How to use Visual Effects for Google Meet

You’ve been using it for a while now Google Meetthe platform of Google dedicated to video conferencing. Talking to a friend of yours, however, you discovered that additional functions have been developed that allow you to do many more things than you imagined.

Always your friend, in fact, brought you to the knowledge of Visual Effects and the fact that, through this free browser extension, you can use different effects in real time to make your meetings more fun. The speech, then, intrigued you and you decided to try using them too. Not knowing exactly how to do it, you relied on the Internet and, doing a little research, you arrived at this tutorial of mine.

That’s the way it is, right? Then I can tell you that you were lucky! In the next few lines, in fact, I will explain to you in detail how to use Visual Effects for Google Meet to make your video conferences nicer and more fun. Therefore, take five minutes of free time and put into practice the indications I am about to give you. You will be able to do everything in no time!

Index

How Visual Effects for Google Meet works

As I mentioned to you earlier, Visual Effects it’s a’browser extension which allows you to activate a series of effects to be used, in real time, during the meetings held on Google Meetthe application developed by Google which I have told you extensively in this guide. In a nutshell, it is an extra customization that you can decide to activate on your browser.

Visual Effects is free and available to everyone who uses Google Meet through browsers Google Chrome, Microsoft Edge (in its most recent Chromium-based version) e Opera (although it was created specifically for Chrome, it is also compatible with the other two browsers, which are based on the same engine).

Once activated, it will allow you to improve the quality of your meetings by adding funny video effects and some face filters. Want an example? The effect Green Screen will allow you to insert a background of your choice, via Fliphowever, you will be able to reverse your image and all the participants in the meeting will see you upside down (however, I’ll tell you more about this later).

Did the talk further spark your curiosity and can’t wait to start using Visual Effect? Then continue reading the next paragraphs to activate the extension and learn how to use it.

Just a small clarification before starting: being developed by third parties and not by Google, Visual Effects is not an official solution. Because of this, it could pose potential privacy risks, even though it works fine. Therefore, I would like to advise you to install it only if you deem it strictly necessary and to uninstall it if you do not use it. Clear? Well then, let’s continue.

How to activate Visual Effects for Google Meet

Activating Visual Effects for Google Meet is a rather simple operation that you can perform in a few steps and in a very short space of time.

First, open the Google Chrome (or another browser among those compatible with the extension) and go to the official Chrome Web Store page, where you can find all the addons and themes to use on the aforementioned browser and on those that use the same engine. In the event that none of the browsers compatible with Visual Effects for Google Meet is installed on your PC, I suggest you download Chrome by following my guide on the subject.

Once you reach the Chrome store home page, type “Visual Effects” in the appropriate search bar (located in the menu on the left) and press the button Enter on the keyboard. Then select the first result in the list (or click directly here) and click the button add. At this point, a small pop-up confirming the operation will open and, in it, you will have to press the button Add Extension.

The procedure is finished! One last information box will appear in which you will be notified that the extension has been successfully added to the browser and that you will be able to see the list of all active ones by clicking on thepuzzle icon located next to the address bar.

Easy, right? At this point, all you have to do is log in to Google Meet and start using the effects.

How Visual Effects for Google Meet works on PC

Once the extension is activated, using Visual Effects during meetings will be really simple. You will only have to select the effect you prefer from the small pop-up side menu and it will activate immediately. Do you want some more information about how Visual Effects for Google Meet works? Now I’ll explain everything!

First of all, go to the official Google Meet page via Google Chrome (or another compatible browser where you have installed the addon) and press on the item Log in. Then select yours google accountenter the password and click the button After you.

Now, when starting a new meeting or joining one created by another user (after giving Google Meet all the necessary permissions to access the microphone and camera and pressing the button Participateor after entering the code or the links and having pressed the aforementioned key), you will notice the presence of a small menu located to the left of your image.

By moving the cursor over it, different items will appear, to which you can apply the check mark to activate a effect. In addition to this, you can also adjust theintensity using the appropriate bar located below the box.

At the time of writing about twenty effects are available, divided into two categories. Here are some examples of Visual Effectswhich allow you to edit the image in several ways.

• Background blur allows you to make the background blurry and adjust the intensity of the blur.
• blur it is based on the same principle as the previous effect, but allows you to blur the whole image (always being able to adjust its intensity).
• Bubbles create bubbles that float on the screen and, inside each of them, your image is repeated.
• Contrast increases the contrast levels of the colors, while also offering the possibility to adjust their intensity.
• Cube Create a rotating cube in the center of the screen with your image repeated on each side.
• 3D movies simulates a 3D image.
• donation it’s a momentary filter that lasts a couple of seconds. During this time, a text appears on the screen announcing the donation of 1 euro by an imaginary user and which subsequently disappears.
• Flip allows you to flip the image.
• Freeze “freezes” the frame by locking it at the exact moment the effect is activated.
• reverse allows you to invert the colors.
• Insane change colors, increase pixels and give a blurry effect to your image.
• Rainbow change the colors by alternating those of the rainbow. The image will then be green, then yellow, red, and so on for a couple of seconds.
• Pixelated increases the resolution of the pixels allowing, through the regulation, to enlarge or reduce them.
• Soft Focus adds to the image a mixed color ranging from yellow to green, adjustable in intensity using the appropriate lever.
• Text Display allows you to add a text, to be typed in the appropriate space located under the check box.

The only effect from the different operation is Green Screen, which allows you to change the background. Pressing on the button Upload background you can select an image to use as background from those on your computer.

Once loaded, check the box for the effect and press the button virtual. Want some more detailed background editing information? Then I suggest you read my guide on how to put the background on Google Meet.

THE Face Filtersthat is, the second category of effects, allow you to apply some facial filters. For example, Sunglasses that adds a pair of sunglasses, Graduated who places a graduation cap on his head e Halo which, instead, adds the “halo filter”.

As you can see, once you activate the effect via the checkmark, it will immediately be applied to your image. You just have to try them all and have fun with your friends!

How to use Visual Effects for Google Meet on smartphones and tablets

Google Meet is also available as a mobile version via a device app android And iOS/iPadOS. Its operation is almost identical to that of the desktop version but, unfortunately, through it you can’t use Visual Effects yet. You can only enjoy predefined effects and functions, such as subtitles and low light mode, but not Visual Effects.

That said, if you still want to download the app at androidopen the play store or it alternative store of your smartphone or tablet, type in the search bar “Google Meet”select the first result and tap the buttons Install and then up You open.

If you have a iPhones or of a iPadsinstead go to theApp Storetap the tab Near (the magnifying glass) and, in the appropriate bar, type “Google Meet”. After that, press on the button Get/Install and confirm the installation via Face ID, Touch ID or Apple ID password. After that press on the button You open.

With the application open, tap the buttons Continues and then up Okay twice consecutively (to allow access to the camera and microphone). At this point, press the button Log in and choose yours google account selecting it from the list. For more information, read my tutorial on how Google Meet works.