Virtual Camera Guide

2022-08-31

What is the virtual camera?

The Virtual Camera is a feature of OBS Studio that allows you to share your OBS Studio scene with any applications that can make use of a webcam, such as Zoom, Skype, Discord, etc. This feature is particularly useful for applications that cannot capture the screen directly.

Using the virtual camera

To start the virtual camera, click Start Virtual Camera in the Controls dock. To stop the virtual camera, click the same button again (which will be labelled Stop Virtual Camera).
To adjust settings for the virtual camera, click on the ⚙ Gear icon in the Controls dock.
From the Virtual Camera settings window, you can adjust the following settings: Internal Program Output: the virtual camera will show what OBS Studio normally outputs Preview Output: if using Studio Mode, the virtual camera will show the Preview. This means anybody watching the video feed will see you changing scenes, making edits, etc. Scene: the virtual camera shows only one scene, regardless of what is currently showing Source: see below

To start the virtual camera, click Start Virtual Camera in the Controls dock. To stop the virtual camera, click the same button again (which will be labelled Stop Virtual Camera).

OBS Studio Controls dock, with the Start Virtual Camera button highlighted

To adjust settings for the virtual camera, click on the ⚙ Gear icon in the Controls dock.

OBS Studio Controls dock with the Virtual Camera Settings button highlighted

From the Virtual Camera settings window, you can adjust the following settings:

Internal
- Program Output: the virtual camera will show what OBS Studio normally outputs
- Preview Output: if using Studio Mode, the virtual camera will show the Preview. This means anybody watching the video feed will see you changing scenes, making edits, etc.
Scene: the virtual camera shows only one scene, regardless of what is currently showing
Source: see below

Show a single source in the virtual camera

In a future update, you will be able to select a single source for the virtual camera to show. Until then, you can show a single source by creating an extra scene containing the source.

Add a new scene. In this tutorial, it will be called Virtual Camera.
Add an existing source: click on the + Add Source button select the type of the source you want to show click on Add Existing select the source (Alternatively, you can copy the source and paste a reference to it)
Your Virtual Camera should contain a single source. You can resize the source to fit the source to the size of the scene. The quickest method to fit a source to the scene is to right-click on the source and choose: Windows and Linux: Ctrl-F macOS: ⌘-F