5 ms·

How would you actually use these, save getting a green screen fitted?

simonklitj 6y ago
Zoom and other such software allows you to swap the background out during video calls. Don’t know the tech behind it, but I do believe someone posted about it a couple of weeks ago on HN.
- ghaff 6y ago
  A green screen background still works better but, at least in the case of my office setup, Zoom works pretty well with just my regular background.
- briffle 6y ago
  I have never found that setting. I wonder if its not included in their linux version, or perhaps, like Teams, it requires a newer CPU than what I have, so its not shown.
  - bj0 6y ago
    I dual boot windows/linux and the linux client does not have the virtual background options. I'm using an i7-9700k so it's not a lack of cpu power. edit: Maybe there's a newer version that supports green screen? The options simply don't exist in my version.
  - CDSlice 6y ago
    On Macs you have to have at least a quadcore CPU or it doesn't show the option, Zoom may do the same thing on Linux.
  - tyrust 6y ago
    The prerequisites for all OSes are documented here: https://support.zoom.us/hc/en-us/articles/210707503-Virtual-Background https://support.zoom.us/hc/en-us/articles/210707503-Virtual-... >Linux: >· Zoom Desktop Client for Linux, version 2.0.91373.0502 or higher >· Dual Core 2Ghz or Higher (i5/i7 or AMD equivalent) processor >· A physical green screen
- waste_monk 6y ago
  >Don’t know the tech behind it If you can assume constant lighting it would seem pretty easy? ask the user to move out of frame, take an image, and that's your "green screen" - difference current input fromt the camera vs the reference image of the users room, and overlay whatever doesn't match (e.g. the user) against their choice of background. This is an entirely naive approach with no research into the problem done, and I can see big problems (such as "assume constant lighting"), but it doesn't seem too complex at a distance. I'm sure there's a video editor out there somewhere fuming at my ignorance though.
  - remram 6y ago
    Yeah this was brought up before. Obviously if that worked, that's the method Jitsi/Zoom/OBS would use. From previous thread: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=22830968 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=22830968
TallGuyShort 6y ago
Zoom and other conferencing tools allow you to provide a background and the intelligently crop out the background. Depending on what's in your background, it doesn't work perfectly (my shelves always show up anyway), but you can also by green screens that fit to your office chair, etc. specifically for this purpose.
- awad 6y ago
  Anecdotally, I've found that Microsoft Teams is better with virtual background/intelligent cropping than Zoom is for me. Teams is able to work perfectly so far as I can tell while things seem to punch through on Zoom.
giancarlostoro 6y ago
At least on Apples software it takes a picture of the background without you in it and then fills that in as a green screen with anything. Works decently enough.

Zoom and other such software allows you to swap the background out during video calls. Don’t know the tech behind it, but I do believe someone posted about it a couple of weeks ago on HN.

ghaff 6y ago
A green screen background still works better but, at least in the case of my office setup, Zoom works pretty well with just my regular background.
briffle 6y ago
I have never found that setting. I wonder if its not included in their linux version, or perhaps, like Teams, it requires a newer CPU than what I have, so its not shown.
- bj0 6y ago
  I dual boot windows/linux and the linux client does not have the virtual background options. I'm using an i7-9700k so it's not a lack of cpu power. edit: Maybe there's a newer version that supports green screen? The options simply don't exist in my version.
- CDSlice 6y ago
  On Macs you have to have at least a quadcore CPU or it doesn't show the option, Zoom may do the same thing on Linux.
- tyrust 6y ago
  The prerequisites for all OSes are documented here: https://support.zoom.us/hc/en-us/articles/210707503-Virtual-Background https://support.zoom.us/hc/en-us/articles/210707503-Virtual-... >Linux: >· Zoom Desktop Client for Linux, version 2.0.91373.0502 or higher >· Dual Core 2Ghz or Higher (i5/i7 or AMD equivalent) processor >· A physical green screen
waste_monk 6y ago
>Don’t know the tech behind it If you can assume constant lighting it would seem pretty easy? ask the user to move out of frame, take an image, and that's your "green screen" - difference current input fromt the camera vs the reference image of the users room, and overlay whatever doesn't match (e.g. the user) against their choice of background. This is an entirely naive approach with no research into the problem done, and I can see big problems (such as "assume constant lighting"), but it doesn't seem too complex at a distance. I'm sure there's a video editor out there somewhere fuming at my ignorance though.
- remram 6y ago
  Yeah this was brought up before. Obviously if that worked, that's the method Jitsi/Zoom/OBS would use. From previous thread: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=22830968 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=22830968

TallGuyShort 6y ago

Zoom and other conferencing tools allow you to provide a background and the intelligently crop out the background. Depending on what's in your background, it doesn't work perfectly (my shelves always show up anyway), but you can also by green screens that fit to your office chair, etc. specifically for this purpose.

awad 6y ago
Anecdotally, I've found that Microsoft Teams is better with virtual background/intelligent cropping than Zoom is for me. Teams is able to work perfectly so far as I can tell while things seem to punch through on Zoom.

giancarlostoro 6y ago

At least on Apples software it takes a picture of the background without you in it and then fills that in as a green screen with anything. Works decently enough.