Using OBS and a Green Screen to Make PowerPoint a Virtual Background on Zoom and Video Platforms

SEE BELOW FOR INSTRUCTIONS ON HOW TO DISPLAY OBS ON ZOOM, TEAMS OR OTHER SOFTWARE
This video shows you how to use free, easy-to-use software--OBS Studio--to deliver your presentations on Zoom, Teams, and other videoconferencing platforms just like the weatherman. Using a green screen and OBS, you can stand "inside" your presentation and keep the focus on you as well as your content. Don't give up your entire screen to boring documents! The audience wants to see you!
OBS will allow you to use PowerPoint as a virtual background on Zoom and other platforms. Once you see how easy it is, you'll wonder why you weren't doing it this way the whole time!
INSTRUCTIONS:
Once you have OBS configured as described in this video, you'll need to do one more thing in order to display it on Zoom, Teams or your software of choice. At the lower right-hand corner of OBS you'll see a button that reads "Start Virtual Camera." When you click that button, your computer will see a new "camera" as if you've actually plugged one in (in reality this is a "virtual" camera because you haven't plugged one in to the computer, you've just created one using OBS software). Once you have OBS configured and you're ready to go, click "Start Virtual Camera" and then head over to Zoom (or Teams, WebEx, Discord...whatever). In the Zoom/Teams/WebEx settings, you'll be able to select your camera from a drop-down menu. Using that menu, select the OBS Virtual Camera. Now whatever is on OBS will be broadcast over Zoom!
Chapter Markers:
00:00 - Intro
00:51 - "Inside" Your Presentation, Explained
02:25 - How OBS Works
03:32 - How to Install OBS and Set Up Your Camera
05:45 - How to Set Up Your Microphone in OBS
06:30 - How to Set Up Your PowerPoint Presentation in OBS
09:07 - How to Set Up Your Green Screen in OBS
10:14 - Putting It All Together
11:01 - Outro
DOWNLOAD OBS: obsproject.com/

[@letslearnusefulstuff]

Thanks for watching! Were there any parts of this video that you'd like explained in more detail? Let me know in the comments!

[@tresmensajesprofeticos2143]

Hey Bill. how are you doing; I hope everything is going well for you and your family; I need some help.!! I was doing a Keynote presentation using OBS on Zoom. I saw myself over the presentation on OBS and Zoom and I want that to happen, But when I Press record and play;;;; and finish my presentation I didn't see myself on the record presentation. How can I fix up that problem? thanks for your help.!!

[@letslearnusefulstuff]

@@tresmensajesprofeticos2143 Hmmm... that's interesting. What platform were you using to record -- Zoom or OBS?

[@tresmensajesprofeticos2143]

@@letslearnusefulstuff Hey ! Billy; I was Using OBS and Zoom .! I just was doing a Presentation with the Virtual Camera catcher .! Maybe that’s way I can’t see My self In te records.! What do you think.!

[@letslearnusefulstuff]

@@tresmensajesprofeticos2143 I'm stumped! If you've properly set up your camera in OBS and then start the OBS Virtual Camera, then when you select the OBS Virtual Camera as your camera in Zoom, any recording you do in Zoom should record exactly what is being displayed. Similarly, if you're setting everything up in OBS and then recording from within OBS, it should still record everything exactly as it displays in OBS. Do you think it is possible that you've selected your actual webcam in Zoom rather than selecting the Virtual Camera?

[@jicabe577]

Thanks a lot! Perfect explanation, hats off. Greetings from Uruguay!

[@letslearnusefulstuff]

I'm so glad that you found it helpful!

[@donnaperyginathome]

Wow! I can't believe you only have < 500 subscribers at this point. This is a truly amazing video and it gets the job done!

[@letslearnusefulstuff]

Thanks very much! I'm glad you found it helpful!

[@CatholicAging]

Good stuff, Billy. Thank you. Keep it up.

[@letslearnusefulstuff]

Thanks, pal!

[@michaeldepodesta001]

Thank you: that was extraordinarily clear.

[@letslearnusefulstuff]

Thanks for watching! Glad this helped!

[@learneratheart2564]

Wow! Thank you so much!

[@letslearnusefulstuff]

You're welcome! I'm so glad that you found it helpful!

[@tech-n-data]

You are a hero, thank you!

[@letslearnusefulstuff]

You're welcome! I'm so glad this helped you!

[@LivingPsychology]

Looks great, Mr. Davis!

[@letslearnusefulstuff]

Thanks very much for watching! I hope this was helpful to you.

[@azmathacademy]

Excellent presentation. Will keep watching further.

[@letslearnusefulstuff]

Thanks very much for watching! I'm glad you enjoyed this one.

[@OnlyYou_Channel]

Thanks for sharing

[@letslearnusefulstuff]

You're welcome! I'm glad you enjoyed it!

[@saralpharmacologydrkarun]

Thank you for sharing this wonderful information

[@letslearnusefulstuff]

You're welcome! Thanks for watching!

[@raulhermida1933]

Great information, thank you

[@letslearnusefulstuff]

Glad it was helpful! Thanks for watching!

[@jett0206]

Awesome video

[@letslearnusefulstuff]

Thanks for watching!

[@ConlonBrett]

Super-helpful and easy to follow, Billy - excellent presentation. You're clearly a seasoned presenter! I'd just like come clarification around the final process. Unless I missed it, I can't quite figure out the final setup steps to be done to show this presentation in a Teams or Zoom meeting. I assume I pick the OBS virtual camera as the Teams camera input, which will have my PPT presentation in the background and do they just watch that (like what they would see if I was showing my normal camera image? For advancing the slides, I guess I just go across to the window that the PPT presentation was set up in and then click away there, yes? But if there are multiple people on the meeting with their cameras, my camera image will be tiled with theirs. Do we need to ask them to set the focus to my image? Sorry, I'm a bit lost on that end part. Thanks!

[@letslearnusefulstuff]

Hi, Brett! Thanks for watching! Prior to firing up Zoom or Teams, you'll tell OBS to "Start Virtual Camera," then, when you start Zoom/Teams, you'll select the OBS Virtual Camera as the camera to use. For the second question you have, there are two ways to tackle the problem. First, if you have two monitors, you can simply run your OBS on one monitor and run the Zoom/Teams window on the other monitor; that way, you'll have one full screen where you can see yourself and your presentation behind you. The other method is what you mentioned--have the admin of the Zoom/Teams call make sure that you are "spotlighted" so that your image takes up the entire screen. I hope this answers your question! If not, please let me know. Good luck!

[@tlynneg97]

Hi Billy! Great video. So clear and simply explained. One question: Is Zoom required? I am wondering if we can use the camera without an intermediary videoconference software (since we'll be recording only -- not streaming) Thanks!

[@letslearnusefulstuff]

Thanks for watching! That's a great question, and I'm happy to tell you that you can actually record through OBS. If you look on the right hand side of the OBS main screen, just below "Start Streaming" and just above "Start Virtual Camera" is a button for "Start Recording." Just hit that button and you'll record your OBS output! Good luck! Let me know if you need anything else.

[@TonyChatman]

Great video and very informative. 1 question. Can you change the dimensions (shape) of the camera "window". On my computer, the aspect ratio seems locked and I'd love to make the window taller and thinner.

[@letslearnusefulstuff]

Hi Tony! You definitely can change the aspect ratio--just hold down the ALT key while you're resizing the window and that should do the trick. Let me know how that works for you! Good luck, and thanks for watching!

[@CrianzayAbundancia]

Thanks Billy! One question: I see that the quality degrades. When I see the Zoom recording (I am doing testing only yet), the letters in the ppt presentation seem a little blur, or the color or lines a little chompy or not so smooth. I changed in Settings, OUPUT : Encoder Preset "FAST" for better quality and I saw some improvement. Is there anything else I can do so the powerpoint presentation is viewed with better quality? thanks!

[@letslearnusefulstuff]

Hi Esmeralda! This is a great question. Generally speaking, the image quality is a function of: 1) the ability of your computer to encode the streams (i.e. how powerful it is) and, 2) the connection speed to the internet (how fast the connection is). I haven't run into image quality problems myself. I'd recommend giving it a try on a more powerful PC/laptop and confirming that your connection speed is adequate. Good luck!!!

[@CrianzayAbundancia]

@@letslearnusefulstuff THANKS!

[@bradford-vts]

Brilliant - but how did you make your screen of yourself into a square rather than a rectangle like mine...

[@letslearnusefulstuff]

While in OBS, go to the properties for your camera (right click on the camera in the "Sources" section and select "Properties" from the context menu). In the drop down next to "Resolution/FPS Type," select "Custom" and then in the drop down next to "Resolution" select a resolution such as 2048x1536, 1600x1200, 1280x960 and 800x600. Those resolutions are all 4:3 aspect ratios and generally show up as "square" versus resolutions such as 3480x2160, 2560x1440, 1920x1080 which are 16:9 resolutions and appear as a rectangle. Let me know if this helps!

[@letslearnusefulstuff]

Also, you can hold down the AlT key while resizing the video window and make it any size you want!

[@RickMiller-sn1gx]

How do you advance PowerPoint slides while in the OBS app?

[@letslearnusefulstuff]

Hi Rick! Once you have OBS set up the way you like, you should be able to return to your PowerPoint window and click through the slides as you would normally. Let me know if you have any other questions! Thanks for watching.

[@inspiredresultsinc.frankte6059]

Your instructions are AMAZING. Strange thing, when I brought the PP in, i was very grainy. Almost fuzzy looking. Any suggestions what I am doing wrong?

[@letslearnusefulstuff]

Thanks for the kind words, and thanks for watching! Check out the settings for your "Chroma Key" effect and try moving the sliders a bit. Start with the "opacity" slider, and also try the "similarity" silder. The opacity slider controls how opaque the image is as it appears over the PowerPoint presentation; the similarity slider controls how much green (from the green screen and other objects) is replaced with the PowerPoint. If moving the sliders doesn't sharpen your image, try getting more light onto your green screen. A well-lit green screen is essential to a good Chroma Key. If necessary, direct extra lights directly onto your green screen (out of the shot) to make it brighter, and see if that works! Good luck!

[@inspiredresultsinc.frankte6059]

@@letslearnusefulstuff so sorry, i wasn't clear. The PP is blurry and fuzzy. Unfortunately, my image is clear. LOL.

[@inspiredresultsinc.frankte6059]

Actually....I just figured it out. Just in case someone runs into the same problem. On the Bottom right hand side, I went into Controls and selected Settings. From there I went to Video and change the base and the output to 1920x1080. It looks great now. Thanks again for this amazing video. you are a natural at instructing.

[@letslearnusefulstuff]

@@inspiredresultsinc.frankte6059 Great news! I'm glad you got it working. Good luck with your presentations, and thanks for the kind words!

[@tresmensajesprofeticos2143]

Hey Bill Great Video and great Info. but can you explain how to do the presentation on Zoom? Thanks!!!

[@letslearnusefulstuff]

Great question! At the lower right-hand corner of OBS you'll see a button that reads "Start Virtual Camera." When you click that button, your computer will see a new "camera" as if you've actually plugged one in (in reality this is a "virtual" camera because you haven't plugged one in to the computer, you've just created one using OBS software). Once you have OBS configured and you're ready to go, click "Start Virtual Camera" and then head over to Zoom. In the Zoom settings, you'll be able to select your camera from a drop-down menu. Using that menu, select the OBS Virtual Camera. Now whatever is on OBS will be broadcast over Zoom. Thanks very much for asking this question. I realize now that I forgot to add this information in my video. I'm going to add it to the "about" information for this video. If you're still having trouble, let me know and I'll make a new video that covers this!

[@tresmensajesprofeticos2143]

@@letslearnusefulstuff thanks again great Job.!

[@petermartin1666]

Do you have a short PowerPoint presentation showing your green-screened self alongside your text & graphics?

[@letslearnusefulstuff]

Most of this video were done with PowerPoint replacing the green screen, Paul. The first 10 seconds up to the 4:00 mark (excluding the intro); and then , then from 10:20 to the end. Were you looking for something more specific?

[@blairanthony3801]

no link to download

[@letslearnusefulstuff]

For OBS? Here's one: obsproject.com/