How to show a picture through OBS Virtual Camera

The short answer

To show a picture through OBS Virtual Camera, add your image to a scene as an Image source and fit it to the canvas. Then click Start Virtual Camera and choose "OBS Virtual Camera" as the camera in your call or recording app. The other app receives whatever OBS outputs, so people on the call see your picture instead of a live webcam image.

Decide first which result you want, because it changes the setup:

• Picture only: the image replaces your camera feed entirely. This is what the steps below cover.
• Picture behind you: you want to appear in front of the image. That is a background replacement, not a plain picture feed. You can get it from your call app's virtual background feature, or in OBS by layering your webcam over the image with a chroma key (green screen) or a background-removal plugin.
• Picture next to or over your webcam: add both an Image source and a Video Capture Device source to the same scene, then resize and arrange them.

Before you start

• OBS Studio installed. The virtual camera is built into current versions on Windows and macOS. On Linux it usually depends on the v4l2loopback kernel module.
• The image saved locally in a common format such as PNG or JPG.
• The call or recording app you plan to use, with permission to access the camera. On macOS, check System Settings > Privacy & Security > Camera. On Windows, check Settings > Privacy & security > Camera. In a browser, check the site's camera permission.

Step-by-step: show a picture as your camera

• 1. Open OBS Studio. In the Scenes panel, select an existing scene or click + to create a new one, for example "Picture."
• 2. In the Sources panel, click + and choose Image. Name it and confirm.
• 3. In the properties window, click Browse, select your picture, and click OK.
• Check: the image appears in the OBS preview area.
• 4. If the image doesn't fill the frame, right-click it in the preview and choose Transform > Fit to screen, or Transform > Stretch to screen. Stretching can distort the image if its shape doesn't match the canvas. To match the canvas to the picture instead, change the Base (Canvas) Resolution in Settings > Video.
• Check: the picture fills the preview the way you want, with no unwanted black bars.
• 5. Hide or remove any other sources in the scene you don't want to show, such as a webcam or screen capture. Click the eye icon to hide a source.
• 6. In the Controls panel, click Start Virtual Camera.
• Check: the button changes to Stop Virtual Camera.
• 7. Open your call or recording app. In its video or camera settings, select OBS Virtual Camera.
• Check: the app's camera preview shows your picture.

In recent OBS versions, a settings button next to Start Virtual Camera lets you choose what the virtual camera outputs, such as the main program output or a specific scene or source. If your call shows something other than the picture, check this setting. The exact controls may differ between versions.

How to know it worked, and what that check doesn't prove

Each check confirms one layer and leaves the next untested:

• OBS Virtual Camera appears in the app's camera list: the app can see the virtual device. This doesn't show that it receives an image.
• The app's self-preview shows your picture: the app is receiving OBS output. It doesn't show how the picture reaches other people, which depends on the service's compression and the connection.
• A second person or device in a test call sees the picture clearly: this is the only check here that confirms what others actually see.

Many apps mirror your self-view, so text in the picture can look reversed to you while appearing correctly to others. If your app offers a mirror setting for your own video, you can turn it off to see the picture the way others do. A test call with a second device is the most reliable way to confirm orientation.

If it doesn't work

• OBS Virtual Camera isn't in the camera list: start the virtual camera in OBS, then fully restart the other app or browser. Some apps only look for cameras when they launch. On macOS, OBS may ask you to approve a system extension the first time; approve it in System Settings, then try again. On Linux, confirm v4l2loopback is installed and loaded.
• The camera is listed but shows black, frozen, or a placeholder image: OBS is likely closed or the virtual camera is stopped. Keep OBS running and click Start Virtual Camera.
• The app shows a different scene than expected: switch OBS to the picture scene, or check the virtual camera output setting described above.
• The browser can't use any camera: allow camera access for the site in the browser, and for the browser itself in your operating system's privacy settings.
• The picture looks cropped or stretched: go back to step 4 and adjust the transform or canvas resolution. The call app may also crop the feed to its own frame shape, which OBS doesn't control.

Limits to keep in mind

The virtual camera only works while OBS is open and the virtual camera is running. Closing OBS ends the picture feed. The image quality other participants see depends on the call service and network, so a sharp picture in OBS doesn't guarantee a sharp picture on the other end.

This guide doesn't give recommended image resolutions or file-size limits, because no verified figures were available for specific apps. Menu names and locations can also vary between OBS versions and operating systems.