Virtual camera Updated October 8, 2026
Use your slides and camera as one camera in Zoom, Teams and Meet
ArcLight is a Mac app that turns slides into live video, and it sends that video to Zoom, Microsoft Teams and Google Meet as a single camera called “ArcLight Camera”. Instead of sharing your screen and shrinking your face to a thumbnail, you build the talk as slides that hold your live camera, screen captures, titles and images, then press Play. Whatever the program output shows, from you full frame to your slides beside you to a screen demo, is what the meeting sees, with transitions such as Magic Move between slides. When you aren't playing, ArcLight Camera shows your real camera instead of a frozen frame. It works in any app that accepts a camera, including Webex.
How it works
- Build your slides in ArcLight: your camera, a display or app window, images, video and titles, arranged per slide.
- Choose “ArcLight Camera” as the camera in Zoom, Teams, Meet, Webex or any other app that accepts one. The first time, macOS asks you to allow ArcLight's camera extension.
- Press Play and step through with the arrow keys, a clicker or a Stream Deck. Each slide's transition plays in the meeting.
- Stop, and ArcLight Camera shows your real camera, the one you last put on air, until you play again.
The virtual camera carries video only. Your call app keeps using your microphone as usual. The same program output can be recorded to a .mov at the same time, or shown on a second display.
Ways to put slides and a camera in a call
| Option | Virtual camera | How you build what's shown | Price |
|---|---|---|---|
| ArcLight | ✓ ArcLight Camera | Slides with live cameras, screens and titles | $49.99/year, 30-day trial |
| OBS Studio | ✓ built in | Scenes and sources | Free |
| Ecamm | ✓ Pro plan | Scenes and overlays | $32/mo Pro, billed annually |
| Airtime (formerly mmhmm) | ✓ | You, placed in imported slides | $10/mo billed annually |
| Keynote | — | Share the slideshow window instead | Free |
Sources: OBS virtual camera guide, Ecamm features, Ecamm pricing, Airtime pricing, Keynote presenter display. Checked on September 26, 2026.
Which one fits
Choose screen sharing if
the slides are the whole story and nobody needs to see you. It's already in your call app.
Choose OBS or Airtime if
you want a free virtual camera and don't mind wiring scenes from sources (OBS), or you want to appear inside imported slides on Mac or Windows (Airtime).
Choose ArcLight if
you want the talk built like a deck, with several cameras and screens, transitions, a presenter view and a teleprompter, and one clean camera in the meeting.
Questions
How do I use ArcLight as a camera in Zoom?
Build your show in ArcLight, then in Zoom's video settings choose “ArcLight Camera” as your camera. Press Play in ArcLight, and the program output, with your slides, camera and transitions, becomes your video in the meeting.
Does ArcLight Camera work in Microsoft Teams and Google Meet?
Yes. ArcLight Camera works in Zoom, Microsoft Teams, Google Meet, Webex and any other app that accepts a camera.
What do people see when I'm not presenting?
Your real camera. Whenever the show isn't playing, or ArcLight is closed, ArcLight Camera shows the camera you last put on air, so the meeting sees you instead of a frozen or black frame. If no camera works, it shows an ArcLight card.
Does the virtual camera send audio too?
No, it carries video only. Keep your microphone selected in the call app as usual. ArcLight's own recordings and live streams carry your full audio mix: your microphones, other apps' audio and your video clips, in lip sync.
Bring your slides and your face into the meeting.
Free for 30 days · then $49.99 a year, locked in when you subscribe by January 31
On the Mac App Store now · macOS 14 or later