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Use the OBS or vMix virtual camera in the browser studio

Bring an OBS or vMix scene into the browser studio as a camera: start the virtual camera, pick it in Add camera, add its sound, and fix a black or missing virtual camera.

Updated November 5, 2026 · 3 min read

To use an OBS or vMix scene in the browser studio, start the program's virtual camera, then add it in the studio like a webcam: Add input, Camera, and pick OBS Virtual Camera, vMix Video or the NDI webcam in the list. The scene becomes a tile you can mix with guests, phones and files and send to every network at once. A virtual camera carries the picture only, so its sound is chosen separately.

Virtual camera or RTMP: which one

Before you start

• OBS: the virtual camera starts with Start Virtual Camera in the Controls dock; the gear next to it chooses whether it shows Program, Preview, one scene or one source (OBS: Virtual Camera Guide, checked 5 November 2026).
• vMix: vMix describes two ways: the External button at the bottom of vMix sends the output as the camera vMix Video (picture only), or NDI Webcam Input from NDI Tools sends picture and sound. vMix notes that web browsers do not take the vMix Audio device (vMix: send a virtual camera output to third party apps and web browsers, checked 5 November 2026).
• Start the virtual camera before you open the camera window, so the browser can list it.
• The browser studio is open. Choose Live stream, start a new live and pick Browser Studio. Any plan, including the trial.

Steps

1. Start the virtual camera in OBS or vMix as above.
2. Open the camera window. In the bar under the picture open Add input and press Camera. If the virtual camera was started after the window opened, press Refresh.
3. Pick it in the Camera list. NDI, vMix and OBS sources carry their own icon in the list so they stand out. The studio does not add virtual cameras by itself when it opens, because several of them can point at the same physical camera; you always add them by hand here.
4. Pick the sound. A virtual camera has no microphone of its own. Choose your real microphone, the NDI audio device if you use NDI Webcam Input, or No microphone.
5. Press Add and wait a moment. For NDI, vMix and OBS the message says Camera added, waiting for source (up to 5 s). The studio tries a few ways to open the camera, starting with no size limit, because these sources prefer that.
6. No sound on the tile? Choose microphone. The tile shows Choose microphone when it has no audio. Pick the device in Microphone for this input; the choice is remembered for that camera in this browser.
7. Put it on air. Click the tile for Preview, then Take or Cut: Preview, Program, Take and Cut explained.

What can go wrong

• The virtual camera is not in the list. It was not started, or it started after the list was read. Start it, then press Refresh. On a Mac, the browser may also need camera permission in System Settings: My camera does not work in the browser.
• Black tile for a few seconds. Normal for virtual cameras; the first frame can take up to 5 seconds. The studio retries the picture by itself a few times.
• Still black, with a warning about the pixel format. Some NDI webcam setups send a format the browser cannot show. The studio's warning suggests changing the pixel format in NDI Tools to NV12, or using OBS Virtual Camera as a bridge.
• Several NDI sources, extra ones black. The studio warns when it sees more than one NDI source, because NDI webcam setups may serve one at a time. Use one NDI webcam, or bring the others in through OBS.
• Picture fine, no sound. Expected: pick a microphone with Choose microphone. vMix Audio does not work in browsers, per vMix's page above.
• The picture is mirrored or the wrong scene. That is set in OBS or vMix, in the virtual camera's own settings.

Frequently asked questions

Does the OBS virtual camera send sound to the browser?

The studio sees it as a camera without a microphone. Pick your microphone separately on the tile with Choose microphone.

Can I use NDI sources in the browser studio?

Through a virtual webcam, yes: NDI Tools' webcam input appears as a camera. The studio has no direct NDI input.

Is it better to use the virtual camera or RTMP from OBS?

If OBS is your whole show, send RTMP from OBS. If you want an OBS scene as one source among browser guests and cameras, use the virtual camera.

Why did the studio not add my virtual camera automatically?

On purpose: several virtual cameras can point at one physical camera, and opening them all at once can turn the picture green. Add the one you want by hand.

Can I use DroidCam, Iriun or Camo the same way?

Yes. The studio recognises them as virtual cameras; add them by hand in the camera window like OBS Virtual Camera.

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