How to use OBS Studio virtual camera in TrueConf client application

A virtual camera is a software solution that emulates the work of a hardware camera. This feature is useful when you want to broadcast someone else’s presentation from another conference directly into your own, or share additional video content. The image will then appear in your video window as part of the layout.

A virtual camera is included in OBS Studio as a native part of the solution since version 28 and later. If your device is running a version prior to 28, you will need a plugin to use the virtual camera, but this plugin is no longer supported. Therefore, we highly recommend that you first install the latest version of OBS Studio from the official website.

If you already have the required version of OBS Studio installed, you can find the button to start the virtual camera in the bottom-right menu.

How to Set Up the Virtual Camera in OBS Studio?

To configure the image that your virtual camera will transmit:

• Create a scene in the Scenes menu by clicking the button.
• In the Sources menu, click the similar button and choose from the list what you would like to place on your scene:



Note: This method allows you to transmit video from one or multiple physical cameras, add branding elements (like images), and even dynamic content (such as videos or application windows).

• After adding all the necessary sources, click the Start Virtual Camera button in the Controls menu:

Your virtual camera is now configured and ready to use!

How to launch the virtual camera in the TrueConf Client application?

You can verify that your camera is working correctly as follows:

• In the already running TrueConf client application, go to the Settings menu.
• In the Camera Settings section, select OBS Virtual Camera:

Streaming external video or a YouTube feed using OBS + VLC

During a conference or call, you might need to show your participants content from an external source. For example, if you want to host a joint viewing of a webinar on YouTube or start a discussion about a specific video hosted on that platform.

You can do this using the Content Sharing function in the TrueConf client application, but this method requires you to either capture your entire screen or share a browser window. As a result, interface elements unrelated to the video will also be visible.

If you need to show content without any OS or browser interface elements, you can also use OBS Studio. Additionally, it opens up all kinds of possibilities for customizing your scene, like adding branding or overlays (we cover that in our another article).

For this setup, you’ll need OBS and the VLC Video Source option from the list of content sources when setting up a scene. This feature will appear automatically after you install the VLC media player.

Broadcasting local files using the virtual camera

During a conference, you might need to show a video and also place the speaker’s video feed in the same window alongside it. Combining two of OBS’s built-in features — the virtual camera and a media source — can help you accomplish this.

Create a Scene. In Sources, add a Media Source, and select the local file you want to play.

Next, you need to add a Video Capture Device to Sources and select the camera that will provide the video feed. Then, adjust the size and position of the elements in the preview area.

Now, go to your TrueConf app, start your conference, and select the OBS Virtual Camera as your camera. The video within OBS will begin playing, and you can control it (play, stop, seek) directly within the OBS interface.

No audio? Try this

If you encounter some issues with audio when using the VLC source inside OBS, don’t worry, there’s a simple workaround.

Instead of using the built-in VLC plugin, you can play your video directly in the standalone VLC app and capture its window in OBS. For more details on how to use this window capture feature, check out this article.

Setting up video capture from VLC:

• Copy the URL of the video or stream you plan to share during your conference.
• Open the VLC application (please, note: the regular desktop app, not the OBS plugin).
• Click Media in the top menu bar.
• From the dropdown, select Open Network Stream, paste your URL into the field, and click Play6

Head back to OBS and go to Sources. Add a new Window Capture source and select the VLC window from the dropdown.

For the cleanest look with minimal visual clutter, switch VLC to full-screen mode. Once you do that, you can freely switch to other apps or browser tabs. Only the VLC window content will be visible in your capture.

Once everything’s set up, you’re ready to start broadcasting through the virtual camera into your conference.