Spotlight Participant Keyboard Shortcut

Feature Requests
1

Is your feature request related to a problem? Please describe.
We use Zoom conferencing for videoconferences in sign language, thus we use Spotlight feature quite a lot, so that all participants could see clearly the person who is signing to the camera. The person who operates the whole meeting has to be very quick and uses many of keyboard shortcuts that are included in the Zoom client. The challenge for him is to pick a participant for spotlighting because there is no shortcut for that.

Describe the solution you’d like
Just left-click mouse on a participant and then pressing keyboard shortcut, such as Ctrl+S. If I looked correctly, this shortcut doesnÂŽt exist yet for PC.

Describe alternatives you’ve considered
Now we have to left-click mouse on a participant, then right-click and choose from the context menu feature Spotlight. The problem is that the context menu is not always the same since it differs depending on the participant meeting rights.

We understand, that since COVID-19 outbreak you probably have a big amount work, so we appreciate all the efforts to support videoconferencing services. Thanks a lot!

8 Likes
2

Hi @tomeknawrat! Thanks for sharing - I’ve added this as a feature request.

Feel free to also share any feedback at https://zoom.us/feed!

2 Likes
3

Hi, I would also really appreciate being able to quick select a person to spotlight with my keybord. I work for a university theatre department and this would make all our classes much easier come September when we are again doing scenes and plays online. Thousands of university and high school theatre programs world wide would benefit from the host being able to quick key between two (or more) spotlight student actors while the rest of the class watches those students perform.

2 Likes
4

Hi @michael.zoom,

We too use Zoom for video conferences in Sign Language and find having to right+click individuals and select Spotlight from a drop-down menu a bit cumbersome. Sometimes, the wrong drop-down is selected, and the person is either put in back in the waiting room or video muted, instead of spotlight (user error), thereby disrupting the momentarily meeting.

It would be nice to have a much simpler faster way to do this. It also does not help that the video squares constantly move around. While I can see 49 squares at a time, I sometimes have 3 pages to scroll through. It would be nice to sort them alphabetically, even the non-video participants with the video participants (don’t keep them separately sorted or make it optionally selectable), since attendees will mute/unmute their video when they wish to participate.

It would also be nice if the RAISE HAND was always visible to the participant, since the majority of conference attendees can never find it in participants menu and just raise their hand in-person, leaving it up to us to spot them by scrolling the pages of video squares.

Also, since all of our conferences are in sign language, there is little point to constantly letting the participant know their audio is muted when they are spotlighted. It has caused quite a few disruptions when the non-tech savvy are fighting with a message they do not comprehend. On several occasions, the deaf user never gives their comment and are just on screen trying to get rid of their message. Since whether their audio is muted or not has no bearing on their comment, it would be nice to have the option to disable such messages from the host menu. It would make meetings run much smoother.

Lastly, I use an Elgato Stream Deck and OBS Studio in conjunction with Zoom to share various media in sign language during our confrences. Stream deck has been a life saver during these conferences, making it so much easier to show media without leaving Zoom. While this last request somewhat ties back to the first one, it is more of a host feature. Could you create a way to have a standalone shortcut, or integration, that will spotlight the host? Second, could their be additional integrations to spotlight others? Meaning, once attendees are connected and those that are scheduled to give a sign language lecture have connected, we can assign them to shortcuts or buttons on the Stream Deck. This would be helpful if they have Q&A as pressing the shortcut, or stream deck button would easily switch the spotlight back to them after a participant has commented.

I realized you are very busy as a result of this pandemic and that your software is at a demand much higher than expected. I hope this feedback will prove helpful in future iterations of Zoom.

Thanks for your time and hardwork!

8 Likes
5

All of this! 100%

While not nearly as important as a tool for teaching, we’ve been running DJ streams on twitch and using Zoom as a platform for the ‘dance floor’ that we’re integrating into the visuals. It’s been extremely inefficient and cumbersome to click on the three dot menu to spotlight someone, especially as the tiles keep moving and it’s created issues where some random person was made host.

I’m currently attempting to create macros that are mapped to my AKAI MPD midi pad for this, but I would literally buy a StreamDeck if this were an option. Even some Keyboard shortcuts to spotlight someone would be miles ahead from where we are now.

I also do IT for dozens of tech companies in the Bay Area. I’ve been asked similar things for over a year now to help giant “All-Hands/All-Staff” meetings go easier for the meeting Host, so there’s even a financial incentive to develop this feature.

Thanks!

4 Likes
6

If using a hotkey solution, please also have that hotkey “remove spotlight”.
We are using Zoom for a live theater broadcast and highlighting actors who are not speaking is challenging.
I do this within the participants window, and having ctrl-S (or another key) to spotlight the chosen participant keeps me from accidentally stopping their video instead when I’m making quick switches. (oops)
It would be very useful if this hotkey should also then perform the “remove spotlight” feature once someone has been spotlighted.

2 Likes
7

Yes to all of this.
I do have an idea though about how to make this possibly more user friendly.
Sense most of these requests would only be needed by hosts/cohosts could there be a mode toggle button that changes the GUI to a studio view?
I imagine this screen looking like a multi-camera switcher screen.
So you could have a “Preview” and a “Program” window in the middle of the screen.
And along the bottom have a Hot Bar like something out of a videogame, where you would have 5-10 placeholders where you could drag and drop participants, that have assignments, or that you quickly need to spotlight. Having an option to pin your second monitor (media) as an input would be helpful here too. Or the ability to drag and drop .JPG files to one of the placeholders. Auto Fade between 2 cameras/participants would be cool but unnecessary.
You could also have a top bar of 5-10 placeholders that show participants and their video that are actively Raising their hand or Talking.

2 Likes
8

I’m a noob here. Not sure if this is related, but I would like to be able to change the Zoom camera in use via a midi input. I’m using Zoom in conjunction with presentation software (Proclaim). Currently I have to manual choose the camera depending on what OBS scene is in use. I can change the OBS scene via midi, but need to also change the Zoom camera.

Is this a feature that is in development?

Thanks,

Dave

2 Likes
9

Following. I would also find a Spotlight/Remove Spotlight keyboard shortcut incredibly valuable.

My use case is I teach tai chi classes via Zoom. I use an Elgato Streamdeck to send many of the Zoom keyboard shortcuts directly to Zoom. I use the mobile app of the Streamdeck on an old Android phone. I keep the phone handy so I can remote control Zoom (Mute/Unmute for Everyone except Host is my most used one), since the PC is setup about 8-10 feet away from where I teach the class. Instantaneous control of Zoom via shortcuts is one of the SINGLE BEST FEATURES OF ZOOM - YOU BLOW YOUR COMPETITION OUT OF THE WATER IN THIS REGARD!

I would appreciate the Spotlight shortcut because I always start my Zoom classes in Gallery View so we can all see each other and feel we’re a group. Once I start into the teaching part, I Spotlight my video so all the non-tech students on the class (and even the tekkies) don’t have to figure out how to get to the Speaker view. I have a couple students that after dozens of Zoom calls, still don’t know how to switch between Gallery and Speaker views, it’s just not their superpower to understand this high tech stuff.

I pray you add this feature in the very near future!

Thank you for such an amazing platform.

2 Likes
10

Also using Zoom’s spotlight video feature here in online training/workshops were it would be super useful to be able to use a keyboard shortcut to switch on/off spotlight video for host/co-host & a few main speakers.

(using Bitfocus/Companion/Streamdeck to stay away from mouse actions as much as possible during webinar/meetings).

Hopefully you’ll be able to impement this soon.

Thanks a lot

2 Likes
11

This is something that is really needed! Spotlight and Pin to 2nd screen need shortcuts.

2 Likes
12

This would be so valuable. I’m currently using a Streamdeck, OBS, and an app specifically for this purpose all to make Spotlighting smoother.

2 Likes
13

Hi everyone and zoom Team !
Perfect idea for audiovisual production involving Zoom.
Would love a shortcut for “spotlighting the host” (super useful when injecting a video / slider, then same shortcut for "going back ?!?).
Zoom is a fantastic tool anyway, congrats for trying to improve continually : it’s right to say you opened a new era in videoconferencing !
All the best.
Etienne

3 Likes
14

I too would love to have keyboard shortcuts for spotlighting.

An additional idea to build on what has already been said - it would be awesome if we could “tag” certain participants so that a shortcut can be used to spotlight and unmute them. E.g. If you have a panel of speakers and chairman, you can tag the chairman as #1 and each speaker as #2, #3 and #4 etc. Then the SHORTCUT+1 would unmute (if not already) and replace spotlight to the chairman. SHORTCUT+2, SHORTCUT+3 and SHORTCUT+4 would work the same.

Just an idea.

2 Likes
15

Yes to all of this. And for me, simply a “Spotlight Me” that replaces all multiple spotlights and focuses on me would be a huge feature!

1 Like
16

Just a hotkey to toggle host spotlight would be great. Thank you.

1 Like
17

Yes yes yes! Please a hotkey to toggle the Host Spotlight on or off. Fumbling with a mouse to do this destroys the flow (of instruction). I signed up here just to make this comment. Please prioritize this for teachers everywhere!

73 Gary

18

One more vote to create the shortcut hotkey. particularly I like the suggestion to create a short list of those who will present and then SHORTKEY+1, SHORTKEY+2, etc. The short list could be nothing but the list of Co-Hosts which we currently create to keep names near the top of the Participants list so that we can find them to spotlight. Currently using the mouse to spotlight, and it is far too easy to miss entirely, spotlight someone else, or create an action that disrupts the flow of the activity.

19

There are already all ideas.
Option to show a number in Gallery view in a corner of each participant video (maybe also an option to only show 9 participants, or next gallery page will just go 9 participants further).
Then a shortcut with numbers 1-9
And a setting if this toggles spotlight for the person (add/remove to spotlight), or replace currently spotlighted person(s). A number would be nice for max parallel spotlights (for participants) and an option to always keep hosts/cohosts spotlighted.
Then in a class i could press one button to add a participant as second spotlight. Later either same button to remove participant again, or different number to add another participant. After adding 2 participants or maybe 4, whenever adding another participant, the oldest spotlighted participant should be removed.
And finally a button to turn off all spotlights except for hosts, and I would be 120% happy.
Since the ideas of what could be done are greatly varying, a more flexible solution would be some kind of scripting for hotkeys. To connect multiple commands with a button.
This would also be wonderful to press a button at the end of class to

Unmute own mic, allow participants to unmute, send request to unmute to all participants.

20

Any news on shortcuts for spotlighting the host??? This is a necessary shortcuts