During the lockdown, Zoom is by far the most popular video conferencing app. Custom image and video backgrounds aren’t new, but with a GIF background, we’ll take it to the next level.
In this article, we’ll talk about how to make a GIF, turn it into a video file, and then use it as the background for your Zoom meeting. You can also do this with a GIF that is backwards!
What is a GIF?
GIF is an image file format, just like JPEG and PNG, and can be used to make still images. But the GIF format has the added benefit of being able to hold more than one image. When decoded in a certain way, these pictures can be played like a flipbook to make an animation.
GIFs have become popular again in the past few years. GIFs are easy to share, just like photos, and most social apps, like Facebook Messenger, Twitter, and even the keyboard on your phone, can handle them.
It’s interesting that the GIF format came out in 1983, two years before the World Wide Web.
How can I use GIF as a Zoom Background?
Zoom Lets People Set up Online Meetings. Think of It Like a Meeting Room, but You Can Attend from The Comfort of Your Own Home.
Even Though These Meetings Tend to Be a Little Boring, Zoom Added a Feature that Lets Users Put Themselves in Front of A Fake Background. These Virtual Backgrounds Were Meant to Add Humor to The Meetings and Hide Personal Information About Your Workplace at Home.
Zoom also added the option to use a virtual video background that you made yourself. Users can now upload any video or image and use it as a background for a video call.
For these pictures and videos to work right, they need to follow some rules. Now, since GIF is a composite format, Zoom doesn’t really let it be used as a background. We do know, though, that Zoom can handle video backgrounds and that we can turn a GIF into a video. So that’s exactly what we’ll do: turn our GIF into a video file.
There is a lot of software out there that can change GIFs to other file types. Today, we’re going to focus on the MP4 format, which is a video format that Zoom supports and will therefore do the job for us.
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How to Convert a GIF into a Video?
We need to change our GIF into an MP4 file now that we have it. There are many websites that let you convert a GIF to other file types for free, but Convertio is our favorite. It’s very easy to use their tool. Let’s get started.
Step 1: Just head over to convertio.co. Then, click the ‘Choose files’ button.
Step 2: Now it’s time to upload our GIF. Locate and select the GIF you want to convert. (If you need a GIF, look into the section below on ‘Where to find GIF’. We are selecting this baby boy you see in the screenshot below.)
Step 3: Once the file is uploaded, you have to set the video settings now. Click the Setting button now as shown in the screenshot right below.
Step 4: You will get various options on the screen.
Step 5: Click Resize. And then select the ‘640×360 (YouTube 360p) option. Because Zoom requires the minimum resolution of 640×360 pixels for a video, 16:9 aspect ratio, and maximum size 5MB, selecting 640 x 360 pixels looks the best bet.
Step 6: In the Resize mode menu, choose between ‘Zoom and add black bars’, or ‘Zoom and crop’, as you wish. Hit the Ok button when done.
Step 7: Hit the Convert button now.
Step 8: Wait until it uploads and converts the GIF to Video. When done, click the ‘Download’ button to save the video file on your PC.
The browser will indicate that the file has been downloaded in the bottom left corner of the screen.
Next? Well, you need to add this video as a ‘Virtual background’ on Zoom. Need help with that, see right below.
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How to Add GIF as Background on Zoom
Now that The Gif File Has Been Turned Into a Video, You Can Use It as Your Virtual Video Background in Zoom. Open the Zoom App Already. Click the Settings Button in The Upper Right Corner, Next to The Icon for Your Profile.
Now, in The Left Pane, Click Virtual Background. Click “add” and Then Choose the Video File You Just Downloaded. Choose It to Make It the Background for All of Your Zoom Meetings.
Start a meeting first if you only need to set a virtual background for that meeting. Choose the “choose virtual background” option and then click the “plus” sign at the top. Find the MP4 video we just changed and click on it.
A preview of the video should keep going around in your head. You’re all set!
Here is a guide that could help if you haven’t used a custom background on Zoom yet.
How to convert GIF to a Video on Phone
If you were using the Zoom mobile app and needed to turn a GIF into a video file, here’s how to do it on Android.
Even so, the tool above, convertio.co, works great on a mobile device as well.
Download a Ready-Made Video of The Gif
If all of these steps seem too complicated, don’t forget that you can download a GIF directly as a video!
Some sites, such as Giphy.com, let you download GIFs in MP4 format right away. Just go to the website and choose the GIF you want. Click on the button that says “media” right next to the GIF. This should bring up a box to talk.
Copy the link to the MP4 file and paste it into your browser. Right-click on the video and choose “Save this file.” The MP4 file should then be able to be saved to your desktop.
You can set the file as your Zoom background by using it as described above. But if the file is smaller than 640 pixels, you’ll have to change its size.
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Where to Find GIF
Since GIFs are becoming more popular, there are a lot of websites that only host GIFs. Here are some of them:
To get a GIF, all you have to do is click on it to open its page and then click the download button right next to it.
