When you have multiple displays being captured in OBS, how do you select which one is visible as your virtual camera feed while recording the other?

[mattpatl]

My apologies if this has been asked and answered. I did search and did not find an answer on this forum.

Most of my work is conducted via videoconferencing. I use OBS to drive a virtual camera so I have more control over what the other party sees and to record the videoconference. I have two displays. My primary display shows what my camera is capturing and is driving the virtual camera. My secondary display shows the Teams or Zoom videoconference. When I record in OBS while my camera is active in Teams or Zoom, I get all the audio but my virtual camera shows the videoconference instead of me. If I turn off my camera in Teams or Zoom, my virtual camera displays the videoconference instead of me.

My goal is to be able to record the videoconference without having to keep my camera off in Teams or Zoom. In other words, while the videoconference is active on my second display and being recorded, I want the people in the Teams or Zoom videoconference to see rather than the Teams or Zoom videoconference.

Any suggestions would be very welcome.

Thank you.

 

[koala]

Create 2 scenes, if you don't have already. One scene should contain the video conference as you'd like to record it. The other scene should contain whatever you want to show through the virtual camera.

Click the configuration wheel next to the "Start virtual camera" button and as output type, choose Scene. As scene name, choose the scene you prepared for the virtual camera. If you start the virtual camera, it will now always show that scene, no matter to what scene you switch to for the OBS preview.

If you additionally start recording, OBS will record the current scene, i. e. the scene that is currently visible on the OBS preview. If you stay on the scene you prepared for the video conference, OBS will record the video conference. However, be careful to not switch to a different scene while recording - if you switch to your webcam scene, that scene becomes the active scene and will be recorded instead.

 

[mattpatl]

Create 2 scenes, if you don't have already. One scene should contain the video conference as you'd like to record it. The other scene should contain whatever you want to show through the virtual camera.

Click the configuration wheel next to the "Start virtual camera" button and as output type, choose Scene. As scene name, choose the scene you prepared for the virtual camera. If you start the virtual camera, it will now always show that scene, no matter to what scene you switch to for the OBS preview.

If you additionally start recording, OBS will record the current scene, i. e. the scene that is currently visible on the OBS preview. If you stay on the scene you prepared for the video conference, OBS will record the video conference. However, be careful to not switch to a different scene while recording - if you switch to your webcam scene, that scene becomes the active scene and will be recorded instead.

Thank you! Not an approach I would have come up with myself in a thousand years. I will give that a shot over the coming weekend.

 

[koala]

You're asking 2 different things to output at the same time. In general, OBS isn't able to do that, with the only exception of the virtual webcam, so that's what I described. The other approach would be to run 2 instances of OBS and use one for the virtual webcam and the other for recording the video conference.

 

[mattpatl]

Thank you! Not an approach I would have come up with myself in a thousand years. I will give that a shot over the coming weekend

Create 2 scenes, if you don't have already. One scene should contain the video conference as you'd like to record it. The other scene should contain whatever you want to show through the virtual camera.

Click the configuration wheel next to the "Start virtual camera" button and as output type, choose Scene. As scene name, choose the scene you prepared for the virtual camera. If you start the virtual camera, it will now always show that scene, no matter to what scene you switch to for the OBS preview.

If you additionally start recording, OBS will record the current scene, i. e. the scene that is currently visible on the OBS preview. If you stay on the scene you prepared for the video conference, OBS will record the video conference. However, be careful to not switch to a different scene while recording - if you switch to your webcam scene, that scene becomes the active scene and will be recorded instead.

It worked perfectly! Thank you so much.