Zoom Virtual Backgrounds

So, with hours to spare, I managed to ship my first product in my 12 products in 12 months challenge!

It’s called Zoom Virtual Backgrounds.

What it is

Zoom, the amazing video conferencing tool that took the world by storm and recently completed a highly successful IPO, has a very cool feature which allows users to place a virtual backdrop behind them during a video call.

For a video explainer of the feature, check this out.

At Zoom Virtual Backgrounds, you can download over 100 high quality backgrounds, hand-picked for this use-case. All the images are provided in two aspect ratios (16:9 and 4:3) to ensure the best results with your webcam, and you’ll also get free updates for life when you buy the bundle for just $29.

How it came to be

When I first found out about this feature, I immediately went looking for some high-quality, realistic background images which I could use on my video calls. But I struggled to find any and ended up scrolling through Unsplash, then breaking open my image editor software to get it looking just how I wanted it.

It seemed like a great idea for a small project that I could quickly get my teeth into to kick off this challenge.

So I found the right images, edited them for the best results, built a quick 3-page website, and set up a Gumroad account to facilitate the purchase flow.

Lessons learned

  • Everything takes longer than you first think it will! Even though this was a small project, I still needed several more hours than initially expected in order to get the product shipped.
  • Use help when you need it. I paid a VA for several hours of work helping me find the appropriate images for the site.
  • Use other tools and platforms wherever you can. I used an amazing toolkit for this site (listed below), which made my job easier.

Tools used

Coming up next

So the October product, 1 of 12, has shipped… so what’s next? I’m not sure yet - watch this space.