Zoom chooses to prioritize speed over image quality when streaming camera footage. This means that if you use a virtual camera in a Zoom meeting, the images are often less sharp than when you share your screen. Zoom ensures that the video runs smoothly, meaning the images move faster but are less sharp. This is done so that the video does not stutter when someone is speaking.
When you share your screen, image quality is more important. This is because you often share static images or text that need to be clearly readable. Therefore, Zoom makes the images sharper, even if they move less smoothly. This difference means that virtual cameras, which Zoom sees as regular cameras, are always less sharp. As a result, presentations via a virtual camera may appear less sharp than via screen sharing.
There are ways to improve image quality if you still want to use a virtual camera. Zoom has screen sharing features that you can use to enhance quality. For example, you can use the share “Content from a a 2nd camera” option and adjust the settings by choosing “Optimize Screen Share for Video Clip”. This can help find a better balance between speed and image quality, depending on what you need and what your computer can handle. Until you have a more powerful computer, it may be wise to avoid virtual cameras and instead use Zoom’s screen sharing options.
