Most people who look bad on video calls have a good enough camera. The problem is almost always light, angle and distance, and all three are free to fix. Work through this list once, then use the webcam test to check the result in the same crop Zoom, Teams and Meet use.
1. Put the light in front of you
Face a window or put a lamp behind your screen so the light falls on your face. A bright window behind you turns you into a silhouette, because the camera exposes for the bright background. If you can't move, close the blind behind you and add a lamp in front.
Soft light is more flattering than hard light. Daylight through a curtain, or a lamp bounced off a white wall, softens shadows under the eyes. A screen ring light helps in a dark room.
2. Raise the camera to eye level
A laptop on a desk looks up your nose. Stack books under it until the camera is level with your eyes, or slightly above. Then tilt the screen so you are centered.
3. Frame head and shoulders
Sit about an arm's length (50–70 cm) from the camera. Your eyes should be about a third of the way down the frame, with a little space above your head. The eye line in the webcam test shows exactly where.
Remember the crop: meeting apps show a 16:9 tile and may trim the edges again in gallery view. Anything at the very edge of your camera picture may not be seen.
4. Look at the lens when you speak
People feel ignored when you look at their faces on screen instead of the camera. Move the meeting window to the top of the screen, right under the camera, so your eyes stay close to the lens.
5. Clean up the background
Check the corners of the frame, not just behind your head. A plain wall, a bookshelf or a plant works well. Avoid a moving fan, a TV or a doorway behind you. If you use a virtual background, sit in front of a plain wall so the edges stay clean.
6. Sound matters as much as picture
People forgive a soft picture but not bad audio. Use headphones to stop echo, and run the mic test to check your level. A wired headset almost always beats a laptop mic.
7. Check what others see
Your self-view is mirrored. Other people see you the other way round, which can feel strange the first time. Turn off mirroring in the webcam test, or record yourself with the webcam recorder, to see and hear yourself as others do.