OBS Studio – We Finally Switched

OBS Studio is the gold standard for streaming on Twitch, YouTube, and Facebook live. Therefore, that is precisely why we made the switch to OBS Studio for our game streaming. Twitch Studio was a great way to start in our streaming journey, but we outgrew the system fairly quickly and there are definitely some disadvantages of using Twitch Studio over OBS Studio.

What’s Wrong With Twitch Studio?

As an application, Twitch Studio is great! It’s very easy to use and for someone who has never streamed video before, it has a very low learning curve and using a tool like Canva, you can easily make great looking graphics that can rival the look of a professional streamer despite the fact you may not be a professional. The issue is that if you plan on expanding to other streaming platforms beyond Twitch, you’ll need to pick a different application to use.

A tool like Restream.io will simplify the process of streaming to multiple platforms at the same time. A free plan will allow a user to connect to Twitch, YouTube, and many others, however if you want to stream to your Facebook Fan Page or Group, you will need a premium plan. Today we’re focusing on the screens of OBS and we’ll dig into the functionality at a later date.

Getting Started With OBS Studio

The interface can be extremely overwhelming when you first open the program, but the key is to break it up into segments:

• Main Screen
• Scenes
• Sources
• Audio Mixer
• Scene Transitions
• Controls

Main Screen

The main screen shows what is being sent to your live stream and the “Studio Mode” button on the controls allows you to queue up a preview of the next selected image. Therefore, clicking the “transition” button sends the preview screen to the live stream.

Scenes Menu

The “Scenes” menu allows you to switch between displays on your stream. Share a “Going Live” image, a video, the screen share of your gaming computer, and many other options.

Sources

The “Sources” menu is the content for your scene. This is where you add text, images, video, audio and the live display of your gaming computer (through a capture card or your computer’s other monitor). Additionally, you can combine sources and images to create overlays on top of your live video or your logo as a watermark on your broadcast.

Audio Mixer

The audio mixer shows the sounds for all sources in your scene. If you want to play an intro video or your preview screen without your viewers hearing you talking in the background, you can mute your microphone and adjust the sound level of the other audio sources.

Scene Transitions

Think of this functionality as something similarly to changing slides Microsoft Power Point. When you change slides, Power Point gives the option of a fancy transition where the page slides off the screen, fade off the screen or several other options. OBS Studio allows for the same kind of behavior between scenes.

OBS Studio Controls

The controls tab is relatively straightforward. Users can start/stop recording and streaming with a single click, start the virtual camera (we’ll address this in another post), change to Studio Mode (addressed above), or change your settings.

OBS Studio Conclusions

Now that you have an understanding of the OBS Studio display window, it’s time to start creating your future award winning stream that will have millions of followers! We’ll dig into these features and talk about configuring your stream setup in more details over the next several months.

Merchandise Store

Check out our featured product in the merchandise store. The holidays are here and F-R Racing merchandise makes a great gift, therefore get to the shop today and order so you receiver your merchandise before your gift exchange!

Wednesday Night Dash Highlights

Due to the Thanksgiving holiday in the United States, Wednesday Night Dash was held on Tuesday of this week. D.J. and Erik raced tough at Auto Club Speedway, but ultimately Erik won his fourth race in a row.

Sponsor Spotlight

Black Friday and Cyber Monday are here! Rogue Energy is having an amazing sale featuring buy one get one half price tubs this weekend only! Use promo code BOGO50 to save at checkout! In addition, they have specials on starter kits and sample packs with awesome shaker bottles. Get them before they sell out!