Liven up your Zoom background with free Tampa Bay images

You can now add some locally flavored zip to your virtual meeting with a background of the Sunshine Skyway bridge or a gorgeous image of the Pinellas beaches and beautiful picture of the new Pier in St. Petersburg with the skyline of Tampa in the background.

Some iconic photos taken by Tampa Bay Times photographers are now available for free as your background on Zoom or other virtual meeting platforms. You can look like you are in the stands at Tropicana Field or on the beach next to the Don CeSar hotel. You’ll find a gallery of a dozen images at timesphotos.com. Click on Royalty-Free Background Images, and they can be downloaded for your next virtual meeting.

See below for instructions on how to create a virtual background on different meeting platforms.

How to use background images on various platforms

First, download the image you want at timesphotos.com. Hover over the image. The download button is available on the bottom right of the photo. Click on the download icon. Or, you can right-click on the image and save it to your computer. Then:

To use Zoom:

• Download the photo you want to use.

• While in Zoom, click on your profile and then Settings.

• Select “Virtual Background” and then click the "+" icon.

• Follow the prompts to upload your image.

For Microsoft Teams:

• Download the photo you want to use.

• Move that photo to “/Microsoft/Teams/Backgrounds/Uploads” directory. On a PC, this is in your user directory and AppData. On a Mac, it’s in your user directory in the Library/Application Support folder.

• Click on the “...” dots when you are in a meeting, then select “Show background effects” and select your image.

For Skype:

• Download the photo you want to use.

• During a call, click on the “More ...” menu.

• Click “Choose background effect” and then “Add a new image.”

• • •

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