Following the success of VCam 2.0, VCam 2.1 brings more quality of life improvements and bug fixes in our latest update which you can install through the app or by downloading from the VCam page. Let’s briefly go through what’s new in this one.
Custom watermark
The ability to add foreground images to a webcam feed is a highly requested feature and we can see why! Custom watermarks in VCam 2.1 can not only enhance your professional look but also provides value to your overall presentation as you can use it to demonstrate something without needing to add another application to the mix. We’ve covered this in greater detail in this blog post.
Pause camera feed
The need for a quick break is sometimes inevitable whether you need to use the bathroom, answer an important phone call, or just rearrange yourself. Currently, the two options are to turn your webcam feed off temporarily, or just disappear which can be argued as looking a little unprofessional. Now, with VCam 2.1, you have a third option; pausing your camera feed! Here’s how it works
Hue & saturation adjustments
In our last update, we introduced background adjustment tools that afforded users the flexibility to set themselves up exactly how they wanted to look on camera. Hue and saturation adjustments are a step up on this as you’ll be able to make quick changes on the fly if you are in a lighting condition that is less than ideal. Here’s how you can set it up in VCam 2.1.
Bug fixes in VCam 2.1
Like any update, we’ve fixed a bunch of bugs and quirks that have been reported from the previous versions. Most notable are the following fixes:
Auto-exposure on camera reload being forced
NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 is not set as the primary hardware acceleration from calibration. Acceleration resets to automatic after selecting RTX 3070.
Settings cannot be accessed when there is no available camera source
Computers with multiple network adapters and special characters in computer name may not show the mobile camera feed
If you have any questions or feedback, let us know in the comments section below. You can also chat with us through our social channels @xsplit and our Discord community at discord.gg/xsplit. Finally, if you have any features you would like to request, you can submit them through the VCam request page here!
Adding custom watermarks to a webcam feed is a highly requested feature so it was nice to finally roll it out in our recent VCam update. In layman’s terms, this functionality enables you to add a foreground image on top of the actual webcam background of your choice.
But maybe you’re asking, what am I going to be using it for, or what’s the need for it? You have come to the right place as this is exactly what the blog post is about!
Before we continue, make sure you’re on the latest version of XSplit VCam so you can access this feature (available to Premium users only). You can either download the updated version here or update straight from the app.
Display your title and company logo
This is perhaps the most common use of the feature. Displaying a label of your title with your company logo is especially useful if you’re in a large video conference with many external people. It makes things more formal and gives your webcam feed that professional vibe.
But this is not limited to the corporate workforce! As a content creator, this can easily translate to having your profile URLs and logo as part of your webcam feed which means you no longer need to set it up separately from the webcam source itself.
Enhance your background
The watermark is essentially a foreground element, mostly serving its purpose as a lower-third however you can actually also use it as a complimentary piece that can enhance your background.
One of the many users who requested this mentioned needing to superimpose a virtual desk or microphone as having one is a requirement for their calls. Voila! This can easily be done with VCam’s custom watermark.
The same principle applies if you want to make your background more aesthetically pleasing. Say you want to add some elements that will perfectly complement your background. That can also be achieved with this feature.
Demonstrate an object
Another useful way you can use this is if you want to demonstrate something by making it part of the background but you don’t physically have it. Sure, you can provide a link in your chat section but that’s not nearly as interactive as having it beside you.
Remember, custom watermarks also support mp4 video files so you are not just limited to images here! Say you want to walk them through a quick video, that is possible to and it’s just a part of that same webcam feed. No need to switch webcam sources or upload the video externally and share the link, you can play it right there in your webcam feed!
Make fun stuff
We’ve mostly talked about work stuff so far but we know a good chunk of VCam’s usage revolves around personal communication with friends and family members. So let’s bring in the fun stuff!
During our periodic company-wide meetings, some of my more creative colleagues were never shy of coming into the meeting room looking as wacky as they can!
XSplit VCam is used in many different industries so I’m pretty sure there are another half dozen use cases that people can take advantage of with this feature. I’d love to hear how you’re using this in the comments section below. Don’t hesitate to attach a screenshot as well so the community can have something to draw inspiration from!
Not too long ago, the Gamecaster team bid goodbye to the XSplit ecosystem and we wish them all the best. Although it was sad to see Gamecaster leave the nest and be an independent entity on its own, we couldn’t be more proud of their mission to make game streaming accessible to content creators across all platforms.
Now, the Gamecaster team decided to bring out the big guns and start the Season 1 Rewards!
How do I earn Streamer Pass Tiers?
The very first step is by downloading and installing Gamecaster. Every tier is unlocked by collecting XP which can be earned through streaming, daily bounties & achievements inside the app. All these challenges have been made relatively straightforward and easy to achieve for the first iteration of the reward pass.
How do I earn XP?
XP is awarded based on completing Achievements in the app. This includes daily challenges such as streaming daily and receiving certain stream events as well as interacting with other parts of the app. There are daily goals, seasonal bounties, and lifetime milestones!
What are the Season 1 Rewards?
Currently, there are 2 types of rewards:
Unlockable Cosmetics: These include assets such as overlays, transitions, panels, and a ton of other graphics to give your stream some polish and customizability.
Prize Tickets: These are tickets that, once earned, give you X number of entries into a giveaway for a big prize. This can range from essential gaming hardware, game keys, software licenses & voucher codes! The winners will be drawn at the end of season 1 (January 18, 2021) and will be contacted by the Gamecaster team via email.
That’s a lot of Season 1 Rewards to be raffled away between now and January 18! Make sure to get in by downloading Gamecaster and start earning XP today!
It’s an exciting day for us here as we are unveiling the newest member of the family, XSplit Connect: Webcam. Available for both Android and iOS devices, Connect: Webcam is a free companion app for XSplit VCam designed to allow your smartphone to be used as a wireless webcam.
Aside from that, it also utilizes the same VCam technology which allows you to enjoy all its features, most notably superior background detection, removal, and replacement.
Why use your phone as a webcam?
It’s no secret that most built-in webcams have terrible overall quality. There are some good external webcams that you can buy but chances are you already own a smartphone that has a higher quality camera than your built-in one. This is why there’s plenty of solutions available that do that but none of them comes close to what XSplit Connect: Webcam does.
Getting started with Connect: Webcam
Having XSplit VCam installed on your computer is a prerequisite so make sure you get the latest version here. Download the Connect: Webcam mobile app that is suitable for your smartphone OS. You can get the Android version on the Play Store and the iOS version on the App Store.
Once installed, start the app on your phone, allow all the permissions requested and you should be good to go. Make sure both your computer and your mobile phone are on the same internet connection.
Once the mobile app is connected, you will see your smartphone as an additional camera source in XSplit VCam. Select that source and you’re good to go! The mobile app has some basic lighting settings if you want to modify that. There is also an option to use either the front or rear camera of your phone.
Looking ahead
Our team is working hard in making Connect: Webcam the best it can be and we’ll make sure to keep you posted on any new developments and upcoming features in the pipeline.
This is our first app under the ‘Connect’ suite, a line focused on improving the general productivity of our users. We can’t really disclose much at the moment but there are more to come in the near future so stay tuned!
We’re super excited about the XSplit Connect: Webcam and we hope you are too! Give it a try and share your thoughts in the comments section below.
Doing remote presentations from home is a part of the new normal. Whether you’re presenting to colleagues at work, or to a prospective client through video conferencing, it’s important everything is set up well and you have all the tools needed at your disposal.
We’ve covered some of that in this working from home article but today, we’re going to be discussing the new Google Slides plugin in XSplit Broadcaster and how it can make your next remote presentation much easier than it is now.
Install the plugin from the store
This plugin is only available starting from version 4.0. Make sure to update to the latest version if you’re using an older version.
To install the Google Slides plugin, click Add source, then ‘Find more sources’ to open the plugin store. scroll down to the aforementioned plugin and hit ‘Install’.
Once installed, go to Add Sources >> General Widgets >> Google Slides. Paste the link of your presentation file, hit ‘Go’ and you’re set!
Make sure your Google Slides presentation permission is set so anybody with the link can view it. It can’t be added to XSplit Broadcaster as a source if viewing is restricted.
You might be asking how this is different from just adding the source as a webpage. The most obvious difference is you are not in present mode when you just add it as a page. Adding it as a source not only displays it in full screen but it makes it an immediately easier viewing experience without having to navigate a webpage to give your presentation!
With the Google Slide source, everything is locked to your presentation file so you don’t really have to worry about accidentally clicking anything that would ruin your presentation.
Setting up your remote presentation
Now that you have your Google Presentation added as a source, it’s time to set up the rest which is going to depend on your use case. What you’re going to be presenting will determine the type of scenes and sources that you’ll need to make.
We have some example presentation template that you can download either inside the application or here.
When you have everything ready, go to your video conferencing tool of choice and make sure the camera is set to ‘XSplit Broadcaster’ so the feed is fetching directly from the active scene in the application.
Do quick multiple test calls, play around with your Google Slides presentation, switch scenes until you’re confident that everything is working as intended. Just like with anything, preparation is key in having a successful remote presentation so do not skip this step.
The beauty of this is you can make it as simple and straightforward as you want but you can also enhance as you see fit.
While only showing Google Slides is probably enough for most people, adding a webcam feed of yourself definitely makes the presentation feel more personal, hence I recommend finding a small place in your presentation to put it. Use alongside VCam and hide your webcam background effortlessly to complete that professional vibe.
We hope the information we’ve provided is helpful and takes some stress out of making presentations from the comfort of your home. Make sure to always update to the latest version of XSplit Broadcaster to get the absolute best results. Follow us @xsplit on social media and check around our blog for informative articles like this.
XSplit VCam 2.0 is the revolutionary, best in class AI-powered background removal and replacement tool but you already know that! You’re here because you want to know how to add it to various programs and honestly, it couldn’t be easier!
Zoom
Adding VCam into Zoom is as simple (as we’re going to find out with a lot of these) as adding any webcam!
First up, once you have opened Zoom click the settings cog in the top right.
Next up, select Video.
Finally, from the drop-down menu select XSplit VCam!
And there you have it, you can go into the VCam program and set up your video however you like and it will be reflected in Zoom!
Microsoft Teams
Once you have opened Microsoft Teams click on your profile picture in the top right.
Next up, click the gear icon to enter the settings menu.
Once in the settings menu, select Devices
Finally select XSplit VCam from the drop-down, menu in the Camera section.
Now you’re all set up and ready to use XSplit VCam 2.0 in Microsoft Teams. Setting your camera to remove or replace the background is still done in the VCam app and you’ll see all the changes you make reflected immediately in Microsoft Teams!
Skype
First up, after we open Skype you’re going to want to open the three-dot menu and click “settings”.
Then you’re going to want to click “Audio and Video”
Finally, select XSplit VCam from the drop-down menu and you’re ready to go!
Getting everything set up how you’d like in the VCam app itself is the same and any changes you make are immediately reflected in Skype!
Now for the “anything else” part of the title! XSplit VCam 2.0 works as an embedded camera on Windows 10 so really, any program that can detect any use a webcam could use XSplit VCam 2.0. The process is similar for a lot of programs, find where you can add your webcam and select XSplit VCam and you’ll be ready to go!
In my previous blog post, I mentioned that the XSplit team is exploring the possibilities of the NVIDIA Broadcast Engine and since then, a lot of exciting news has come from NVIDIA, especially with the launch of their new GeForce RTX 30 Series GPUs which further solidifies their commitment to the future of RTX.
In that regard, we’ve been working closely with NVIDIA for the past few months and we are pleased to announce that we have integrated the NVIDIA Broadcast Engine Audio Effects SDK which brings AI-based noise removal to XSplit Broadcaster 4.0. This lets our users easily remove any unwanted background noises in their production, giving them the peace of mind that their audience can hear them clearly.
To use the feature, users with NVIDIA RTX GPUs should first download and install the appropriate redistributable for their graphics cards from the NVIDIA Broadcast Engine Resources page as well as the latest XSplit Broadcaster PTR. Afterwards, upon launching XSplit, NVIDIA Noise Removal can easily be enabled by opening Tools > Audio Effects, changing the Noise Suppression Mode to “NVIDIA Noise Removal”, and checking the Noise Suppression box. We will be adding support to change the strength of the noise removal in a later update.
We look forward to bringing more awesome features to our XSplit suite of applications through our continuing partnership with NVIDIA. You can find out more about the NVIDIA Broadcast Engine here.
XSplit Broadcaster 4.0 is here and we couldn’t be more excited to share this big update with you! We have been focusing on creating the best live streaming software available for the last ten years and we feel with this update we’re a step closer to making streaming more powerful, more accessible, and more sophisticated than ever before!
What’s new?
Updated UI – We’re on the road to update the user interface you interact with on a daily basis. We’ve included an easy to access stream and record button and provided the ability to resize the scenes and sources list.
Audio Effects (DSP) – Our ongoing effort to improve audio in XSplit Broadcaster introduces compression, EQ effects, and more with a brand new UI to manage them. Find out more info here!
Multiple Recording Profiles – Set up multiple recording profiles to record multiple scenes or different encoding settings. This can make recording raw gameplay while streaming a full broadcast, for example, easy! Find out more here!
Improved Extensions – With several extensions such as macros becoming staples of many broadcasts, it was a pain to remember to launch them every time you opened XSplit Broadcaster. Now, extensions will restore to their last state before closing Broadcaster and can also run in the background.
Playout Improvements – Specify which scenes you want to playout to NDI or Decklink devices with additional transparency performance options for NDI.
Stream Only in Audio Mixer – You can now monitor and adjust the levels of any source outputting to Stream Only.
MacrosExtension – Import and export macros! Added triggers for outputs, audio sensitivity, and leaving scenes. New actions for cue points, recordings, and more. Additional improvements have been made for custom actions that allow you to make them user friendly with variables.
Per Scene Lighting – Using Elgato Keylights with XSplit Broadcaster 4.0 can level up your stream as the lighting in the room changes as you change your scene! Find out more here!
There’s a whole lot more than just that! If you love seeing the nitty-gritty stuff, here’s the full release notes for version 4.0 that also contains all the bug fixes and minor improvements.
This is an ongoing process for us and we’re nowhere near done with regular updates from our development team. Combined with our 24/7 customer support, XSplit Broadcaster 4.0 is an ever-evolving package for content creators. Have something you’d like to see in future updates? Suggest it over on our feature upvote page, we love to hear from our community!
We hope you enjoy XSplit Broadcaster 4.0! Head over to xsplit.com/broadcaster and download the update today!
XSplit VCam is the ultimate background removal tool and the release of version 2.0 has further solidified that. Powered by the Intel® OpenVINO™ toolkit and accelerated by Intel® Deep Learning Boost, XSplit VCam is the perfect app whether for remote work purposes, or content creation. But don’t just take our word for it, go check this out to hear what people are saying about the latest update.
To celebrate this milestone, we’ve partnered with Intel and Lenovo to bring you a sweet giveaway where you can win a Lenovo Ideapad Creator 5 and an XSplit Premium lifetime license.
The mechanics are simple, all you need to do to become eligible is to fill out your details so you can be contacted if you are one of the two lucky winners! Are you ready? Head on to create.intel.com/xsplit to get started.
What is Intel® OpenVINO™?
OpenVino is a toolkit based on a convolutional neural network that facilitates a deep learning model from a framework and deployment using an inference engine onto Intel hardware. You can learn more about that and how it works here.
This toolkit powers VCam’s machine learning capabilities that allow the app to continuously improve its AI detection over time. This, along with some of our recent optimizations, allows for superior background removal and replacement performance compared to the competition as we’ve detailed here.
If for whatever reason you’re still using the old version of XSplit VCam, it’s a MUST that you update to version 2.0. If you love the previous version, you’ll love the latest version even more!
Background removal used to be something that can only be achieved with a set of equipment and a suitable studio setup. That was fine and all because the application is for professional production environments such as newscasting, motion pictures, and TV work. Anything but casual basically.
With content creation coming more into play, it became apparent that removing backgrounds (known as chroma keying) had to be easier. Simply put, very few people can’t afford to have their own studio space, green screen, and a bunch of lighting, to name just a few!
With great demand comes innovation resulting in various applications like our very own XSplit VCam, bringing exceptional background removal and replacement with the click of a button.
Early Solutions
VCam came into the market in 2018 but applications that promised background removal existed before that. As a matter of fact, XSplit Broadcaster had chroma key capabilities in as early as its beta period and the same can be said to similar applications such as Wirecast and Open Broadcaster Software.
It was far from ideal still back then as those apps only provide you the functionality to “remove your background” but only once you have everything set up correctly. That means you still needed to have a green screen, a ton of lights, and not wearing a green shirt (though this led to a lot of unintentional comedy in the early days!). It wasn’t easy but at least the tools were getting easier to use!
Even with some gradual improvements each year, it was clear a lot of people just didn’t want to put up with the work. Perhaps all they wanted was to flick a switch that removes their background, get a screenshot and that was it. Using a streaming app to finetune a setting by adjusting sliders and still not get a guarantee they’d be getting what they want was just too complicated.
Standalone apps for background removal
With enough demand, background removal software has naturally morphed into its own thing. Standalone apps such as Chromacam and Tridef have come into play while websites that offer the same service but just focusing on static images also started cropping up.
It didn’t take that long for people to really embrace chroma keying their background and it, later on, became a necessity for content creation. The need for background removal didn’t just remain in live streaming as a huge market for video conferencing and online business presentations showed up.
Applications outside of content creation
The use case for background removal started with professional video production work and grew into casual content, mostly video games. It did not stop there. With people being forced to work from home, it became an even bigger necessity for remote work and video conferencing since most people simply didn’t have that same luxury of having a dedicated office space at home.
Fast forward to today, top web conferencing services such as Zoom, Skype & Microsoft Teams have added built-in background removal that can be accessed with a click of a button. Pretty convenient, but is the quality there?
Why should you still use VCam then?
Three things. A far superior background removal AI, better customization options, and more optimized experience both for you and your CPU. 🙂
That’s not to say the built-in solutions from those web conferencing apps aren’t useful. They very much are especially if you just want the bare minimum and don’t want to install a separate background removal app like VCam.
But with the need for background removal becoming long-term because of the pandemic, I’d argue that investing in a superior app is the right way to go.
Don’t just take my word for it. Here’s a quick video that demonstrates how VCam fares with the competition.
Without elaborating too much on technicalities, XSplit VCam relies heavily on the machine learning model that enables the application to continuously improve over time.
Side note: Intel produced an informative whitepaper on the subject of intelligent and real-time video background removal which mentions VCam. Definitely check it out if you’re curious about how that works.
Remember, there are plenty of variables to consider when it comes to how a user’s webcam looks. From lighting to the cat sitting on the bed behind you. So while perfection may seem far fetched when all is said and done, all this data allows VCam to continue getting better.
And that gives me the perfect opportunity to segue into the latest XSplit VCam update that you definitely should give a try if you haven’t yet. Boasting an even better AI detection and flexible adjustment options, VCam 2.0 takes the best background removal software and makes it even better. Learn more about it in this blog post.
Where does that leave us?
All of these innovations, in addition to having more companies trying to have some form of background removal and replacement integrated into their own software, is a big win for consumers. From the early days where it’s simply not accessible, to now where it’s become easy to use, the future is bright when it comes to advancements that can be made here.
That also means we should work harder to remain on top of the game for background removal. Not that we have a problem with that. 🙂
