Change the background in OBS

The short answer

OBS Studio changes a background by layering. Your webcam source sits on top, an image or video sits underneath, and a filter makes part of the webcam picture transparent so the layer below shows through. The most dependable built-in method is a physical green (or blue) screen combined with the Chroma Key filter. Without a green screen, you need a background-removal filter, which OBS does not provide on every system. It usually comes from a hardware-specific option or a third-party plugin, and results depend on your computer and lighting.

Menu names and filter availability vary between OBS versions and operating systems. Check the exact labels in the version you have installed. No measured comparisons of the methods below were available, so quality differences are described in general terms only.

Choosing a method

Method | What you need | General trade-off

Chroma Key filter | A evenly lit green or blue backdrop behind you | Built into OBS; usually the cleanest edges when the backdrop is lit evenly and you avoid wearing the key color

Background-removal filter (hardware-specific or plugin) | A supported GPU or a third-party plugin compatible with your OBS version | No backdrop needed; edge quality and system load vary, and hair or fast movement may be handled less cleanly

Color or image layer only | Nothing extra | Replaces only empty canvas areas around your camera, not the room visible behind you

Replace the background with a green screen

• 1. Hang a green or blue backdrop behind you and light it as evenly as you can. Shadows and wrinkles make keying harder.
• 2. In OBS, select your scene and add your webcam with the + button under Sources, choosing Video Capture Device.
• 3. Right-click the webcam source and open Filters.
• 4. Under Effect Filters, add Chroma Key.
• 5. Set Key Color Type to match your backdrop (Green, Blue or a custom color).
• 6. Raise Similarity until the backdrop disappears, then adjust Smoothness and Key Color Spill Reduction to clean up edges and remove a colored halo. Stop before parts of you start turning transparent.
• 7. Close the filter window. Add your new background with + under Sources, choosing Image, Media Source or Color Source.
• 8. Drag the new background below the webcam in the Sources list. OBS draws sources higher in the list on top of those beneath them.
• 9. Resize the background to fill the canvas. Right-click it and look for a Transform option such as Fit to screen or Stretch to screen.

Replace the background without a green screen

Some recent OBS releases on Windows include an NVIDIA background-removal filter for supported NVIDIA RTX graphics cards. When it is present, it appears in the webcam source's Filters list, and it may require additional NVIDIA components to be installed. On other hardware, people commonly use a third-party background-removal plugin. Before installing a plugin, confirm that it supports your OBS version and operating system.

• 1. Install the filter or plugin, if one is needed, then restart OBS.
• 2. Right-click the webcam source, open Filters, and add the background-removal filter under Effect Filters.
• 3. Adjust its threshold or similar settings until the room behind you is removed without cutting into your outline.
• 4. Add an Image, Media Source or Color Source and place it below the webcam in the Sources list, as in the green-screen method.
• 5. Check performance. If video stutters or OBS reports skipped frames, lower the filter's quality setting or the camera resolution.

Using the new background in Zoom, Teams or other apps

To send the composited picture to a conferencing app, click Start Virtual Camera in the OBS Controls area. Then select the OBS virtual camera as the camera in the meeting app's video settings.

The OBS virtual camera carries video only. Your voice does not travel through it, so changing the background has no effect on how speech is captured. In the meeting app's audio settings, select your microphone directly, whether that is the webcam's built-in mic or a separate one. Then confirm it is working by watching the app's input level meter move while you speak, or by using the app's microphone test if it has one. If you also stream or record from OBS, check that the same microphone appears in the OBS Audio Mixer and that its meter responds to your voice.

Gaps in this guide

No version-specific documentation, hardware requirements or performance figures were available for this guide. Treat the menu paths above as typical of current OBS Studio rather than exact for every release. Confirm GPU-filter and plugin compatibility against the version you have installed.