Video conferencing has long become common practice both in the workplace and outside of it. And it’s essential for both working professionals and casual video meeting attendees to want to look spotless on camera. A virtual background is one way to enhance your video chat experience. While some web conferencing apps offer this as a built-in feature, it is worth considering external software that will take your video meeting appearance to the next level. In this article, we have selected six best webcam background apps for you to examine and consider as an option for your video calls.
What is virtual background software and why it is essential nowadays
It is a feature that replaces the background image with a selected visual. It may be a simple blur or a complex motion design mimicking a quiet conference room or a bustling coffee shop.
Various research shows that a well-chosen location for a video call boosts both the audience’s attention to the speaker and stimulates working activities instead of potentially disrupting them. Or the other way around, vibrant backdrops make video conferencing fun and engaging. It is the versatility and additional features and offers that turn your video conferencing software into a go-to video call solution. So these are the six virtual background software options that allow you to enhance any video conference.
Banuba Face AR SDK
Price: contact us for an offer
Availability: iOS, Android, web (Chrome, Firefox, Samsung Browser, Safari), Mac, Windows, Unity
The Face AR SDK by Banuba crowns this list as a complex and customizable solution for video conferencing app developers. Available for mobile, desktop, Unity, and web, this software development kit offers advanced AR features for video communication, conferencing & live streaming apps.
Banuba’s Face AR SDK lets users erase and replace backgdrops in video calls either with one from our collection or with a custom image. Users can also add animated images. It’s a great way to add fun to video calls which your users will surely appreciate. The offer also includes beauty filters and avatars, as well as complex 2D and 3D face masks making Banuba Face AR SDK one of the best virtual background tools for your up-and-coming apps.
Banuba’s collaboration with Agora allows you to have a look at our AR filters and virtual background images in action. Syncing two separate SDKs may be challenging so we have developed a plugin for this video conferencing platform to bring a large variety of features to your video conferencing experience. The Banuba kit offers beauty filters, skin touch-up, an accurate blur and removal tool, as well as a large collection of AR masks. Try the Banuba extension for Agora here.
Mmhmm
Price: Paid plans start at $10 per month billed yearly. Mmhmm offers a 30-day trial, after which it converts to a limited free version where the Premium features are accessible for only 1 hour a day.
Availability: Mac, Windows
Mmhmm is a video call assistant app that allows you to enhance your team calls, short videos, and live presentations. A library of virtual backgrounds, both animated and static, is available to users. Not only can you replace your backdrop but you can also adjust your own size and placement on the screen. The Big Hands feature launches animated reactions to certain hand gestures like hands folded in a ‘thanks’ or a finger heart.
One notable feature that makes it stand out on this list is a built-in presentation creator and editor. While video conferencing apps like Zoom require you to share your screen, Mmhmm offers using your presentation as your backdrop. This allows you to use Mmhmm as your go-to slide presentation creator while using Zoom. You can create slides and transition through them in real time while having a preview of yourself the way other users are going to see you.
Krisp
Price: A limited free version is available to individual users. Paid plans start at $8/month billed annually.
Availability: Mac, Windows
Krisp can easily be called an all-inclusive video call assistant. While its main features are noise cancellation and audio quality improvement, Krisp offers a number of virtual background options too. You can choose from the in-app library or upload your own image. The selected option can be synced to all platforms that use Krisp: set it once and use it everywhere.
Essentially, Krisp is a stand-alone AI-based noise canceling app that is very effective at suppressing background noise both for audio calls or video conferences. Its uniqueness lies in the fact it works in both directions, for incoming and outgoing audio. An AI meeting assistant transcribes the call or takes notes for you, while you enjoy a noise-free and immersive video calling experience.
ManyCam
Price: Paid plans for individual users vary from $49 yearly for Standard to $99 yearly for Premium. There is a limited free version, which still offers the app’s essential features.
Availability: Mac, Windows
ManyCam is an app that caters to users with more complicated preferences. It allows users to add multiple video sources to live streams and video calls. Users can add their tablet or mobile, as well as a webcam and pre-recorded footage.
As for background alteration, this software offers two modes of doing it, one being blurring the video output and the other replacing it with a virtual one. It is possible to only blur specific parts of the video or add text across the screen, which takes video conferencing events like webinars and presentations to the next level.
Like other virtual background software, ManyCam also provides a number of entertaining features like 3D masks that wrap around your face, virtual objects, digital props, backdrops, effects and fun filters.
XSplit VCam
Price: A limited free version is available. Premium options vary from monthly to lifetime subscription. A subscription to the background changing app VCam costs $30 billed once a year.
Availability: Mac, Windows
This app is part of the XSplit streaming software kit, although it can be used separately too. VCam is a potent background removal, blurring, and placement tool that enables users to remove visuals from both recorded and live videos without the use of any additional equipment. The software is powered by cutting-edge AI which boosts the quality of image segmentation and reduces the technical requirements needed to run the app.
XSplit VCam is a great option for individuals and teams who deal with streaming and video production. A large number of video conferencing applications are supported too, including Zoom and Skype. This allows users to enjoy a custom backdrop across multiple platforms. The free version gives access to all features but leaves a visible watermark on top of your video. If this is not a concern for you, VCam is probably one of the best virtual background apps for both Windows and, as of lately, Mac, for your personal use, as well as a top app to record video with virtual background.
ChromaCam
Price: Besides the limited free Lite version, a Pro plan is available starting at $24.99 billed annually
Availability: Mac, Windows
Moving on to one software option that is specifically tailored for customizing your webcam background. CromaCam is a simple but powerful app for Windows and Mac. It is compatible with the most popular video conferencing software like Zoom, Skype, and Google Meet, and uses the chroma key technology to carefully remove and replace the background in your video.
ChromaCam also supports applying the adjustable blur effect to your video. It allows users to add streaming effects on top of their footage, replace the background with custom options or even use PowerPoint presentation slides as a dynamic prop. These are all the features in the Pro version, which overall is a worthy investment if your line of work requires a quality video with custom virtual background options.
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In general, there are multiple options, and there is no 100% best one among them. The perfect solution for you depends on a number of criteria including your purpose for using a virtual background app, your hardware capabilities, your financial state, whether you need an app or an extension or an SDK, etc.
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Depending on the type of software you are using, you may need to select your third-party virtual background app as your camera in Video settings, use the in-app camera as default cam, or simply upload your pre-recorded video to the program.
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You can either build your own custom platform or use a third-party SDK like Banuba Face AR SDK. The first option is much more expensive in the short term and takes several months to develop and launch. It is, however, cheaper in the long run. The SDK is cheaper in the short term and quick to integrate, allowing you to launch and enter the market sooner.
