With the rise of remote work and online meetings, video conferencing has become an essential tool for businesses and individuals alike. Zoom is one of the most popular video conferencing platforms, but it has some limitations when it comes to customization and branding. That’s where OBS (Open Broadcaster Software) comes in. OBS is a free and open-source software that allows you to create professional-looking live streams and recordings. In this article, we’ll show you how to use OBS with Zoom to enhance your video conferencing experience.
What is OBS?
OBS is a powerful software that allows you to capture and stream video and audio from your computer. It’s commonly used by gamers and content creators to create high-quality live streams and recordings. OBS is free and open-source, which means that anyone can use it and contribute to its development. OBS supports a wide range of video and audio sources, including webcams, microphones, and desktop capture. It also has a variety of features that allow you to customize your stream or recording, such as scene transitions, filters, and overlays.
Why Use OBS With Zoom?
While Zoom is a great video conferencing platform, it has some limitations when it comes to customization and branding. For example, you can’t add custom backgrounds or overlays to your video feed, and you can’t use multiple cameras or microphones. OBS allows you to overcome these limitations by giving you more control over your video and audio sources. With OBS, you can add custom backgrounds, overlays, and transitions to your video feed. You can also use multiple cameras and microphones to create a more professional-looking video feed.
How to Use OBS With Zoom
Using OBS with Zoom is a simple process that involves a few steps:
Step 1: Install OBS
The first step is to download and install OBS on your computer. You can download OBS for free from the official website (https://obsproject.com/). Once you’ve downloaded OBS, follow the installation instructions to install it on your computer.
Step 2: Set Up Your Video and Audio Sources
The next step is to set up your video and audio sources in OBS. To do this, click on the “+” icon in the “Sources” box and select the source you want to add. For example, if you want to add a webcam, select “Video Capture Device” and choose your webcam from the list. If you want to add a microphone, select “Audio Input Capture” and choose your microphone from the list. You can add multiple sources by repeating this process.
Step 3: Customize Your Video Feed
Once you’ve added your video and audio sources, you can customize your video feed by adding overlays, backgrounds, and transitions. To do this, click on the “+” icon in the “Sources” box and select the type of overlay you want to add. For example, if you want to add a background, select “Image” and choose the image you want to use as your background. You can also add text overlays, webcam overlays, and more.
Step 4: Start Your Zoom Meeting
Once you’ve set up your video feed in OBS, you’re ready to start your Zoom meeting. Open Zoom and start a new meeting as you normally would. In the Zoom meeting window, click on the arrow next to the “Start Video” button and select “OBS Virtual Camera” from the list of options. This will send your OBS video feed to Zoom.
Step 5: Adjust Your Settings
Once you’ve started your Zoom meeting, you may need to adjust your settings to ensure that your video and audio are working properly. To do this, click on the “Settings” icon in the Zoom meeting window and select “Video” or “Audio” from the list of options. From here, you can adjust your video and audio settings as needed.
Conclusion
Using OBS with Zoom is a great way to enhance your video conferencing experience. With OBS, you can add custom backgrounds, overlays, and transitions to your video feed, and you can use multiple cameras and microphones to create a more professional-looking video feed. By following the steps outlined in this article, you can start using OBS with Zoom today and take your video conferencing to the next level.
