Question / Help Using OBS and Skype

swar

New Member
I'm using OBS 21.1.2 64-bit.
I'm an advanced user, been around software/hardware for nearly 3 decades and relatively skilled with OBS. I have fantastic scenes setup with a 4k DSLR that I have connected via a clean HDMI out that goes into an HDMI camlink to USB (Thunderbolt) connection to my Win10 machine with quad-core cpu, tons of disk, tons of ram, etc. Everything is beautiful in OBS!!!

Then, I want to use Skype... Doh!

I have a green screen scene setup with a filter on the video capture in OBS, the background is gone, I have an image there in OBS beneath the video, so it looks fantastic. I'm ready to Skype... Doh!

Obviously, OBS is using the webcam and when I go to Skype to select the video source, Skype informs me "Can't start video. Try closing other programs that might be using your webcam." This is obviously OBS that has exclusive rights to the camlink, because when I close OBS, there's the camlink device which is the Elgato Camlink. I'm lost...

To me, it seems to make sense that OBS could virtualize the webcam hardware and allow the "scene" to be output as a webcam output device so when you go to Skype, you'd see what OBS provides.

Does anyone have a suggestion? Is what I'm asking not available? Anyone? Bueller? Bueller??
 

swar

New Member
Saw that a couple of days ago. That guy doesn't know what he's doing, his presentation skills are terrible and from memory he's advocating two separate skype accounts, and it's from four years ago or older. Also what he's talking about is deprecated from skype, etc.

Thanks anyway.
 

Harold

Active Member
To successfully capture the new Skype for Desktop version, you need to launch it with --disable-gpu --disable-gpu-compositing added to the shortcut. To do this, right click the shortcut, select properties, and add the lines at the end of the Target field (after the " if there is one). Please be aware that this may impact performance

If you want to use OBS as a webcam for skype however,
https://obsproject.com/forum/resources/obs-virtualcam.539/
 

swar

New Member
Harold, I did start Skype with those switches, yet nothing changed. Is this somehow going to allow Skype to see the OBS "scene" I have with a chroma key filter? I'm a little lost. What was the purpose of starting Skype that way?
 

Harold

Active Member
The purpose of starting skype that way was to allow OBS to window capture it.
If you want the OBS feed in skype, use the virtual cam plugin I linked.
 

swar

New Member
Thanks for the reply Harold. I'll go ahead and give the virtual cam a whirl. Do you know if there is a document here that describes how to use this in the manner I write about (scene, video capture device, chroma key filter, utilized in skype, webex, gotomeeting, et al)?
 

swar

New Member
I've set it all up, and the OBS Camera (2, 3, 4) is/are showing in Skype. Skype is being started as ""C:\Program Files (x86)\Skype\"--disable-gpu --disable-gpu-compositing"

In OBS, my scene is setup with VCD, Media Source, etc., and it looks gorgeous in OBS. However, despite everything seeming to be ready to go, the virtual cam device set in Skype is not displaying anything.

Thoughts?
 

swar

New Member
Toplachi,
Although the virtual camera does list in settings and I select it, It does not work, in that the camera's video image does not display. The audio portion of the call works, but no video. When I exit Chrome, restart it and select the Camlink camera it works as it should. No matter how I do it, the OBS virtual cam just isn't working.

Ideas?
 

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swar

New Member
Have tried the switches (C:\Program Files (x86)\Skype\Phone>skype.exe --disable-gpu --disable-gpu-compositing) and any and all options I can think to attempt. Still no output.

Btw, I've tried to run with 4 virtual cameras, then uninstalled and reinstalled with a single virtual camera.

And, I'm using OBS-VirtualCam 2.0.1. I haven't downgraded to the previous version 1.2.1. Should I?
 

swar

New Member
OMG!!! I just figured it out... Doh...

Tools > VirtualCam - Click "Start"

Observation #1: I would suggest making the option to "start" the virtual camera more obvious in the UI.

Observation #2: If making the act of "starting" the virtual cam more obvious thru program UI is not an option, I would devote one full page in setup to this fact. E.g. disable "Next" until the user clicks "I understand" to the question "Your virtual camera will not operate until you go into tools >virtual cam and click start.

Thanks.

PS
With my testing, using switches to disable graphics processing is not necessary.
 

toplachi

Member
The reason I asked if it was working on other video calling apps was to isolate the problem if it was because of Skype or the virtualcam or obs.. But since you already figure it out Im happy that you were able to solve it.
 
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