Virtual Background - is there one which works? (Or how do I fix the issue?)

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OBS-OH

New Member
I don't have a green screen, but I do want to replace my background; I'm joining meetings, not inviting people into my house. The better services have virtual backgrounds built into them, or at the very least you can blur the background. Sadly I came across an issue with a Teams meeting which I joined as a guest yesterday, where I couldn't even blur the background (a separate issue, but that brought me here). Plus I would like to be able to replace my backround, not just blur it, in Discord meetings (I don't need the ability to use video backgrounds, but would like to be able to control the static background).

Some searching and OBS Studio comes up as the best way forward. OBS has a wealth of features I will likely never touch, it's massive overkill for my needs but it looked like it promised to be the right tool for the job.

I found the Virtual Background Plugin. There seem to be some issues with that Plugin, though. When I started OBS Studio (27.2.4, I only installed this yesterday) it crashed when v1.1.0 of that plugin had been installed. So, I copied the v1.0.1 files into the relevant folders and OBS Studio starts. (I had actually tried 1.0.1 first, come across the issue below so tried 1.1.0, which others have reported problems with, hence initially avoiding it).

I followed the instructions for the plugin (Video Capture Device followed by but the process fails when applying the Effect Filter\Virtual Background Renderer. As soon as I add that, the webcam image is lost (see image below). I'm confident I have followed the Install and Usage instructions correctly, in the order presented.

So, the questions:

1: Have I missed something in the OBS or Plugin setup, which is preventing the Webcam image from being displayed? If so, what?
2: Is there a different virtual background plugin for OBS Studio which actually works?
3: Is there a reliable and free alternative to OBS Studio which will achieve my aim, without placing a watermark? (I've tried XSplit, but that leaves a watermark.)

1657190510527.png

Having experienced the issue above, I searched for other solutions and found XSplit, it works, but leaves a watermark unless you cough up loadsdosh. Money which is especially tight in the current climate.

Some additional details:

One Scene.
Two Sources:
  1. Video Capture Device (i.e. the Webcam), with two Filters:
    1. Virtual Background Detector
    2. Virtual Background Renderer
  2. An Image
These all applied in the order given in the instructions, and with the Video Capture Device above the Image in the list. The 'eye' are open (not crossed through), the Padlocks are unlocked.

I did not chang any of the defaults in place when these were added, but subsequently tried a few variation, all without any success. I then created a new Scene, deleted the first Scene, and started again. I rather hope I don't have to uninstall and reinstall OBS Studio, but will if that's proposed as a viable path (i.e. based on empirical experience rather than simply speculation).

I've asked a similar question in the Plugin's GitHub page .

Additional information:
Windows 10 Pro 21H2 x64, 32Gb
Radeon RX580 8Gb
The Webcam is using the Microsoft default USB Live Camera driver.
I don't see how the computer's setup, however, will be influencing this as virtual backgrounds work effectively in Skype, Zoom and XSplit, pointing to a logical issue with the Plugin, the Plugin setup, or the configuration of OBS Studio.
 
O

OBS-OH

New Member
Over two weeks later and not one bit of helpful advice forthcoming. That is rather disappointing. It suggests that either no-one cares, or that simpy OBS studio isn't really the fantastic product others have suggested it is.
 
L

Lawrence_SoCal

Active Member
The issue, as I perceive it, is that background removal is often a patented approach, so finding that in FOSS (free open-source software) is a stretch.
So... what you may want to do is use background removal before OBS (ie in the webcam software, or similar). Then use that background removed video stream and the video input into OBS. Then you can do the fancy video compositing in OBS

- note I'm just a user, not an OBS Studio developer, and there are folks here that know a LOT more about OBS than I do
 
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FerretBomb

FerretBomb

Active Member
OBS-OH said:
Over two weeks later and not one bit of helpful advice forthcoming. That is rather disappointing. It suggests that either no-one cares, or that simpy OBS studio isn't really the fantastic product others have suggested it is.
Click to expand...
About baseline OBS Studio? You'll likely get a response.
For help with a plugin that, frankly, few people use as CV-based background removal never really works well, while at the same time using significant amounts of processing time, you'd do better to ask on the plugin's Resources page. Most will fart around with CV background removal for a little bit, then spend the $20-30 on a green bedsheet and some PVC pipe at Home Depot to just build themselves a basic greenscreen, which works LOADS better.
 
O

OBS-OH

New Member
WBE said:
Why do you use OBS Studio in the first place? I'm not so experienced with Teams (more with similar services), but why not use Teams' built in background features?
https://support.microsoft.com/en-us...-meeting-f77a2381-443a-499d-825e-509a140f4780
Click to expand...
Hi, as I said in the original post, "Sadly I came across an issue with a Teams meeting which I joined as a guest yesterday, where I couldn't even blur the background". In a further meeting, hosted by the same organisation, the blur background control was available, so I can only put that down to a glitch, or poor UI design which prevented me from using the control in the previous meeting. My money is on poor UI design.

Thank you for taking the time to comment though.
 
O

OBS-OH

New Member
Lawrence_SoCal said:
The issue, as I perceive it, is that background removal is often a patented approach, so finding that in FOSS (free open-source software) is a stretch.
So... what you may want to do is use background removal before OBS (ie in the webcam software, or similar). Then use that background removed video stream ad the video input into OBS. Then you can do the fancy video compositing in OBS

- note I'm just a user, not an OBS Studio developer, and there are folks here that know a LOT more about OBS than I do
Click to expand...
If I can remove, and replace, the background before using OBS that rather defeats the purpose and I wouldn't need OBS. I don't need all the fancy features of OBS, I just wanted to force replacement of the background and what I had found suggested that OBS was the premier open-source tool.

My Webcam doesn't have specific software, it just uses the Microsoft drivers (it's a rather generic HD webcam without any special features). I found that Nvidia has free software which will provide the feature, but, perhaps unsurprisingly , it only works if you have an Nvidia GPU, and my current GPU is an AMD one. Ho hum.

Thanks for taking the time to reply.
 
O

OBS-OH

New Member
FerretBomb said:
About baseline OBS Studio? You'll likely get a response.
For help with a plugin that, frankly, few people use as CV-based background removal never really works well, while at the same time using significant amounts of processing time, you'd do better to ask on the plugin's Resources page. Most will fart around with CV background removal for a little bit, then spend the $20-30 on a green bedsheet and some PVC pipe at Home Depot to just build themselves a basic greenscreen, which works LOADS better.
Click to expand...
Thanks for taking the time to reply.

I posted a request on the plug-in's GitHub page, but that has received no replies whatsoever.

The monetary investment may make sense for people who are much more serious about the matter. For example, people doing blogging. The investment doesn't make sense for my scenario. The layout in my room is such that a sheet would very much get in the way of me doing other things, specifically reaching items on the shelves behind me or even simply turning around in the chair (there is not a lot of room), so from a practical/logistical point of view, a green screen simply isn't viable.

The sad thing is, virtual background removal works really well in Skype (Teams is variable, which further cements my rather low opinion of it as a product), and in Zoom. It's a while since I used WebEx, so I can't remember how well that worked. XSplit VCam isn't bad, but the cost is not proportional to the functionality required. That's left me using Snap Cam. It's a little bit clunky, and isn't as good at differentiating between the subject and the background as Skype or Zoom, but it is at least free.

All of which leads me to the conclusion that OBS studio, whilst it may provide a host of features, and is lauded as 'the' Webcam software, simply cannot currently provide the capability I need of it. Still, I suppose that this means I can reclaim the disc space it takes up by uninstalling it.

Thanks, again. All the responses are appreciated. Yeah, I get that may sound odd because none of the replies have actually helped resolve the specific problem, but they at least help to confirm that OBS studio isn't the product I need right now, which is still useful information, as it means I need not waste further time fighting with the system.
 
koala

koala

Active Member
OBS-OH said:
OBS studio, whilst it may provide a host of features, and is lauded as 'the' Webcam software, simply cannot currently provide the capability I need of it.
Click to expand...
OBS Studio is designed as streaming client, its main functionality is around compositing video and audio sources and stream the composition. It's not a webcam image processor. You see this by the fact that background removal is provided by an external plugin and not in base functionality. Background removal is a very advanced and sophisticated functionality - would probably take the programmer resources of one man alone in addition to that of OBS itself.
 
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garrard

New Member
OBS-OH said:
Over two weeks later and not one bit of helpful advice forthcoming. That is rather disappointing. It suggests that either no-one cares, or that simpy OBS studio isn't really the fantastic product others have suggested it is.
Click to expand...
I have a similar problem but I am using Windows 11. I found an option in OBS to blur my video but it did not work when I used the camera for Teams. I am using as an "integrated' camera.
 
G

garrard

New Member
I have a similar problem but I am using Windows 11. I found an option in OBS to blur my video but it did not work when I used the camera for Teams. I am using as an "integrated' camera.
 
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