How To Look Better on Zoom Using Photoshop!
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Look better on Zoom with one Photoshop trick: grade a screenshot, export it as a LUT, and load that LUT onto your webcam in OBS Studio.
Looking your best on camera can be challenging, especially if your lighting and environment aren’t ideal. The good news is, you don’t have to settle for looking washed out or dim on your Zoom calls.
Discover this little-known trick that allows you to “Photoshop” your Zoom calls to make them more visually appealing.
This technique also works on Google Meet, Microsoft Teams, Skype, and other desktop video-calling platforms.
Key Takeaways
- A Color Lookup Table (LUT) is what lets you look better on Zoom. It captures a whole Photoshop color grade in one portable file you can load anywhere.
- Layer Masks do not work with this technique. Use Blending Modes, Opacity, or Fill to combine adjustment layers instead.
- Photoshop can only export a Color Lookup Table when the document has a real Background Layer, not just a layer sitting at the bottom.
- OBS Studio applies the exported LUT to your live webcam feed through its Video Capture Device filters, so the color grade shows up on Zoom, Google Meet, Teams, or Skype.
- A transparent PNG overlay added as an Image source in OBS Studio shows up on every call until you hide it with the eye icon.
Table of contents
- What You Will Learn
- Requirements
- Step 1: Take your Zoom Screenshot Into Photoshop
- Step 2: Create Your Color Adjustments
- Step 3: Export Your Color Adjustment As a LUT File
- Step 4: Install OBS Studio
- Step 5: Set Up OBS Studio
- Step 6: Save the LUT as a PNG
- Step 7: Use The OBS Virtual Camera on Zoom
- Step 8: Create Overlays To Use on Your Zoom Call
- Frequently Asked Questions
- How to Look Better on Zoom: Final Thoughts
- Related Links
What You Will Learn
- How to color grade a Zoom screenshot with Adjustment Layers in Photoshop
- How to export that color grade as a 3D LUT file
- How to install and set up OBS Studio as your Zoom camera source
- How to apply your LUT to your webcam feed with the LUT 3D filter
- How to add a custom Photoshop overlay graphic to your video calls
Requirements
Before you start
- Photoshop 2023 (version 24.2 or later) or the current version
- OBS Studio (free), to apply the LUT to your webcam
Practice Files
Download the neutral LUT used in this tutorial and follow along step by step.
Step 1: Take your Zoom Screenshot Into Photoshop
To take a screenshot on Zoom, press Alt PrintScreen (Windows) or Command Shift 3 (macOS).
Once you have your screenshot, open it in Photoshop.
You can use any Adjustment Layer to color-correct or color-grade your image.
Step 2: Create Your Color Adjustments
Create a group and name it as you like. Then place all your adjustments in it.
Keep in mind that Layer Masks will not work for this, but you can use Blending Modes, Opacity, Fill, and Blend If.
Note: This step is completely subjective. Create adjustments that work for you.
For this tutorial, we used a Brightness and Contrast adjustment, Vibrance, and a Hue and Saturation adjustment layer to adjust skin tones.
Tip: Building a look from several Adjustment Layers works well, the same approach used in Beautiful Color Grade In Photoshop. Prefer one dialog instead of stacking layers? Try the three-way color wheels in Color Grading in Camera Raw.
Once you’ve made your adjustments, you can click the Eye icon to see the before-and-after.
Unedited version:
Edited version:
Step 3: Export Your Color Adjustment As a LUT File
To export your adjustments, make sure your bottommost layer is a “background layer.”
If you don’t, just go into Layer > New > Background from Layer.
Then export by going into File > Export > Color Look Up tables.
Choose a file size. Uncheck all formats except Cube, then press OK.
Give your color correction a name and click on Save.
Step 4: Install OBS Studio
To apply a 3D LUT file in Zoom, you’ll need additional software, but don’t worry, it’s free!
Go to OBSproject.com, download, and install OBS Studio.
Step 5: Set Up OBS Studio
In OBS Studio, go to Scene Collection and choose New.
Name your Scene and press OK.
Under Sources, click on the Plus icon and choose Video Capture Device.
This will connect to your computer’s webcam.
Select your device under the drop-down.
Right-click on the Video Capture Device > Filters > Plus icon.
Select LUT 3D > Browse > 3D LUT file you exported from Photoshop.
Click on OK, and you’re ready to go.
If the LUT isn’t showing up on the previous screen, proceed to Step 6 to make sure it shows up.
Step 6: Save the LUT as a PNG
Open Photoshop and load the Neutral LUT.png file (tutorial download below).
Click on the New Adjustment Layer icon and select Color Lookup.
Click on Load 3D LUT and select the LUT you want to create.
Export the LUT as a PNG by going to File > Export > Quick Export as PNG.
Select the PNG and apply it to OBS Studio.
Step 7: Use The OBS Virtual Camera on Zoom
Click Start Virtual Camera.
Go to Zoom > Settings > Video > Camera > OBS Virtual Camera.
Step 8: Create Overlays To Use on Your Zoom Call
To add custom graphics to your video, you can create overlays in Photoshop and add them to OBS Studio.
Design your graphic or overlay in Photoshop and export it as a PNG with transparency.
In OBS Studio, click on the Plus icon and select Image.
Browse and select the PNG file you created in Photoshop.
Place the overlay anywhere you want on the video.
To disable an overlay, click on the eye icon next to it in OBS Studio.
The overlay will also be disabled in Zoom.
To enable an overlay again, simply click on the eye icon.
That’s it!
With these simple steps, you can look better in Zoom using Photoshop! So, what are you waiting for? Get creative and make your virtual meetings more engaging and exciting!
Frequently Asked Questions
Take a screenshot of your Zoom call and color grade it in Photoshop with Adjustment Layers. Export that grade as a 3D LUT. Load the LUT into OBS Studio so it applies automatically to your live webcam feed.
Yes. The same trick you use to look better on Zoom works on Google Meet, Microsoft Teams, Skype, or any other desktop video calling app. Just select OBS Studio‘s Virtual Camera as the camera once it is running.
Photoshop only exports a Color Lookup Table when your document has a true Background Layer. If your bottom layer is a regular layer, convert it first with Layer > New > Background from Layer.
Choose CUBE. Uncheck every other format in the Color Lookup Tables export dialog, since CUBE is the format OBS Studio’s LUT 3D filter reads.
Right-click your Video Capture Device source and open Filters. Add a LUT 3D filter. Browse to the .cube file you exported from Photoshop.
Yes, OBS Studio is free. Download it from OBSproject.com and install it before you set up your Zoom camera source. It handles the Virtual Camera that feeds your LUT into Zoom.
Export your graphic from Photoshop as a transparent PNG, then add it as an Image source in OBS Studio. Click the eye icon next to it to show or hide it during a call.
How to Look Better on Zoom: Final Thoughts
A Photoshop color grade turns a dim, washed-out webcam feed into one with better skin tones and contrast, whether you use Zoom, Google Meet, Microsoft Teams, or Skype.
Once you export that grade as a LUT and load it into OBS Studio, every call gets the same look automatically.
You can add your own overlay graphics on top.
Comment on the video if you have any questions.
Selections and Masking Mastery
Complete course includes 2.5 hours of step-by-step lessons, 6 structured modules, downloadable practice files, and custom Photoshop brushes. Everything you need to master selections and masks in one place.
Keep going
Next, learn how to export LUTs in Photoshop.
