your video calls – and locate any sources of background noise such as fans, refrigerators, and so on.
- Use something white
Try to use something white somewhere in the frame that you’re recording for your video call. It should preferably be fairly large, and will allow your webcam to white balance the video based on it.
Overall the steps outlined above should help you to improve the quality of your video calls by leaps and bounds. That is especially important if you intend to record Google Hangouts or video calls from other platforms, using Movavi Screen Recorder for example. If you’re able to improve the quality enough, it may even allow you to produce professional-looking content using the video footage that you record.
Make no mistake there will be factors outside your control that can affect the quality of your video calls – especially on the other end of the call. That being said by taking steps to improve things on your side, you should be able to see a marked improvement in the overall quality of your calls and can work from there.