Want to create stunning virtual backgrounds with a green screen? A green screen allows you to replace your background seamlessly, giving your streams a professional look. Follow these steps to enable the green screen feature in StreamYard:

1. In your StreamYard studio, click on Settings

2. Open the “Virtual Background” tab.

3. Check the box for "I have a green screen."

4. Choose your virtual background from the available options or upload your own.

Don’t have a green screen? You can pick one up on Amazon or try the Virtual Backgrounds feature!

  • Tips

    Lighting is essential. Make sure your backdrop is uniformly lit. You want it to be a similar shade of green in all places. Using multiple light sources can help. Try to eliminate folds and shadows. Investing in a decent green screen will make a big difference. Green screens usually work better than blue.

    Clothing: Don’t wear anything that is the same color as your backdrop. The more contrast, the better.

    Use a powerful computer: The green screen feature relies on your graphics processor (GPU). While it can run on most devices, for the best results, use a computer with a strong GPU and processor.

    Samples of Recommended Computers for Best Performance:

    • Apple MacBook Pro (M2/M3 Pro or Max, 16GB+ RAM)
    • Dell XPS 15 or XPS 17 (Intel Core i7/i9, RTX 4060+, 16GB+ RAM)
    • Razer Blade 15 (Intel Core i7/i9, RTX 4070+, 16GB+ RAM)
    • Lenovo Legion 5 Pro (AMD Ryzen 7/9, RTX 3070+, 16GB+ RAM)
    • Desktop PCs with at least:
      • Intel Core i7/i9 or AMD Ryzen 7/9
      • NVIDIA RTX 3060+ or AMD Radeon RX 6700+
      • 16GB RAM or more

    Samples of Computers That May Struggle with Green Screen:

    • Older MacBooks (Intel-based, MacBook Air M1/M2 with 8GB RAM)
    • Budget Windows laptops with Intel Core i3/i5 (10th gen or older)
    • Laptops with integrated graphics (Intel UHD Graphics, AMD Radeon Vega 8)
    • Chromebooks and entry-level laptops with 8GB RAM or less
    • Desktops with older GPUs (GTX 1650, Radeon RX 560, Intel UHD 620/630)

    If you're experiencing lag or blurriness, try lowering other resource-heavy applications or consider upgrading to a more powerful device.

  • Configure your browser

    If the green screen feature isn’t working for you, you may need to change your browser settings.

    You’ll need a graphics processor (GPU) to use the green screen feature. Most, but not all, devices have some kind of GPU. But even if you have a GPU, your browser settings may prevent StreamYard from accessing it. If you have a GPU, but the green screen feature isn’t working, try following the steps below.

    Chromium Browsers (Chrome and Edge)

    1. Open your browser settings by clicking the 3 dots in the top right corner.
    2. On the left, click the "System" tab.
    3. Ensure hardware acceleration is on. If this was off, then turning it on may be all you need. Try it again on StreamYard. If it works, you can stop here.
    4. Open a new Chrome tab. Type chrome://flags in the address bar and hit enter.
    5. Enable the “Override software rendering list” option. It’s usually near the top of the list.
    6. Try it again on StreamYard. If it’s still not working, but you’re sure you have a GPU, then there may be other browser settings you need to change. Contact us if you need help.

    Firefox

    1. Open the browser settings by clicking the three lines in the upper right-hand corner.
    2. In the "General" section, scroll down to the "Performance" section.
    3. Uncheck the box labeled "Use recommended performance settings" and check "Use hardware acceleration when available".

Updated

Was this article helpful?

Have more questions? Submit a request