Virtual background

What is a virtual background?

A virtual background is an image or video imposed behind a person while they’re in a video conference or live streaming. Virtual backgrounds are particularly useful in situations where the user's actual environment is not ideal for video conferencing. It helps to maintain a professional appearance, hide a messy room, or simply add a fun element to the call.

How does a virtual background work?

Virtual backgrounds work by using a technique known as chroma keying or green screening. This technique involves isolating a particular color in an image and making it transparent, allowing a second image to show through.

To impose a virtual background, the video conferencing or streaming software first identifies the difference between the user (foreground) and their actual background. It then replaces the real background with the chosen virtual background. Most video conferencing platforms that offer this feature use machine learning algorithms to make the virtual background more accurate, especially if the person in-frame isn’t using a green screen.

Requirements for using virtual backgrounds

While virtual backgrounds are a great tool, they do require certain conditions to work effectively. For one, a background with a uniform color behind the user makes a virtual background look better. This is because the software can more easily distinguish between the user and the background. A plain wall or a green screen can serve this purpose.

Lighting is important as well: the user should be well-lit, and the lighting should be positioned to avoid shadows in-frame. Low-contrast lighting can make it difficult for most software to distinguish between the user and the background.

Where can you use virtual backgrounds?

Virtual backgrounds are predominantly used during video calls and live streams. Popular conferencing platforms that offer this feature include Zoom, Microsoft Teams, and Skype. On these platforms, users can choose their background from a selection of preloaded images or upload their own.

Virtual backgrounds are quite popular on live streaming platforms too! Creators can use them to conceal their living space or make their stream more visually appealing. Platforms like Twitch and Restream make it easy to set up a virtual background before you go live. They also offer many options for a virtual background to suit your needs.

Using a virtual background in Zoom

Zoom is one of the most popular platforms that supports the virtual background feature. To use a virtual background in Zoom, go to Settings, select Virtual Background, and choose from the preloaded images or upload your own.

Zoom also offers the option to use a green screen for better results. If you have a green screen, you can select the "I have a green screen" option in the Virtual Background settings.

Setting up a virtual background in Microsoft Teams

Microsoft Teams also offers the virtual background feature. To use it, during a video call, click on the three dots to open more options and select "Apply background effects". You can then choose from the preloaded images or upload your own.

Microsoft Teams does not require a green screen to use the virtual background feature. However, the quality of the background replacement may vary depending on your webcam and lighting conditions.

Using a virtual background in Restream Studio

Restream Studio makes it easy to set up a virtual background. When you’re in the main Restream Studio screen, click the gear icon and select Virtual Background from the Settings menu. You can then choose to blur your background, select a custom image, or upload your own picture to use as a background.

Benefits of using virtual backgrounds

Virtual backgrounds maintain a professional appearance during video calls, especially when working from home. They’re great for hiding your personal space or obscuring a distracting background, keeping the focus on you.

Virtual backgrounds can also add a fun element to video calls. Users can be as creative as they want when choosing what to use as a background. People have used scenic photos, famous landmarks, and even outer space pictures as a virtual background. Features like this make video calls and streams much more engaging.