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Asked: 2020-04-20 03:10:07 +0800 CST

How can I choose the Zoom virtual background feature using Ubuntu?

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I have installed the Zoom Desktop Client for Linux on Ubuntu 18.04.
I would like to use the Virtual Background feature, but I do not know how to activate it.

My Zoom Linux Client Version is 3.5.385850.0413 and my laptop also meet the processor requirements (Dual Core 2Ghz or Higher (i5/i7 or AMD equivalent) processor)
Virtual Background – Zoom Help Center

Edit for clarification: I know this Zoom feature only works on Linux with a physical green screen. At the moment I do not get any message that I should put a green scree, I do not have that option at all. So even having a green screen I would not be able to use this feature.

background 18.04 zoom-meeting

6 Answers

  1. Edit: Zoom 5.8.0 supports virtual background without greenscreen!

    As of writing this, Zoom does not support person/face-detection based virtual background in their Linux-version software. The solution below helps achieve the similar effect, and since it creates a virtual webcam, you can most likely use this solution for any apps that use a webcam, for example, Microsoft Teams. These instructions were originally posted by @BenTheElder, and IMO is a super fun and neat project, especially if you are into computer vision. https://elder.dev/posts/open-source-virtual-background/

    What the code is doing essentially is grabbing image frames with Python and OpenCV. For each image, the face/body is cropped using TensorFlow.js Bodypix, and merged with the specified background. The modified images are then used to create the video feed via pyfakewebcam and v4l2loopback. I have tested the below instructions with Ubuntu 20.04, code used is archived in https://github.com/pangyuteng/virtual-background

    branch master requires GPU, while branch cpu-friendly uses only CPU.

    EDIT: after getting the below to work, I also found out there is a more refined version by fangfufu https://github.com/fangfufu/Linux-Fake-Background-Webcam which is also based on @BenTheElder's solution.

    --

    docker run --gpus all nvidia/cuda:10.0-base nvidia-smi
    • install and setup virtual video device as "/dev/video20", and assuming the actual video device is "/dev/video0"
    sudo apt-get upgrade -y
sudo apt-get install -y v4l2loopback-dkms v4l2loopback-utils

sudo modprobe -r v4l2loopback
sudo modprobe v4l2loopback devices=1 video_nr=20 card_label="v4l2loopback" exclusive_caps=1
    • add root to group video (likely unecessary...)
    sudo usermod -aG video root
cat /etc/group | grep video
    • clone repo
    git clone [email protected]:pangyuteng/virtual-background.git vbkgd
cd vbkgd
    • (for those using CPU) switch branch.
    git checkout cpu-friendly
    • build containers
    docker-compose build
    • (optional) adjust camera resolution and fps in docker-compose.yml
    • start the virtual camera via docker-compose (assuming physical video device at /dev/video0, virtual video device at /dev/video20 and gpu at /dev/nvidia0)
    docker-compose up

    • launch zoom/teams/slack..., select v4l2loopback as webcam

    • live swap background by replacing file data/background.jpg - refresh rate hard coded at 3 seconds.

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  2. You have to go to: Settings > General > View Advanced Features > (the web site will open. log in) > Settings > In Meeting (advanced) > Enable Virtual Background.

    For some reason, it is disabled by default in Ubuntu Zoom Client, and behave differently.

    enter image description here

    Then. in the Linux Client go to Settings and you will see a new submenu: Virtual Background

    enter image description here

    In previous versions (<5) a green background was required, it is no longer necessary and only a single colour background is needed, preferably green.

    Hope this help.

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  3. As others have pointed out already, virtual background without green screen is not yet supported by zoom for Linux. There is a feature request for this in the zoom developer forum. Maybe supporting it can help making this feature a priority:

    https://devforum.zoom.us/t/request-implement-virtual-backgrounds-in-linux/41558

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  4. According to the Zoom website, you need to have a physical green screen to have virtual backgrounds on Ubuntu:

    Linux Requirements

    • 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
    • 4

  5. Zoom 5.7.6 (31792.0820) (August 18, 2021) finally supports virtual background without a green screen on Linux.

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  6. With zoom 5.5.2 from this snap, on Ubuntu 20.04.2 LTS, virtual background without green screen actually works. It even works rather well.

    Well, that might have had to do with a particular light that particular day… I'm back to virtual background not working well

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