How to use visual effects for Google Meet. You’ve been using Google Meet , Google’s platform dedicated to video conferencing, for a while. However, speaking with his friend, he discovered that additional functions have been developed that allow him to do much more than he imagined.
There is an extension known as Visual Effects through which you can use different effects in real time to make meetings more fun. Let’s see how to use it.
Index of contents
- How to use visual effects for Google Meet step by step
- Basic and essential information
- How to enable visual effects for Google Meet
- How visual effects work for Google Meet on PC
- How to use visual effects for Google Meet on smartphones and tablets
How to use visual effects for Google Meet step by step
As I mentioned before, Visual Effects is a browser extension that allows you to activate a series of effects to be used, in real time, during Google Meet meetings , the application developed by Google. In short, it is an extra and free customization that you can activate in your browser.
Basic and essential information
Visual Effects is a free solution available to anyone using Google Meet through Google Chrome , Microsoft Edge (in its most recent version based on Chromium) and Opera browsers (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 improve the quality of your meetings by adding funny video effects and some face filters. Do you want an example? The ” Green Screen ” effect will allow you to insert a background of your choice. Or, with “ Flip” you can reverse your image and everyone in the meeting will see it upside down (I’ll talk about this in more detail later).
Has the speech piqued your curiosity even more and you can’t wait to get started with Visual Effect? Then continue reading the following paragraphs to activate the extension and learn how to use it.
Just a small clarification before we start: being developed by third parties and not by Google, Visual Effects is not an official solution . Because of this, it could present potential privacy risks, while still working well.
How to enable visual effects for Google Meet
Activating visual effects for Google Meet is a fairly simple operation that you can do in a few steps and in no time.
First, open Google Chrome (or another browser among those compatible with the extension) and go to the official page of the Chrome Web Store, where you can find all the add-ons and themes to use in the aforementioned browser and in those that use the same motor.
In case none of the Visual Effects compatible browsers for Google Meet are installed on your PC, I recommend downloading Chrome.
Once you get to the homepage of the Chrome store, type “Visual Effect” into the search bar (located in the menu on the left) and press the Enter key on your keyboard.
Then select the first result in the list (or click directly here) and click the add button . At this point a small pop-up will open confirming the operation and, in it, you will have to press the Add extension button .
The procedure is finished! A final information box will appear in which you will be informed that the extension has been successfully added to the browser and that you can see the list of all the active ones by clicking on the puzzle icon next to the address bar.
How visual effects work for Google Meet on PC
Once the extension is activated, using visual effects during meetings is really easy. You just need to select your preferred effect from the little pop-up side menu and it will be activated immediately.
Want more information on how visual effects work for Google Meet ? Now I will explain everything to you!
First, go to the official Google Meet page through Google Chrome (or another supported browser in which you have installed the plugin) and press the Sign in item . Then select the Google account , enter the password and click the Confirm button .
Now, when starting a new meeting or joining the one created by another user (after giving Google Meet all the necessary permissions to access the microphone and camera and pressing the Participate button , or after entering the code or link and having pressing the aforementioned key), you will notice the presence of a small menu located to the left of your image.
Moving the cursor over it will bring up various items, to which you can apply the check mark to activate an effect . Besides this, you can also adjust its intensity using the appropriate bar below the box.
At the time of writing, there are about twenty effects available, divided into two categories. Below are some examples of Visual Effects , which allow you to edit the image in various ways.
- Background Blurallows you to blur the background and adjust the intensity of the blur.
- Bluris based on the same principle as the previous effect, but it allows you to blur the entire image (always being able to adjust the intensity).
- Bubblescreates bubbles that float on the screen and, within each one of them, your image is repeated.
- Contrastincreases the contrast levels of the colors, also offering the possibility of adjusting the intensity.
- Cubecreate a rotating cube in the center of the screen with your image repeated on each side.
- 3D moviesimulates a 3D image.
- donationis a momentary filter that lasts a couple of seconds. During this time, a message appears on the screen announcing the donation of 1 euro by an imaginary user and that later disappears.
- Turnyou can flip the image.
- Freeze“Freezes” the frame by locking it at the exact moment the effect is activated.
- Inverseallows you to invert the colors.
- Insanomodifies colors, increases pixels and gives a blur effect to your image.
- Rainbowchange colors by alternating those of the rainbow. So the image will be green first, then yellow, red, and so on for a couple of seconds.
- Pixelateincreases the resolution of the pixels by allowing them to be enlarged or reduced by adjusting them.
- Soft focusadds to the image a mixed color that goes from yellow to green, adjustable in intensity using the corresponding lever.
- Text displayallows you to add text, to be typed in the space provided below the checkbox.
The only effect of the different operation is Green Screen , which allows you to change the background. By pressing the Upload Background button you can select an image to use as wallpaper among those on your computer.
The facial filters , ie the second category of effects, it allows you to apply some facial filters . For example, Sunglasses who adds a pair of sunglasses, Graduate putting a graduation cap on his head or a halo with the “halo filter”.
As you can see, once the effect is activated by the check mark, it will be applied immediately 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 in a mobile version through a device application. Android is iOS / iPadOS . Its operation is almost identical to that of the desktop version but, unfortunately, through it it is still not possible to use visual effects . You can only enjoy predefined functions and effects such as subtitles and low light mode, but not visual effects.
That said, if you still want to download the app on Android , open the Play Store on your smartphone or tablet, type in the search bar “Google Meet,” select the first result, and tap the Install on pc > Open buttons .
If you have an iPhone or iPad, instead, go to the App Store, tap the Search tab (the magnifying glass), and in the bar, type “Google Meet . “
Then press the button Get / install and confirm the installation through facial identification , identifición touch or Password Apple ID . Then press the Open button .
With the app open, tap the Next and then Okay buttons twice in succession (to allow access to the camera and microphone). At this point, press the Sign in button and choose a Google account by selecting it from the list.
