Enable and use Studio Effects on Windows 11

To enable the Windows Studio Effects, open Settings > Bluetooth & devices > Cameras, click on the device from the “Connected cameras” section, and configure the supported studio effects.
Windows 11 has six main effects, including automatic framing, background blur, eye contact, voice focus, portrait light, and creative filters.
These features require specific hardware (such as an NPU), and not all the effects are available on all devices.

UPDATED 1/21/2025: On Windows 11 24H2 (2024 Update) and higher releases, you now have access to the “Windows Studio Effects” to enhance video and voice calls and recording with features powered by AI. In this guide, you will learn the steps to access and configure them.

What are Studio Effects?

Windows Studio Effects is a suite of AI-powered tools available on Windows 11 designed to enhance video and audio during calls and recordings. These features leverage the power of the Neural Processing Unit (NPU) to improve video quality, reduce distractions, and optimize sound clarity. Studio Effects integrates directly into the Settings app and offers quick access through the “Quick Settings” menu, even with the dedicated button in the Taskbar, making it easy to enable and customize during video conferencing or streaming.

What are the Studio Effects’ key features?

Windows 11 offers different effects, depending on the hardware capabilities:

Background Blur: Blurs the background during video calls to focus attention on the subject, which is useful for maintaining privacy or eliminating distractions in busy environments.
Eye Contact: Adjusts the video feed to make it appear as though you’re maintaining eye contact with the camera, even if you’re looking at your screen.
Automatic Framing: Keeps you centered in the frame by adjusting the camera’s field of view as you move.
Portrait light: Adjusts the lighting to give you a natural appearance
Creative filters: Allows you to select one of the filters and apply effects to your camera.
Voice Focus: Filters out background noise, ensuring your voice is clear during calls or recordings.

The effects are applied to the hardware level, so once enabled, they are available on any application.

Studio Effects have been part of Windows 11 for some time in some Surface devices, but starting with version 24H2, Microsoft is making these features more broadly available on Copilot+ PCs.

In this guide, I will outline the steps to enable and configure Studio Effects on Windows 11.

Enable Studio Effects on Windows 11

To enable or disable Studio Effects on Windows 11, use these steps:

Open Settings on Windows 11.
Click on Bluetooth & devices.
Click on Cameras.
Select the device under the “Connected cameras” setting.
Click on Camera Effects to access the available Windows Studio Effects.
Turn on the Automatic framing toggle switch to Zoom and crop the video to center you in the field of view.
Turn on the Portrait light toggle switch to adjust the lighting to give you a natural appearance.
Turn on the Eye contact toggle switch to make eye contact with the camera when looking at the screen.
(Optional) Click the Eye contact setting.
(Option 1) Choose the Standard option to make eye contact with the camera when looking at the screen.
(Option 2) Choose the Teleprompter option to maintain eye contact even when you’re reading content on the screen.
Turn on the Background effects toggle switch to blur the background.
Click the Background effects setting.
(Option 1) Choose the Standard blur option to apply a heavy blur to obscure objects in the background.
(Option 2) Choose the Portrait blur option to apply a light blur so that you’re always in focus.
Turn on the Creative filters toggle switch to enable the feature.
(Option 1) Choose the Illustrated option to make the video appear like an illustrated drawing.
(Option 2) Choose the Animated option to make the video appear like an animated cartoon.
(Option 3) Choose the Watercolor option to make the video appear like a watercolor painting.
In the System section, click the Sound page.
Choose your microphone to open the properties page.
Select the “Microsoft Windows Studio Voice Focus” option from the “Audio enhancements” setting.
Turn on the Voice Focus toggle switch to enable the feature and filter out background noises

Once you complete the steps, these selections will become default settings when using a supported application.

Use Studio Effects on Windows 11

To use the Windows Studio Effects on Windows 11, use these steps:

Open Start.
Search and open the app you want. For example, Camera, Microsoft Teams, WhatsApp, etc.

Quick note: I’m using the Camera app to demonstrate the feature as it has access to the webcam.
Open the Quick Settings menu with the “Windows key + A” keyboard shortcut or click the network, audio, and battery area in the Taskbar.
Click the Studio Effects button.

Quick tip: This button may also appear in the Taskbar directly.
Click the Camera tab in the top-right.
Choose the effect to apply, such as portrait light, blur, creative filter, eye contact, and others.

Quick tip: You can scroll the page up and down to access all the effects.
Review the effects in the camera preview.
(Optional) Click the Reset Effects button to restore the default settings.

Quick note: If you reset the settings, it will also reset the configuration you made in the Settings app.
Click the Audio tab in the top-right.
Turn on the Voice Focus toggle switch.

After you complete the steps, the Studio Effects will be reflected in the video feed.

Studio Effects for non-NPU PCs

Although the Windows Studio Effects are exclusive to the Copilot+ PCs, some of the effects may be available on devices with less powerful NPUs. For instance, you may be able to use “Standard Blur” but not “Portrait Blur.” You may also be able to use “Eye Contact,” but only with the “Standard” mode and not the “Teleprompter” effect.

Common issues and troubleshooting

It’s important to note that manufacturer can also implement their own effects for cameras and microphones, which can cause overlapping problems, such as putting the effect out of sync. You can avoid this issue by turning off the effects from the manufacturer application and using those effects native to the operating system. In the same way, you can disable the native effects that Windows has to offer and then turn on those effects from third-party tools.

If one or more effects are not available, consider that most of the features require specific hardware, such as NPU, camera, and microphone.

Update January 21, 2025: This guide has been updated to ensure accuracy and reflect changes to the process.

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