Among these new additions are new Camera effects for the integrated camera that aim to improve your overall video-calling experience when using Windows 11. Here’s all you need to know about the new Studio Effects in Windows 11.
What Is Studio Effects In Windows 11?
Studio Effects are exclusive audio and video effects bundled with the Windows 11 22H2 update that can be directly applied to your audio and video stream from the default camera and microphone on your PC. These effects aim to improve the overall video-calling experience when using Windows 11. Over the past few years, more and more people have started working from home. This has raised the need for improved video calling experiences that help maintain privacy while providing the best possible call experience. Service providers worldwide have been experimenting with new features that help do the same, but Microsoft has gone a step further and added Studio effects to the integrated camera natively. This helps ensure that you can apply effects to your video stream regardless of the features your video calling app offers. Here’s a list of all the new features included in Studio Effects in the Windows 11 22H2 update. Auto Framing: Auto Framing is a new Studio Effect designed to help keep you centered on the screen when moving around or when your webcam is placed at an angle. Video calls can be quite distracting when multiple callers move around on your screen. Microsoft thus has developed Automatic Framing so that the camera stays focused on you while you move around as usual. This will help reduce distractions and make video calls feel more realistic and connected. Voice Focus: Another factor that can significantly degrade the quality of video calls is audio. Muffled audio or audio with background noise can be quite distracting and, in many cases, prevent you from communicating with other participants. Voice Focus is thus developed by Microsoft to help filter out the background noise from your audio streams which will help make your video calls feel more seamless. Microsoft uses Advanced AI in the background to intelligently remove background noise from your audio stream in real time, and the improvement can be quite significant under the right scenarios. Background Blur: Most video-calling apps gradually adopted video filters as the norm a few years ago. Video filters help maintain privacy by hiding your background so you can easily video call anyone around the world. But sometimes, these filters can be taxing on your PC’s resources and not work as intended. Thus Background Blur has been added as a native Studio Effect in Windows 11 22H2 to help you blur your video stream background in real-time. Microsoft uses intelligent AI in the background to help recognize and differentiate you from the background. Windows 11 will then automatically blur your background for privacy while ensuring that you’re visible in the foreground. Eye Contact: Video Calling has come a long way since the pandemic started. But calls still manage to feel unnatural as making eye contact can be difficult in calls. This can be due to an exceeding number of participants or when controlling your stream and other elements on your screen. Thus the new Eye Contact Studio Effect has been developed by Microsoft to help ensure that you and other participants can always stay in contact with each other.
How to Use Studio Effects In Windows 11
There are a few requirements to use Studio Effects on your Windows 11 PC. Use the section below to help you get familiar with the same. Requirements: The new Studio Effects rely on an NPU to intelligently process your camera feed in real time. Thus you will need a PC that is able to meet the following requirements.
Windows 11 22H2 UpdateAn ARM-based Windows PC
Enable Studio Effects in Windows 11
Now that you’re familiar with the requirements, here’s how you can enable and use the new Studio Effects on your PC.
- Start by opening the Settings app on your PC. You can open the Settings app from the Start menu or use the Windows + i keyboard shortcut to open it on your PC.
- Click Bluetooth & Devices on your left. This will allow us to view connected devices on your PC and change your camera settings.
- Now click and select Cameras on your right. This will allow you to view all the cameras currently connected to your PC and change their settings accordingly.
- You will now have a list of all the connected cameras on your screen. Click and select the camera where you wish to apply the new Studio Effects. You can repeat these steps for other cameras if you wish to apply Studio Effects to all of your cameras feeds. If you wish to apply Studio Effects to your in-built webcam, if you have a laptop, click and select Integrated Camera instad.
- Turn on the toggle for Automatic Framing if you wish to apply this effect. Windows 11 will intelligently crop your camera feed when this is enabled to ensure that you’re always in the center of your camera frame.
- Turn on the toggle for Background Blur if you wish to blur your background.
- Click and choose the type of blur you wish to apply to your camera feed. Select Standard Blur if you wish to blur your background heavily for maximum privacy. Click and select Portrait Blur if you wish to choose a more aesthetic blur. Portrait Blur will apply a light blur to your background instead to replicate the look of a professional camera.
- Now click and turn on the toggle for Eye Contact if you wish to use this new Studio Effect. Eye Contact will let Windows 11 intelligently control your camera feed to ensure that you always make eye contact with your call participants.
- Click and select the type of Eye Contact you wish Windows 11 to apply to your camera feed. If you can not view options, click the listing for Eye Contact to expand and choose the type of Eye Contact you wish to use on your Windows 11 PC. You will now have applied the new Studio Effects to your camera on your Windows 11 PC.
Why are Studio Effects only available on ARM-based PCs?
The new Studio Effects rely on an NPU or a Neural Processing Unit to analyze and adjust your camera’s feed in real-time. NPUs are currently only available in ARM-based CPUs; thus, this feature is exclusive to these devices.
Can you use multiple Studio Effects simultaneously?
Yes, you can use multiple Studio Effects simultaneously. Keep in mind multiple Studio Effects can get taxing on your CPU depending on other tasks and programs running on your Windows 11 PC.
Final Words
Video calling has become the norm for most people worldwide since the pandemic hit us. Maintaining privacy online has always been a challenge in video calls, and the new Studio Effects aim to improve this overall experience. I hope this post helped you easily use Studio Effects on your Windows 11 PC.
Δ
