Image: Microsoft
Most people know the feeling of having an off-morning—e.g., sleeping past your alarm or the coffee just not kicking in. Putting on a full face of makeup is one way to shake yourself out of the doldrums before your video meetings, but it takes time. Or at least, it did before Microsoft’s newest video filter for Teams, which lets you skip the real-world primping.
Called the Maybelline Beauty app, this set of effects lets users apply digital makeup colors and skin blurring to their faces—an amped up version of Zoom’s long-available “Touch up my appearance” video setting, which smooths out skin imperfections. Microsoft’s filters rely on AI-powered tech called Modiface (owned by Maybelline’s parent company L’Oreal), which creates a virtual map of faces to apply the digital makeup. At launch, Teams users will get what the company calls “12 unique looks” to choose from.
While the filter should have its fans, initial response to the company’s announcement is not universally positive. In possibly a shocker to no one, Teams still has feature deficiencies that, if addressed, could save people both time and sanity. Wrestling daily with recalcitrant settings in an app is generally unpleasant. Applying make-up can feel like self-care, at least.
If you’re looking forward to skipping makeup application and removal, you’ll want to load up the public preview version of Teams—the filter’s not yet available for general use yet. It also only began rolling out to Teams enterprise users today. You’ll know if you have access to it if you see it your Video Effects settings under Filters.
Author: Alaina Yee, Senior Editor
Alaina Yee is PCWorld’s resident bargain hunter—when she’s not covering PC building, computer components, mini-PCs, and more, she’s scouring for the best tech deals. Previously her work has appeared in PC Gamer, IGN, Maximum PC, and Official Xbox Magazine. You can find her on Twitter at @morphingball.