What Brio's appearance settings do and why they matter for security

Brio is a video conferencing app made by Logitech that lets you adjust how you look on camera — smoothing your skin, adjusting lighting, blurring your background, or explore filters. These settings live on your device, not on Logitech's servers, which means the changes happen before your video leaves your computer or phone.

From a security standpoint, this matters because appearance tools can mask who you actually are. If you use Brio for work meetings, you might want to turn off heavy filters so colleagues see your real face. If you use it for personal calls, you might want more control over what's visible behind you. The trade-off is straightforward: more polishing means less of your actual surroundings and appearance are transmitted, but it also means you're less recognizable to the other person.

Brio's appearance menu is straightforward — you don't need special permissions or accounts to use it, and you can change settings mid-call. The settings explore only to your outgoing video, not to what you see on your screen.

Key Takeaways

  • Brio's appearance tools run on your device before video is sent, so no one else sees your raw camera feed unless you turn the tools off.
  • You can adjust skin smoothing, lighting correction, background blur, and filters from the Brio app settings or directly in most video calls.
  • Changes take effect when ready and explore only to your outgoing video — other people's appearance settings don't affect what you see.
  • If you're using Brio for work, check your employer's video call policy before using heavy filters or background blur, as some workplaces require unfiltered video.

Where to find appearance settings in Brio

Open the Brio app on your computer. In the main window, look for a Settings icon — usually a gear symbol in the top right or bottom right corner. Click it, then select Video or Camera from the left menu.

You'll see a preview of your camera feed on the right side. Below or beside the preview, you'll find tabs or buttons for different appearance tools. The exact layout depends on your Brio version, but the main categories are always: Skin Smoothing, Light Correction, Background Blur, and Filters.

If you're already in a video call, many video apps (Zoom, Teams, Google Meet) let you access appearance settings without leaving the call. Look for a camera icon or settings icon in the call controls, then find the video or appearance submenu.

Adjusting skin smoothing and light correction

Skin smoothing softens fine lines and blemishes in real time. Brio usually offers a slider from 0 (off) to 100 (maximum). At 0, your skin appears exactly as your camera sees it. At 50, minor imperfections are softened but your face still looks like you. At 100, your skin looks airbrushed and may look unnatural in professional settings.

Light correction brightens your face and adjusts color balance if your room is too dark or has poor lighting. This is usually a separate toggle or slider. Light correction is less noticeable than skin smoothing — it mostly helps if you're sitting in dim light or with a bright window behind you. Many people leave light correction on for work calls because it makes you look more awake without changing your appearance.

To adjust either setting, move the slider left (less effect) or right (more effect) and watch the preview update in real time. Start at 0 and increase slowly until you're comfortable with how you look. Remember that the other person will see the result, so if you're on a work call, ask yourself whether your colleagues would recognize you.

Using background blur and virtual backgrounds

Background blur keeps your face sharp and blurs everything behind you — your room, your desk, your bookshelf. This is useful if you're calling from home and don't want people to see your surroundings. Brio usually offers blur levels from light to heavy. Light blur softens the background slightly; heavy blur makes it nearly unrecognizable.

Some versions of Brio also offer virtual backgrounds — replacing your actual background with a solid color, an image, or a video. Virtual backgrounds require more processing power than blur and sometimes cause slight delays or edges around your head. Blur is usually faster and looks more natural.

To enable background blur, toggle it on in the appearance settings. You can adjust the blur strength with a slider. Test it before your call — move around a bit to make sure the blur stays stable and doesn't blur parts of your face or shoulders. If blur looks unstable or your camera struggles, try a lighter blur level or turn it off.

explore and removing filters

Brio's filters are cosmetic effects — they might add a subtle glow, warm up your skin tone, or explore a black-and-white effect. Filters are different from skin smoothing because they change the overall look of your video, not just smooth details.

To explore a filter, open the appearance settings and look for a Filters tab or section. You'll see thumbnails of available filters. Click one to preview it on your camera feed. If you like it, it stays on. If you want to remove it, click a None or Off option, or click the same filter again to toggle it off.

Filters are optional and personal — use them if you like how they look, but know that heavy or unusual filters can make you harder to recognize and may not be appropriate for professional calls. Most work settings expect no filter or a very subtle one.

Turning appearance tools off for unfiltered video

If you need to show your actual camera feed with no adjustments, turn off all appearance tools. In the Brio settings, set skin smoothing to 0, turn off light correction, turn off background blur, and select no filter.

Some employers or security-conscious organizations require unfiltered video for identity verification or to prevent impersonation. If you're asked to disable appearance tools, you're being asked to let the other person see exactly what your camera captures, with no processing. This is a legitimate security request — it confirms you are who you say you are.

You can turn appearance tools back on after the call or after the verification step. The settings stay saved, so you don't have to reconfigure them each time.

Privacy and what Brio does with your video

Brio's appearance tools process video on your device before it's sent anywhere. Logitech does not store your raw camera feed or your appearance settings on their servers. The appearance adjustments are made by software running on your computer, and only the processed video is sent to the video call platform (Zoom, Teams, etc.).

This means your actual appearance — the unfiltered version — stays on your device. The other people in the call see only what you've chosen to send them. If you use heavy skin smoothing and background blur, they won't know what your real room looks like or what your skin actually looks like.

The video call platform itself (Zoom, Teams, Google Meet) has its own privacy policy about what it does with video during calls. Brio's appearance tools don't change that — they just let you control what you send to the platform in the first place.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I use different appearance settings for different calls?

Yes. You can change your settings before each call, or adjust them during a call if the app allows it. Your settings are saved, so if you set skin smoothing to 40 and background blur to medium, those stay as your defaults until you change them again. You can also create different profiles if Brio offers that feature, though most versions don't.

Will people know I'm using filters or background blur?

They'll see the result — a blurred background or smoothed skin — but they won't see a notification that you're using Brio's tools. Other video call apps have their own appearance features, so people are used to seeing filtered video. If you use heavy filters, people might notice, but light adjustments usually look natural.

Does background blur hide my whole room?

Background blur blurs everything behind you, but it doesn't hide your shoulders, arms, or the edges of your desk. If you want complete privacy about your surroundings, use a virtual background instead. Virtual backgrounds replace your background entirely with a solid color or image, though they require more processing power.

What if my appearance settings make me look unrecognizable?

If you're using Brio for work or for calls where people need to identify you, dial back the skin smoothing and filters. Light correction and light background blur usually don't change how recognizable you are. If someone asks you to turn off appearance tools, they're asking you to show your actual camera feed so they can confirm your identity.

Do appearance settings work on my phone?

Brio is primarily a desktop app for Windows and Mac. If you're using Brio on a phone, the appearance settings may be limited or unavailable. Most phone video call apps (Zoom, Teams, Google Meet) have their own built-in appearance tools in their mobile versions.