Zoom keeps adding additional features, some very useful for our Rotary meetings. Updates come out about twice a month (latest Sept 1, 2020). Zoom will notify you about critical updates or bug fixes. Otherwise, you must manually check for updates (smartphones should update automatically).
Open the Zoom client on your computer and login to your Zoom account. The next screen shows New Meeting, Join, Schedule, or Share Screen. Click on your profile photo in the upper right corner (may just be your initials if you haven't yet uploaded a profile photo). Then select "Check for Updates." Zoom will download updates and ask if you want to install - yes. That's it - but scrolling through the "Release Notes" can be very productive by listing features have been added or improved with this or recent updates. Many don't apply to our Rotary meetings, but some do.
Changed features of interest in the latest updates include:
- You could always "pin" a participant (they become locked full screen, but ONLY on your computer screen). You can now "pin" up to nine people. (Click on their little video box and select pin. Unpin to to release.)
- Hosts and co-hosts (only) could "Spotlight" one participant - similar to "pin" but that person becomes locked full screen on everyone's screen. Great for keeping a program speaker full screen. But now, a host can "spotlight" up to nine participants. Very useful for interviews, or panel discussions. (Hosts: right click on on a participant's little video box, select "spotlight". Repeat to add more spotlights. Be sure to release "spotlight" when the presentation or panel is over.)
- Admit it: we have all tried the "Improve my Appearance" option under Video Settings. It very gently softens facial features (translation "smoothes wrinkles"). It was a checkbox in previous versions, but now offers a min-max slider (but, alas, it still doesn't work miracles). And the new "Adjust for Low Light" checkbox under Video Settings can be helpful.
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