Here are a few secrets that can help you improve the quality of the images while doing desktop video conferencing.

Cameras – Yes, if you spend 5 to 6 hundred dollars on a camera you will have a really good quality video to work with, and you better at that price! Subsequently, if you buy a 30 dollar video camera you will not have a good quality picture and end up with a really pixilated image, with very little control of the image quality. I would suggest using a camera in the price range of $65 to $150 dollars. The important part is to get a camera with zoom and a tool bar that allows you to make adjustment to color, contrast, and other quality related functions. Remember, you can adjust many different settings in your camera to help make the quality of the picture clear and crisp.

Lighting – The article is spot on with some easy fixes but let us clarify a few things. I have found that the best way to have good lighting for your web cam is to give yourself some clean natural light to work with. If you are unable to create a space to do this with, try hanging a sheet or fabric behind you to create a clean backdrop. White walls are fine but don’t be afraid of colors. Colors can reflect what a person sees and feels in a situation. So using color in your back drop or even in what you’re wearing can impact how much someone relates to your image.

Cool Color Meanings (calming): Blue, Green, Turquoise, Silver
Warm Color Meanings (exciting): Red, Pink, Yellow, Gold, Orange
Mixed Cool/Warm Color Meanings (Balancing): Purple, Lavender, Green, Turquoise
Neutral Color Meanings (unifying): Brown, Beige, Ivory, Gray, Black, White

Bandwidth – How fast your upload and download speed is very important. Keep that in mind when doing a video conference. You can have a basic DSL connection and still be able to join a video conference, but you will have some latency issues. You want good, strong bandwidth and you can check with your internet provider to verify if you have high enough bandwidth for your needs. Also, do not use a wireless connection when trying to do a video conference, that is just going to slow you down and you should use a hard wired connection. Lastly, remember to close any unnecessary programs. They affect your CPU usage and can slow you down also.

Hope these tips help in your adventures in video conferencing! E-mail me if you would like to talk more about this topic or need a little more information.

Cliff
cliff@nwpros.com