#Streaming for Beginners

[uvaldecomputerrepairsstuff]

A Beginner's Guide to Streaming: Unveiling the Power of OBS Software and Hardware Encoding

Introduction In today’s digital age, streaming has become an increasingly popular way to connect, share content, and interact with a global audience. Whether you’re an aspiring gamer, a talented musician, or a knowledgeable creator, streaming allows you to showcase your talents and engage with viewers in real-time. To embark on this exciting journey, you’ll need the right tools and knowledge. In…

[thewanderingmask]

fantasy tiger smajor

you know, like nya

[sir-pentiouses-egg-boys]

Gotham Insider #1

SOOO, it's done it's rough, but again I do stuff like this to practice my speech, and just pure passion. So sorry if you don't like my voice or anything like that, but it is finished, all 30 minutes of it. and no cuts, and I use light scripts so sorry for any bad audio glitches, or stuttering/pauses on my part. I hope at least one person enjoys it, or at least enjoys shit talking it. and since it can't fit on Tumblr, I've made a quick YT channel, and have posted it there, as of posting this.

And yes I am that young. Also will short lil post a quick thing after this, for timeline reasons, and lore reason.

[mellifiedberries]

"Once I took you medication to know what its like... now i have to act like i can't, read your mind" -Aimsey from todays stream (the duel.)

[jacqcrisis]

As someone who's been a Jerma fan since the TF2 days, the joke I miss the most was the 'this is NOT a beginner Jerma stream' comments. Like my man had difficulty levels for his streaming experiences. Like you needed a warning and a debriefing before clicking on Twitch to see unregistered Hypercam, a lie detector test, him killing santa, or Jerma trying desperately to get a copy of Red Dead Redemption for hours, getting increasingly unhinged with every avenue that got blocked for some unknown cosmic level reason so he ends up playing Skate 3, a real person fighting game, TF2, and another game where he superimposes his mouth over character's mouth to make it look like he's talking for them, aka, my favorite Jerma bit ever.

A lot of this is now just kind of standard fare after the carnival and dollhouse, but that was never not funny to see on the subreddit or the 2ndJerma videos when a new stream happened and the old veterans all gathered round and labeled it 'not a beginner Jerma stream'.

[crescentfool]

so you want to use OBS

hello! i’ve decided to compile information on my OBS setup and some resources that have helped me along the way.  this is mostly for personal reference, but maybe others can make use of this information!

some notes before i get into it:

i use OBS for both offline recording and (twitch) streaming. any footage i record is edited using DaVinci Resolve 18, which is free.

most of my OBS captures are of video games (through a USB capture card, specifically elgato), and the occasional screen/application capture (like clip studio paint, and sometimes PC games).

as such, the information here is reflective of these experiences. this post is not comprehensive to all of OBS’s features- this is just an overview of the settings and configurations that are most relevant to me.

with that out of the way, all the information will be under the cut!

Basic Setup

file format:

how to change: settings -> output -> recording -> recording format -> press “apply” once finished!

I save most of my recordings as .mkv files- it supports multi-track audio! i prefer .mkv over .mp4 because if your power goes out, you still have a recording to work with. 

.mkv files can be read by DaVinci Resolve without an issue- but for Adobe software, they'll need to be remuxed to .mp4 within OBS! (file -> remux recordings -> press the … to select a file -> press the “remux” button)

video resolution and framerate:

how to change: settings -> video -> output (scaled) resolution

my obs canvas is @ 1920 x 1080p (16:9)

i switch between 720p and 1080p as needed! if you're concerned about space, you can probably just go for 720p. i also record at 30 fps, simply because that’s what my capture card supports.

video bitrate:

how to change: settings -> output -> encoder settings (located in both the streaming and recording tab) -> press “apply” once finished!

bitrate is a bit of a doozy to explain, but the most important thing to know is that bitrate affects your video’s quality. lower numbers = lower quality, while higher numbers = higher quality. 

generally speaking, you'll want higher bitrate when you're recording things with high depth of information (e.g. you’d want a higher bitrate for something fast-paced like splatoon, compared to a slower-paced game like animal crossing).

my video bitrate is either set to 3000 or 4000 kbps! and here's some of my other (related) settings while i'm at it:

you can put your bitrate at much higher values than me if you're a stickler for quality- but keep in mind that a higher bitrate means:

bigger file size

more information to upload (when streaming)

your computer will need to encode more

i’d recommend reading twitch’s guidelines on encoding, bitrate, resolution, and framerate to get an idea of what values to pick. for people who are doing offline recording or streaming on a different platform, i suggest googling the appropriate resources!

multi-track audio:

this is mostly applicable to anyone looking to do video editing!

multi-track audio basically allows you to separate your audio sources (e.g. discord, game audio, and your own microphone) into different tracks. 

this is an immensely helpful tool because it lets you adjust audio levels in post-production (editing). some examples of how this can be used:

increasing someones microphone volume if they speak too softly

increasing/decreasing game audio

muting swear words/sensitive information

completely muting voice call + microphone if you want to upload a no commentary video

and more!

to set this up, take a look at your audio mixer panel, and press the ⚙ icon. this will bring up advanced audio properties.

by checkmarking a track box, it puts the audio on that track. to make the above screenshot easier to digest:

track 1 consists of ALL three audio sources- desktop, elgato, and microphone.

track 2 only has the microphone audio.

track 3 only has desktop audio (i use this for voice calls)

track 4 only has the elgato capture card audio (game audio). the volume has also been lowered so that any speaking voices can be heard clearly.

tracks 5 and 6 are unused.

you might be wondering, “why do all three of these have 1 checked off?” this is what i call the universal audio track. i recommend having a universal audio track for a few reasons:

when you stream from OBS onto twitch/youtube- you have to select ONE audio track.

it’s also a nice backup in case you didn’t separate your audio correctly.

if for whatever reason you need to move around your individual audio tracks in editing, the universal track acts as a nice reference point.

mark off your audio tracks for each audio source as you see fit! once you’re finished with the advanced audio properties, go to settings > output.

for the streaming tab, you’ll want to have the number of your universal audio track selected. in my case, that will be audio track 1.

for the recording tab, checkmark all the audio tracks that are applicable to you (in my case, audio tracks 1, 2, 3, and 4). by default, only audio track 1 is selected.

if you don’t check off the additional audio tracks in the output > recordings section, you will not have access to those audio tracks in editing, and you won’t be able to edit your audio tracks independently of each other. so don’t forget to do this! 👍

custom browser docks

custom browser docks are a great tool for when you’re streaming and want to have access to your twitch chat and/or activity feed! (or if you wanted to have some other web browser on OBS).

to create one, go to docks -> custom browser docks.

you’ll be given a table interface that asks you to put the dock name and URL. for streamers who want to have chat and alerts available, do the following:

on twitch’s homepage, go to the upper right and click your icon

then, click creator dashboard

once you’re on your dashboard, go to stream manager

click the vertical “...” on my chat OR activity feed.

press “pop-out chat” OR “pop-out activity feed”

copy and paste the link into the table back into OBS

press apply once you’re done

click and drag the docks around at your leisure to put them where you like!

if you ever decide you don’t want to have something on your OBS dock (or want to bring something back), go to the toolbar, click “docks,” and click the appropriate dock!

third party things

a section of optional things that you may enjoy having.

streamlabs alerts

this is basically for anyone who streams and wants to have their chat and/or follower notifications visualized on screen!

streamlab alerts can be added to OBS by adding a browser source into your scene, and the specifics can be customized on streamlabs itself. it’s pretty self-explanatory, so i’ll just leave a link to streamlabs website, where you can log in using the streaming platform of your choice: https://streamlabs.com/

discord overlay

this is a browser source that can be set up to show people who are in a server's voice chat and who speaks. i recommend this to people who make multiplayer content- it can help viewers distinguish who is who but also it can be helpful in editing.

to set this up, go to https://streamkit.discord.com/overlay, click “install for OBS,” and after logging in with discord, go to “voice widget” and click the server and voice channel you want.

you are able to apply CSS if you'd like more control over the visuals, but the standard layout tends to work fine for me! a search of “discord overlay css” on youtube can help you get more information.

veadotube mini

this is a pngtuber software that a friend recommended to me! no webcam is required- mouth opening and closing is based on your microphone input!

you can download it here (it’s pay what you want!): https://olmewe.itch.io/veadotube-mini

for a proper tutorial on how to use it, i recommend checking out the app's documentation, which you can read here: https://veado.tube/help/

source record

have you ever wanted to stream something with a chat overlay/layout, but wanted your recording to ONLY be the gameplay? or maybe you wanted to record BOTH your gameplay AND your webcam so that you can have a crisp zoom-in on your webcam!

source record is a third party plugin that can help you with that!

the general gist of source record involves applying the “source record” filter on either a scene or source, and customizing the encoding settings accordingly. the exact details of how to set it up is beyond the scope of this post, so I'll just direct people to this video instead (it was very helpful to me):

⚠ a quick note about source record: this plugin can be intense for your computer. be sure to do test recordings and the like to see what your computer can handle (and see if the recordings come out the way you like). it took me a few tests before i settled onto something i liked!

you can download and install source record here: https://obsproject.com/forum/resources/source-record.1285/

vdo.ninja

have you ever wanted to do a collaborative video or stream where you feature someone else’s video on your stream? or maybe you’re doing a multi-person streaming event! vdo.ninja is the perfect tool for you!

vdo.ninja turns your OBS virtual camera into a browser source link- which your collaborator can add on their stream! this is a new tool that i’ve added to my arsenal recently- since my friend and i are planning to stream a side order challenge together! i’ve still got to iron it out a bit more, but i like what i’ve used of it so far.

try it out for yourself at their website here (with documentation and demos available on the homepage!): https://vdo.ninja/ (no downloads required!)

ok! i’m set up! what now?

and with that, that’s all of the settings and tools that i thought would be worth mentioning! while most of my setup was written with video games in mind, some of these plugins and setups may be applicable to other types of videos (e.g. tabletop gaming with a physical camera)!

now that i’ve outlined all these settings, i have one more thing i have to say: regardless of what you're using OBS for, do a test recording before doing anything “official” with it. this recording can be as short as 30 seconds. it’s a good habit to develop that can make sure your streams/recordings turn out the way you want them to!

here are the kinds of things i like to check! it’s not an exhaustive list, but this can be a starting point:

video:

does my video look the way i want it to (and can my computer handle that)?

can my computer handle the load of encoding? - OBS will note in the bottom if the encoding is overloaded. if it can’t handle it, turn down your bitrate or adjust other encoding settings (e.g. i had to toggle psycho visual tuning OFF because it was causing lag)

this is especially the case if you're recording PC games- you don’t want to have slowdown on either your game or the recording!

audio:

are my audio sources (e.g. desktop audio and microphone) correct? - if you plug/unplug devices a lot, be sure to check this (settings -> audio).

are any of my audio sources muted? - make sure you don’t have anything on 🔇 if you don’t want it to be muted! otherwise the audio will be lost forever… (i lost my friend’s VC audio once… it was sad)

are my audio tracks separated properly? - requires you to boot up your editing software, but it's worth doing! for the test recording, just have something from all your sources playing at once, and see if your editor has things separated into tracks.

can i hear the voices clearly? or does the music and/or game overpower them?

if for whatever reason your OBS crashes, or you want more information on anything “critical” or “warning” worthy in your set-up, you can go to help > log files > upload current log file > analyze. crash logs currently can’t be analyzed by the log analyzer- but they’re a valuable tool when asking for help on the OBS forums!

and that’s all! for real, this time. i hope that some of these tools and settings can help anyone wanting to get more out of OBS. there’s definitely other things i didn’t touch upon (e.g. audio filters for noise compression, suppression, etc.), so i suggest doing your own research and trying things out!

happy recording/streaming, and thanks for reading! ✨

[mammonprotectionsquad]

Tried more drawing stuff sfuthj

[justalilpearlie]

IMMA BE STREAMING ON TWITCH IN A WHILE!!!

I JOINED A NEW SMP CALLED AZURE SMP WITH ORIGINS AND SILLY EGGS LIKE IN THE QSMP :D

If anyone would like to stop by I'll prolly be on for like an hour or so!! If I get this to work- oop

[defiantbird]

Hey all, my husband and I will be streaming today around 6:00 PM EST. We'll be playing either the art game The Beginner's Guide or the horror game Teleforum, or both depending on how long they are.

Stop by, have a chat, bring your friends, use redeems to make us do goofy stuff: https://m.twitch.tv/henceboog

[donicosplay]

I drew Faye for the end of mermay

[uninvitedawn]

the upper hand

The day was long because the last meeting scheduled ran longer than the norm Minhyun felt the need to just get home and lay his body to rest. The meeting ended and he bid goodbye to his seniors and colleagues. And made his way to the seven eleven close to his home. Completely unaware of his surroundings or the fact that he was being followed.

The drive to was silent which made the perfect environment for unnecessary overthinking, where one thought jumped to another one. He parked his car right in front and made his way to the store, the white background of the red seven beckoning him closer. He had one mission on his mind — to grab all the snacks he loves since the pantry back home was empty. His stomach grumbled stubbornly at the sight of the wide array of options available but he didn’t forget to greet the employee.

Soon his hands were carrying as much snacks as they can hold carefully rolling them on the counter, he waited for everything to be scanned, swiping his card on the eftpos machine. The employee throws in a free Kopiko tablet into the bag and Minhyun makes sure to thank them. He then steps out into the cool air, his mind had already drifted back into the comforts of his home where he could comfortably enjoy his haul. But little did he know fate was not on his side tonight.

Out from the shadows of the night, two figures that were double the size of him lunged toward him with clear intentions of causing harm. Usually Minhyun is on guard due to him being a demigod however, he was distracted and exhausted, he stumbled backward and fell on his back. The bag of snacks flying elsewhere and his heart pounding as adrenaline rushed in, he barely got the chance to get up but the attackers wasted no time. There were on a time crunch they mercilessly rained blows in the form of fists and kicks upon him anywhere they could which told him they weren’t really trained for this.

It seemed to him they would not stop, the pain of the attacks causing dizziness, he could taste the blood coming down and trailing down his mouth. Unable to see all that well and yet he still tries to not do any harm knowing he’s much stronger than them. There was no end and he curled to his side, the anger made his body and head hot.

Who the fuck even called these guys?

The strange sensation that also was all too familiar coursed through his veins, awakening the powers within. A display to the world of what he truly is - not an ordinary human his eyes change to an ocean blue. He hated using his powers but he can’t control his body any longer, something else had taken over him as he taps into his latent abilities with enormous strength he pushes both bodies to either side of him effortlessly. As they scrambled to get up Minhyun had summoned a body of water from the very air around him, a flick of his wrist released a torrential wave and this causes the attackers to fall off their feet yet again. Suddenly, he saw their expressions change from anger to pure fear, he fed off of it, he smirks ever so slightly.

“Run.” But he didn’t even let them take a step, he channelled his fury into action and manipulated the water with such precision and skill, he aims it at the assailants and watches as the water engulfs them. He wanted them to be washed up messes which is the least of what they deserve, they trash and struggle against the relentless water but there was no escape.

In mere moments, everything subsided the attackers lay before him serving as no match for the might of Poseidons son. His chest heaving with exertion and he takes a step back, seeing the wreckage. The feeling of exhaustion even more than before he takes the support of the wall of the store, it’s been a while since he’s used his powers — too long he thinks.

While he proceeds to walk towards his car he picks up the bag of snacks all wet with the water. The water on the ground glows a light blue and he commands it to follow him all the way to the car where he comes to a stop. The water trickles up his body to cover his wounds, he closes his eyes and lets the healing properties of the water repair the damage caused by the goons. He could feel the cuts and bruises heal and the strength of his body return. As he withdrew his hands, the water vanishes and leaves no trace of its existence.

Minhyun spots the employee inside hiding behind the counter and then the two men who lay dead, now he has the task of figuring out who sent them. He already has an idea. Leaving the scene victorious that was soon replaced with guilt, he felt a sinking feeling on his chest that things are going to get worse from here on.

[starrbuggie]

STREAM LINK!!!

[sir-pentiouses-egg-boys]

I'm not dead, I'll try to make an episode every 2 weeks, however well I'd like to hear about what you all would want me to talk about as well, since more ideas and inputs the better simply put, also plz remember Don't ask me things I in universe/character wouldn't know, live in crime alley, and that this podcast is Bruce Wayne/Batman centric. The questions being for my podcast, Gotham Insiders, which i'll link the first episode to is well above or belove this text. o/ bye

[magicalshopping]

I'm currently streaming Minecraft! Just chilling and committing a bit of deforestation~

twitch.tv/riniredrum

[jukebox-arts]

Art Lessons

I'm just dropping this here because the idea keeps floating in my head about revisiting something I did back in the SAMS server (yes, hi, I was there, some of you probably know me from art chat) that I really enjoyed and I've been considering trying again to provide accessible resources to young or under-skilled artists.

So, back in the day (early 2023) when I was there (SAMS), I held a couple of streams where I tried to explain anatomy and breaking down bodies into shapes and how those lessons overlapped into other subjects like non-humans. I felt there was a moderate success, as I am and always have been, self-taught and thus I don't have the formal knowledge that comes from university classes (though I would like some one day); having been online enough I've seen the biases in the art community with the agism and such where older people who "missed" the window of opportunity are often pushed aside because they're expected to "know" by now how to Do The Thing when they weren't given the same opportunities then.

I've also seen how most how-to books, videos and classes, in many countries, seem to lack general fundamentals as part of their criteria; the number of 'students' who professed that their teachers or the instructor seemed to assume they had a basic idea of how to draw already before starting class was... staggering to say the least.

"I didn't know what [this] meant, I was just told to do it."

"We were never taught how to break this down, we just had to copy [this]."

Etc.

Nevermind the style biases; I despise the "Anime isn't art" arguments and how they try to force a style onto the learners as if they're superior for being 'traditional' or 'realistic'. I'm a person who does push for the fundamentals because they can be applied to all styles in some way; learn the rules to then break the rules and all that. Technical skill is not the same as style, in my book.

So, that being said, I would really love to revisit those streams one day soon, if the interest is still there. I'm planning to open a discord server for it where I can host the small-scale streams until I get a platform open for larger audiences; I'm thinking Twitch, but my set up isn't really good for that, and I need a certain amount of watch time/followers on Tiktok and Youtube (for some stupid reason) so while I figure that out, discord is better than nothing. VODs could be made or uploaded to Youtube later for review until I make proper edited stuff, but that's much later.

I just really miss offering help because art should be accessible and no one should feel isolated in the "you should know by now" bubble simply because their living situation or environment didn't afford them the time or resources to sit and draw all day, every day and teach themselves where classes failed or assumed they knew what they were dong already. Also, that live feedback can help a lot and allow others to run at their own pace instead of getting steamrolled by the 'natural talent' as I can repeat or revisit something and answer questions in real-time (as much as I'm able).

So if that's something that seems fun or interesting, I'd leave it open to any age (behave yourselves) to come learn; if I get enough interest I'll start making the discord and think of a schedule plan, but for now it's an idea!

Thank you for dropping by!

[medusamagic]

playing the beginner's guide as a teenager: wow, what a tragic story about an artist struggling to find connection

playing the beginner's guide as an adult: it is now my life's mission to kill c!davey wreden