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WebcamWrapper

A Python application that creates a virtual camera from your physical webcam with real-time image processing capabilities.

Features

  • Captures video from your physical webcam
  • Applies real-time image processing (currently grayscale conversion)
  • Outputs to a virtual camera that can be used by other applications
  • Cross-platform support with optimized Windows compatibility

Prerequisites

Virtual Camera Backend

This application requires a virtual camera backend to function. Choose one of the following:

Option 1: OBS Studio (Recommended)

  1. Download and install OBS Studio
  2. Start OBS Studio at least once to initialize the virtual camera
  3. The OBS Virtual Camera will be automatically available

Option 2: Unity Capture

  1. Download Unity Capture
  2. Run the installer as administrator
  3. Register the virtual camera device

Installation

  1. Clone this repository:

    git clone <repository-url>
cd WebcamWrapper

  2. Create a virtual environment (recommended):

    python -m venv .venv
.venv\Scripts\activate  # On Windows

  3. Install dependencies:

    pip install -r requirements.txt

Usage

  1. Ensure your physical webcam is connected and working

  2. Make sure you have installed a virtual camera backend (see Prerequisites)

  3. Run the application:

    python app.py

  4. The application will:

    • Display available virtual camera backends
    • Initialize your physical webcam
    • Create a virtual camera with the same resolution and FPS
    • Show a preview window with the processed video
    • Make the virtual camera available to other applications

  5. Press 'q' in the preview window to exit

Troubleshooting

"No virtual camera backends found"

  • Install OBS Studio or Unity Capture (see Prerequisites)
  • Restart the application after installation

"Could not open webcam"

  • Check that your webcam is connected and working
  • Ensure no other applications are using the webcam
  • Verify Windows has permission to access the camera

Import errors

  • Make sure you're in the correct virtual environment
  • Run pip install -r requirements.txt to install dependencies

Development

The application currently applies a grayscale filter to the video feed. You can modify the image processing logic in the main() function to add different effects such as:

  • Color filters
  • Blur effects
  • Edge detection
  • Face detection and effects
  • Background replacement

Requirements

  • Python 3.7+
  • OpenCV (opencv-python)
  • PyVirtualCam
  • NumPy
  • Windows 10/11 (optimized for Windows, but should work on other platforms)