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There’s a Secret Zoom Filter to Make You Look Better on Video Calls

Photo: damircudic/Getty Images

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Please do this immediately if you’re working from home and using the video conferencing service Zoom: Go to the lower-left-hand corner of the screen, find Video Settings, and check the box marked “Touch Up My Appearance.”

Bless the creators of Zoom for offering this modern equivalent of vaseline on the lens. It’s the easiest way to look slightly more polished for a video call without actually doing anything at all. Zoom describes the look as “a softening effect to skin to minimize the visibility of imperfections.” In other words, it’s a beauty filter for these stressful times.

The filter has the transformative effect of making it look you are wearing the tiniest bit of no-makeup-makeup, rather than full Kardashian spackle. Your face will look slightly more dewy, but not so much that your boss will suspect you’ve been spending all your time at home slathering on Good Genes instead of working. Your skin will look more even-toned and smooth. If your work-from-home setup is not properly lit, it helps with that too, subtly brightening both the overall picture and your dark eye circles.

Unfortunately, the filter has limits and will not make it look like you’ve washed your hair or brushed your teeth. It also can’t make you look like you’re wearing a nice, work-appropriate sweater, rather than your pajamas. But you still don’t need to put on a bra or unnecessarily touch your face.

Zoom Has a Secret Beauty Filter