Who knew Home Alone Zoom backgrounds would be a thing this year? Well, they are. Here’s how you can join in the fun.
’Tis the season for Home Alone Zoom backgrounds
For those unable to meet their families face to face this Christmas, festive video calls are a necessity. After all, Christmas is a time for togetherness, and 2020 has been the year of the video call.
But Christmas is also a time for watching classic festive movies. Some go in for contemporary classics such as Love Actually or Elf (both 2003); others prefer vintage films like It’s a Wonderful Life (1946) or The Apartment (1960).
The prescience of a name like Home Alone lends itself perfectly to festive video calling in 2020. Here’s how you can combine the two: the Home Alone Zoom background.
Home Alone, the perfect backdrop to your Christmas quiz
By downloading a photograph from the movie, you can set it as your background in your Zoom call. The same functions are also available in Google Meets and Microsoft Teams.
To set a Home Alone zoom virtual background, here’s what you need to do:
- Open the Zoom app;
- Select Settings;
- Click Virtual Background;
- Click the (+) icon next to Choose Virtual Background – this will open up your Windows Explorer (if you’re using Microsoft) or Finder (on an Apple computer);
- Browse and select your chosen image, and click Open;
- Congratulations! You are now home alone, on the set of Home Alone.
Zoom advises a minimum image resolution of 1280 by 720 pixels, to ensure best results. Otherwise, your background might look grainy – and it won’t be as convincing!
If you’re using Microsoft Teams, simply select Background effects, and upload an image by clicking Add new.
In Google Meets, you can change your background by selecting the Change Background icon in the bottom right corner of your self view. The icon shows a person with a striped background. To upload your own image for your background, click Add.
You can find stills from Home Alone by searching Pinterest or by accessing the IMDB Home Alone Photo Gallery.
But the fun doesn’t need to end there
Once you’ve got the hang of turning your home into the set of Home Alone via the Zoom backgrounds function, you can move onto any film of your choosing.
Alternatively, you can access high quality, royalty-free images on Pexels, Unsplash and Pixabay. Enter the search term “Christmas background” and take your pick.
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