Giphy's New Zoom Backgrounds Will Animate Your Next Video Call

Giphy's newest feature is here to help people jazz up their next video conference. On Tuesday, Aug. 11, the company announced it's rolling out a lineup of animated backgrounds that will instantly add some color and movement to your remote calls. If you're wondering how to use Giphy's animated Zoom backgrounds, here's how to virtually swap out your real-life backdrop for one of these cool offerings.

While there's no shortage of potential Zoom backgrounds out there, Giphy's offerings set themselves apart from their stationary counterparts due to the fact that they're animated and usually feature brightly colored moving graphics. It's the perfect way to spice up a morning conference call or add some pizzazz to happy hour, and the best part is that all of Giphy's new animated Zoom backgrounds are free to download and use.

If you're ready to try out one of these funky backdrops for yourself, you can head to https://giphy.com/backdrop and opt to either use one of the company's pre-made backdrops from its Backgrounds Channel or upload your own backdrop to decorate with your choice of text, filters, GIFS, and stickers. A third option is to check out the company's lineup of starter backdrops, which you can click to edit or download as they are. If you don't see a backdrop that speaks out to you, you can also search in the search box at the top of the Backgrounds Channel. In addition to plenty of politically-inspired backdrops influenced by Black Lives Matter, the White House, voting, and social distancing, you can also set yourself in space, at the bottom of the ocean, or in a gaggle of Minions.

Once you've found or created a Giphy backdrop you're happy with, you can download it to your laptop or computer and then head to Zoom to upload it. Once you've signed into Zoom, you'll want to click the gear icon and head to the Meeting Settings, then Meeting tab. There, you'll see a Virtual Background button where you can either upload a high-resolution image or video of your choosing. Tap it, upload your Giphy creation, then look forward to impressing your coworkers, friends, or family during your next video conference.

While Giphy's Backdrop feature is a new update, it looks like there are already plenty of fun designs to choose from. Take a moment to browse all the fun options so you can take your next virtual meeting to the next level.