This paper utilizes the background oriented schlieren (BOS) technique to measure the velocity field of a variable density round jet. The density field of the jet is computed based on the light deflection created during the passage of light through the understudy jet. The deflection vector estimation was carried out using phase-based optical flow algorithms. The density field is further exploited to extract the axial and radial velocity vectors with the aid of continuity and energy equations. The experiment is conducted at six different jet-exit temperature values. Additional turbulence parameters, such as velocity variance and power spectral density of the vector field, are also computed. Finally, the measured velocity parameters are compared with the hot wire anemometer measurements and their correlation is displayed. © 2011 Optical Society of America.