How to Fix a Mirrored or Flipped OBS Virtual Camera Image

The short answer

First check whether the image is actually mirrored. Many video-call apps mirror only your self-view. You see yourself as in a mirror, but the other people on the call see you the right way round. If that is the case, nothing in OBS needs to change. If other people really do see a reversed image, select your camera source in OBS, right-click it and choose Transform, then Flip Horizontal. The Virtual Camera sends whatever OBS shows, so the fix carries through to the call.

Step 1: Confirm the image is really mirrored

Seeing a flipped picture in your own call window does not prove the outgoing video is flipped. A self-view preview is often mirrored on purpose because it feels natural, like looking in a mirror. That preview is local to your screen and usually does not change what others receive.

• Hold up a piece of paper with a word written on it, or wear a shirt with printed text.
• Look at the OBS preview. If the text reads normally there, OBS is sending an unmirrored image.
• Ask someone on the call whether they can read the text, or join the call from a second device and look for yourself.
• If the text reads correctly to them but backwards in your own call window, only your self-view is mirrored. Your call app may have a setting to turn self-view mirroring off. The name and location of that setting vary by app.

Step 2: Flip the camera source horizontally in OBS

If the OBS preview or the receiving end shows reversed text, fix it on the camera source itself. In OBS, a source is an item inside a scene, such as your webcam, an image or a text overlay. Flip only the webcam source. If you flip the whole scene, your overlays and text will come out backwards.

• In the Sources panel, click the source that holds your webcam. It is usually a Video Capture Device source.
• Right-click it and open Transform. You can also select the source and use the Transform options in the Edit menu.
• Choose Flip Horizontal.
• Check the OBS preview. Text you hold up should now read normally.

Flip Vertical is the option for an upside-down image, not a mirrored one. If you choose the wrong flip, select the same option again to undo it.

Step 3: Check what the Virtual Camera is sending

The Virtual Camera usually outputs your program view, meaning the scene OBS is currently showing. Some OBS versions let you choose a different output, such as a specific scene or source. If your flip seems to have no effect on the call, confirm that the Virtual Camera is sending the scene or source you edited.

• Make sure the Virtual Camera is running in OBS.
• In your call app, select OBS Virtual Camera as the video device, not your physical webcam. If you choose the physical webcam directly, the call bypasses OBS and none of your OBS changes apply.
• Repeat the text test from Step 1 with someone on the call or from a second device.

If the image is still mirrored

• Webcam software or driver settings: some cameras ship with their own utility or driver settings that can mirror the image before OBS receives it. On some systems, the Video Capture Device properties offer a driver configuration dialog. Look there for a mirror or flip option, and set things so the image is flipped in only one place.
• Flips that cancel or stack: if the camera is mirrored in its own software and again in OBS, the two flips cancel each other out. Pick one place to flip and remove the other.
• The wrong source was flipped: if your overlays look reversed but your face does not, you probably flipped a different item or a nested scene. Reset that item and flip the webcam source instead.

What this guide cannot confirm

Menu names and layouts vary between OBS versions, operating systems and call apps. No version-specific evidence was available for this guide, so labels on your screen may differ slightly from those described here. The text-reading test still works in every setup. Note that fixing the mirroring only changes the orientation of the picture; it does not affect video quality, lighting or call performance.